ST. LUCIE COUNTY − Members of the Sikh community came together to pray at the St. Lucie County Jail Aug. 28 for three who died following a crash after a Stockton truck driver was accused of making an improper U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike.
The Sikh prayer at the jail was called an Ardas, and also was for a fair trial for the trucker arrested Aug. 16 in Stockton, Harjinder Singh, 28, who is jailed on six charges after the Aug. 12 deadly crash about 19 miles north of Okeechobee Road. Further, Singh is being held on alleged immigration violations.
The case of Singh, accused of entering the United States illegally through Mexico in 2018, has turned into a political flashpoint regarding immigration at the highest levels of government.
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins of Florida made a cross-country journey to hold a press conference at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport before escorting Singh back to Florida.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued civil and criminal subpoenas to Singh’s employer, White Hawk Carriers Inc. of Ceres.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel for the advocacy group Sikhs For Justice, on Aug. 26 said he met with Singh in jail. Pannun in a video briefing said that while he doesn’t represent Singh in any legal proceeding, when he met with Singh he “saw sorrow and suffering in his eyes.”
He said Singh is praying for the victims’ families and “is facing mental anguish for what happened that day.”
Pannun said Sikhs For Justice is committing $100,000 in aid for those who died through Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office. The money is being given to show the Sikh community stands in solidarity with those who passed.
“That is our main religious cause that we are always there for humanitarian relief, humanitarian cause,” Pannun said. “Sikhs are known for this, and we want to show our compassion that we stand with the victims.”
Stockton is also home to a large Sikh population and the Gurdwara Sahib Stockton, the oldest temple in the United States, each year hosts the Annual Sikh Parade & Festival.
According to officials, Singh drove a northbound semi-truck and box trailer and tried to make a U-turn at the “official use only turn around” area. A 2015 Chrysler minivan with a driver and two passengers crashed into the semi.
The minivan passengers – Faniola Joseph, 37, of Pompano Beach, and Rodrigue Dor, 54, of Miami – died at the scene. The minivan driver, Herby Dufresne, 30, of Florida City, died after being taken to a hospital in Fort Pierce, according to records and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Pannun said after the crash Singh reportedly got out, broke open a window and held the hand of one of those inside and said help is on the way and to stay with him.
“That clearly states that he deeply feels grief and sorrow for the incident,” Pannun said.
A Change.org petition has garnered over 2.7 million signatures calling for clemency for 28-year-old Harjinder Singh, who is charged with three counts each of vehicular homicide and manslaughter in the Aug. 12 two-vehicle crash on Florida’s Turnpike.
According to court records, a witness told FHP officials that the witness tried speaking with Dufresne, but Dufresne was speaking Creole and there was a language barrier.
Pannun said Singh’s “case is one of tragic misjudgment and not of an intentional or malicious act.”
“Harjinder did not set out to harm anyone in any way,” Pannun said. “And right now to treat him or portray him as a malicious killer, it would be very unfair and wrong at this time.”
A Punjabi interpreter translated the judge’s instructions and words for Singh during a first court appearance proceeding on Aug. 23. He was brought to the county jail after being returned to Florida from California the night before.
Pannun said Singh is a Sikh from Punjab, a state in northwest India that is predominantly Sikh. He said Singh fled India because of alleged persecution.
“With this background, Harjinder came to America to build a new life with hard work and dignity,” Pannun said.
He said Singh came to the United States during President Donald Trump’s first administration and was given a bond.
“He was allowed to proceed with his asylum application, which is pending,” Pannun said. “And that’s a procedure which the immigration has provided in the past that if you are in the country and your asylum application is pending, you are authorized to work.”
Singh got a commercial driver’s license in California.
Pannun said in his understanding, Singh is authorized to work.
“How do we define legally or illegally, that is different, but he is not illegally driving the truck,” Pannun said.
After the Aug. 12 crash, Singh and another man in the truck with him reportedly flew from West Palm Beach to California, and Singh returned to Stockton at some point before his arrest.
Pannun said his understanding from Singh is the Florida Highway Patrol left Singh at a gas station and he stayed in a motel.
“The next morning his operator or his owner of the truck sent two tickets for him to fly back to California,” Pannun said. “This is my understanding of what I got from him. He was not given instructions to stay in Florida.”
Asked whether he thought Singh could get a fair trial, Pannun said, “This is America, and that’s what we believe in … the presumption is of innocence, and we believe in America,” he said. “We believe in the American system.”
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Stockton trucker accused in deadly U-turn crash ‘deeply feels grief and sorrow’: Sikh leader
Reporting by Will Greenlee and Victoria Franco, USA Today Network / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
