The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Saturday an immigration detainer has been lodged against an illegal immigrant accused of leading Ohio deputies on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash killing a pregnant 17-year-old girl and her unborn child, and injuring another woman.
Tarsem Singh, an Indian national, was recently indicted on vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide charges, according to DHS.
He is being held on a $1 million bond, and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer with Ohio authorities.
The fatal Feb. 16 chase was initiated after a Darke County Sheriff’s Office deputy noticed an SUV driving nearly 25 mph over the speed limit.
Officials said the deputy attempted to catch up to the SUV, allegedly driven by Singh, and paced the vehicle at 100 mph.
As the deputy activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, the SUV sped away, driving roughly five miles at speeds reaching 124 mph before crashing into an eastbound vehicle on a curve, according to the sheriff’s office.
The deputy immediately notified dispatch of the crash and checked for injuries, finding pregnant 17-year-old Ashlee Holmes, Singh’s passenger, dead after being ejected from the vehicle, local outlet WDTN reported.
Singh was taken by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital.
The female driver of the eastbound vehicle was conscious and alert with injuries, and taken to Union City to Reid Hospital in Richmond, Indiana, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officials said the pursuit lasted less than three minutes from the time it was initiated until the crash.
It is unclear why Holmes was in Singh’s vehicle.
“This is yet another tragic reminder of why illegal aliens should not be driving cars on America’s roads,” DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis wrote in a statement. “A 17-year-old woman and her unborn child are now dead as a result of this illegal alien’s reckless actions.”
Singh allegedly entered the country illegally in February 2017 through the southern border in California and was arrested before being ordered released by a judge on bond.
Bis said the newly filed ICE detainer was lodged against Singh to ensure he is “never released and allowed back behind the wheel to put more innocent lives at risk.”
