ICE issues hold for man cited in Selma crash that killed 8-year-old boy

Federal officials have issued an immigration detainer for Karmjit Singh, 35, who was arrested Saturday after what officials say was a 100 m.p.h. drunken driving collision in which an 8-year-old boy was killed.

The California Highway Patrol said Singh was convicted of drunken driving in 2016. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office reported that Singh is a citizen of India. He is being held on a bail of about $250,000 in the Fresno County Jail.

The crash took place just after 10 p.m. as Scott Martzen, 33, of Selma, was eastbound on Rose Avenue in a 2014 Kia. Singh was northbound on Bethel Avenue in a BMW 750i, according to the CHP. There is a stop sign for Bethel traffic at the intersection, and Rose traffic has the right-of-way, the state agency said.

Witnesses told investigators that the BMW was speeding when Singh blew the stop sign and broadsided the passenger side of the Kia. Megan Martzen, 29, was in the front passenger seat and the 8-year-old was in the back.

The BMW landed in irrigation canal and the Kia slammed into a tree. The boy died at a hospital. Scott Martzen sustained minor injuries and Megan Martzen was seriously injured.

The immigration hold will likely prevent Singh’s release from jail.

Richard Rocha, of the federal agency, said he could not provide details about the immigration action.

This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 1:11 PM.