From his native country of Fiji, Ronil Singh immigrated to the United States of America and became an American citizen in order to live out his dream of being a police officer. He obtained his second college degree after arriving in the U.S. and had previously served with the Merced County, California sheriff’s department before joining the Newman Police Department in 2011. Shortly after Christmas, around 1 a.m. on December 26th, Corporal Singh pulled over a motorist for suspicion of driving under the influence. Within minutes, Cpl. Singh radioed in that shots had been fired. When a fellow police officer rushed to the scene, Singh was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was immediately taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. He left behind a wife and a five-month-old child. The coward who had gunned him down in cold blood had fled in his truck.
A massive manhunt lasted 55 hours, concluding when the accused gunman was apprehended 200 miles away in Bakersfield, CA on Friday, December 28th. Law enforcement officials confirmed the identity of the suspect, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant and apparent gang member named Gustavo Perez Arriaga. Two other men, Arriaga’s brother, Adrian Virgen, and “co-worker” Erik Razo Quiroz, were also arrested with the accused cop killer and face charges related to helping Arriaga escape after allegedly shooting Officer Singh. Both of these men were also in the United States illegally. Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies later announced that they also arrested three other people in connection with aiding and abetting Arriaga, to include his girlfriend Ana Leyde Cervantes. According to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, Arriaga was on his way back to Mexico in order to escape justice; he also reportedly told police that he was a member of the ultra-violent Sureño street gang. In the words of Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson, “He doesn’t belong here. He’s a criminal.” While being transferred to the county jail, Arriaga was restrained with a pair of Cpl. Singh’s handcuffs.
Arriaga has been in the United States for several years, having initially crossed the border illegally in Arizona. Since arriving illegally in the United States, Arriaga has been previously arrested two times for driving under the influence, the very crime that Cpl. Singh was pulling him over for when he was murdered. Sheriff Christianson made sure to emphasize in a press conference that California’s sanctuary laws played a significant role in Officer Singh’s murder. “This is a criminal illegal alien with prior criminal activity that should have been reported to ICE. Under SB 54 in California, based on two arrests for DUI and some other active warrants that this criminal has out there, law enforcement would’ve been prevented, prohibited from sharing any information with ICE about this criminal gang member.”
Just a friendly reminder that right now, the Democrats in the United States are on their holiday vacations while the government is shut down because they refuse to fund border security. Senators, Cpl. Singh’s widow and infant son deserve better; it’s time to put your country before your party.
