FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno police arrested Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh late Saturday night allegedly for driving under the influence of a drug, but his supporters began to question the incident on Monday.
Toxicology reports from the traffic stop are pending, according to Fresno police Sgt. Diana Vega, who added the department would not be making any further statements.
Multiple media reports said the arrest occurred in the Tower District, where there has been an increased police presence in recent days due to a string of recent shootings.
The reports indicated Singh was cited and released.
A City Hall source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said police pulled over Singh for swerving and having an expired registration tag.
Singh, who is a candidate for the city’s District 1 city council seat, did not answer or return a call from KVPR on Monday morning. But acquaintances and supporters of his campaign took to social media to question the police encounter.
In a Facebook post, Kiel Lopez-Schmidt, a housing advocate in the city’s Tower District neighborhood, said Singh would hold a press conference at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
Lopez-Schmidt said he was with Singh at an event Saturday evening and that Singh “was as kind and sober as ever and showed no signs of intoxication.”
Singh supporters also posted what appeared to be a third-party toxicology report indicating Singh tested negative for drugs in a urine screen following his police encounter.
Fresno Unified School District Trustee Genoveva Islas also defended Singh. She said she has known Singh for years.
“He is a man of faith and conviction. The recent story about him is a targeted attack because [Singh] is fighting for trust and justice and will expose corruption,” she said.
Singh is the executive director of the civil rights nonprofit Jakara Movement, and also a Central Unified School District Trustee. In his race for the Fresno City Council, he is opposed by former federal prosecutor Rob Fuentes.
Following Singh’s arrest, Fuentes’ campaign sent a mass text message stating the incident raised questions about Singh’s judgement and that he should withdraw from the race.
