Student from Punjab pleads guilty to ramming police officer in Canada

The case dates back to May 31 last year, when an automatic licence plate reader alerted police to a stolen vehicle. According to a North Bay police news release, officers tried to stop the vehicle, but the accused fled the scene.

Police said Singh later returned to a parking lot, gave officers false identification, and then drove toward an officer, striking and pinning him between vehicles.

“The officer ended up on the ground and the accused then drove toward the officer, who was able to escape,” the police said. “The accused then collided with a police cruiser and another vehicle several times before fleeing again. The vehicle was subsequently located, and after a brief foot pursuit, the accused was arrested, found impaired by drugs and taken into custody,” the police added.

The officer was treated for minor injuries at the hospital.

Singh was initially charged with 19 offences, including attempted murder, but that charge was dropped. As per CTV News, he had entered Canada as a student, but at the time of this incident, he was out on a release order from Brampton for several crimes, including flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and possession of property obtained by crime.

On Friday, the police confirmed Singh appeared at the Plouffe Street courthouse to enter his plea. Details of the charges he pleaded guilty to have not been disclosed.

Singh’s family, based in the Peel region and India, along with the Sikh temple he attended, wrote letters to Ontario Court Justice Erin Lainevool urging leniency. They told the court they sold most of their assets and life savings to fund his studies in Canada, but he fell in with the wrong crowd and became addicted to drugs.

Justice Lainevool is scheduled to deliver the sentence on October 24.