ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) -- New state trooper interviews reveal Harjinder Singh's actions leading up to and during the crash that killed three people on Florida's Turnpike.
Authorities say the truck driver entered the country illegally in 2018, though he was still able to get a commercial driving license with the state of California.
According to an arrest affidavit, a witness called 911 after seeing a crash involving a semi truck and a minivan August 12.
The witness later returned to the scene and saw Singh use a hammer to break a window to help the minivan occupants.
See also: Attorney for undocumented truck driver accused of killing 3 addresses media
Fire rescue had to remove the minivan's rear hatch to extricate the victims.
Two passengers, Rodrigue Dor and Faniola Joseph, were pronounced dead at the scene, while driver Herby Dufresne was extricated alive but later died at the hospital, according to the arrest affidavit.
Troopers noted the minivan showed no evidence of braking or evasive maneuvers. Language barriers made communication with the minivan driver difficult, per court documents.
Troopers also interviewed Singh's passenger, Harneet Singh, who said he was on his phone and didn't know why Harjinder attempted the U-turn. Harjeet Singh added that they were driving from Melbourne to Miami with produce, had rested before the crash, and both had valid licenses. Harjinder Singh refused to speak to law enforcement without a lawyer present, according to the court document.
According to previous reports, St. Lucie County Judge Lauren Sweet denied bond for Singh, ruling he poses a substantial flight risk. Singh, 28, faces six forcible felony charges, including three counts of vehicular homicide.
Troopers say Singh attempted an illegal U-turn through an "Official Use Only" access point near mile marker 171 in Fort Pierce, blocking all northbound lanes and leaving the minivan with no time to react.
A statement from a civil rights lawyer who spoke with Singh said that the incident was not an intentional or malicious act. Sikhs for Justice representative Gurpatwant Pannun said to treat or portray him as a malicious killer would be wrong, unfair, and dangerous.
Pannun said the advocacy organization Sikhs Justice announced on Tuesday that they would be offering $100,000 the families of the victims in the crash.
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner called Singh's actions "shocking and criminal," and DHS officials criticized that he obtained a commercial driver's license despite having no legal right to be in the U.S.