Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

14 hours ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

15 hours ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

16 hours ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

17 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

2 days ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

2 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

2 days ago
Man Charged With Killing Valley Cop Gets Mental Health Exam
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
January 3, 2019

Share

A Mexican national accused of living in the U.S. illegally was charged with murder Wednesday in the shooting death of a Newman police officer who pulled him over to check if he was driving drunk.
Gustavo Perez Arriaga made his first court appearance in Modesto but did not enter a plea in last week’s killing of Cpl. Ronil Singh of the Newman Police Department.

Attorney Questions Client’s Mental Competency

Perez Arriaga’s attorney, Stephen Foley, questioned his client’s mental competency, leading the court to delay the case until the suspect gets a mental health evaluation, The Modesto Bee newspaper reported.
Perez Arriaga told the judge that his real name is Paulo Virgen Mendoza, but authorities were still referring to him as Perez Arriaga. A complaint lists three aliases for him, including Paulo Virgen Mendoza.

Photo of crowd outside of Stanislaus County courthouse in Modesto
People hold flags and signs Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, outside the Stanislaus County Superior courthouse in Modesto,  where formal charges were filed against Gustavo Perez Arriaga in the Dec. 26, 2018, shooting death of Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh. (Andy Alfaro/The Modesto Bee via AP)

Singh’s Family Attends Hearing

Singh’s family and several of the Police Department’s 12 officers attended the hearing. Dozens of people stood outside the courthouse holding signs that read, “Justice for Cpl. Ronil Singh” and “Back the Blue.”
Perez Arriaga is set to return to court Feb. 7, when a court-appointed doctor will provide a report on his mental health, said John Goold, a spokesman for the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.
Perez Arriaga was arrested Dec. 28 after a dayslong manhunt as he prepared to flee to Mexico, officials said. He has two previous drunken driving arrests, authorities say.
Both arrests took place in Madera County. Perez Arriaga failed to complete his sentencing requirements on one of the DUI convictions and failed to appear in court on the second one. Madera County had two active warrants on him totaling $20,000 at the time Singh pulled him over.

Debate Over Sanctuary State Law

The case has rekindled a debate over California’s sanctuary law that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities. President Donald Trump seized on the case to call for tougher border security amid a fight with congressional Democrats over funding for a border wall, which has forced a partial government shutdown.
Cpl. Singh was also an immigrant, coming to the U.S. legally from his native Fiji to pursue his dream of serving in law enforcement, authorities have said. He joined the Newman police force in 2011. The 33-year-old was married and had a 5-month-old son.
Two of Perez Arriaga’s brothers, his girlfriend, and four others were arrested on suspicion of helping him evade authorities.

Photo of slain officer and his family
Police officer Ronil Singh with his wife and infant son.
(GV Wire contributed to this report.)

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

DON'T MISS

PBS Has a Future by Leaving the Past Behind: Opinion

DON'T MISS

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

DON'T MISS

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

DON'T MISS

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

DON'T MISS

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

DON'T MISS

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

DON'T MISS

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

DON'T MISS

Gaza Running out of Specialized Food to Save Malnourished Children

DON'T MISS

New Madera Bypass Project Aims to Ease Traffic on Highway 41 Near Tesoro Viejo

UP NEXT

PBS Has a Future by Leaving the Past Behind: Opinion

UP NEXT

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

UP NEXT

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

UP NEXT

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

UP NEXT

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

UP NEXT

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

UP NEXT

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

UP NEXT

Gaza Running out of Specialized Food to Save Malnourished Children

UP NEXT

New Madera Bypass Project Aims to Ease Traffic on Highway 41 Near Tesoro Viejo

UP NEXT

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

10 hours ago

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

11 hours ago

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

11 hours ago

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

12 hours ago

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

13 hours ago

Gaza Running out of Specialized Food to Save Malnourished Children

13 hours ago

New Madera Bypass Project Aims to Ease Traffic on Highway 41 Near Tesoro Viejo

14 hours ago

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

14 hours ago

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

14 hours ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

15 hours ago

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

A Tulare police officer was injured in a traffic collision Friday while responding to a medical emergency involving an unresponsive infant, ...

9 hours ago

9 hours ago

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

Signs supporting NPR outside its headquarters in Washington on March 26, 2025. The Trump administration has accused NPR and PBS of using public funds to produce biased coverage and “left-wing propaganda.” (Eric Lee/The New York Times)
10 hours ago

PBS Has a Future by Leaving the Past Behind: Opinion

AJ Rassamni and Miguel Arias blackstone
10 hours ago

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

Fresno first responders spent over two hours safely rescuing a person in crisis from the edge of a downtown parking garage Friday, July 25, 2025,morning. (Fresno FD)
10 hours ago

Fresno First Responders Talk Person Down off Parking Garage Ledge

United States Department of Education logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (Reuters File)
11 hours ago

Oregon Schools Face Federal Probe Over Transgender Athletes

President Donald Trump speaks to the media, after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the power of federal judges by restricting their ability to grant broad legal relief in cases as the justices acted in a legal fight over President Donald Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
11 hours ago

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

Students head to the buses at the end of the day at a high school in Cedar Hill, Mo., on Sept. 14, 2022. The White House will release $5.5 billion in frozen education funds, administration officials announced on Friday, July 25, bringing an end to a chaotic saga of the administration’s making, which had sent school districts scrambling with weeks to go before the school year. (Whitney Curtis/The New York Times)
12 hours ago

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

Kern County fire officials have issued evacuation warnings for two zones near Lake Isabella as the Pearl Fire threatens the area. (Kern County FD)
13 hours ago

Kern County Fire Issues Evacuation Warnings for Pearl Fire Near Lake Isabella

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend