Update: After this story was published, the Fresno City Attorney’s office said it would provide bodycam footage of Naindeep Singh’s arrest. “Following confirmation from the Fresno Police Department that the police department’s investigation into this matter is closed, and in response to the significant volume of public records requests, the City of Fresno has determined that these records now constitute a significant matter of public concern warranting dissemination to the media and the public,” a statement from the city attorney’s office read.

A civil rights attorney representing Fresno City Council candidate Naindeep Singh called on the state attorney general to investigate what he suspects is election interference with the confirming of  Singh’s arrest for suspected DUI by the city attorney.

In addition, Singh compared the “better safe than sorry” justification from police in arresting him to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

At a Monday news conference, attorney Kevin Little said had Singh not ordered his own urine sample on Oct. 25, hours after his arrest, showing he had not taken drugs, news of the event could have cost his client the election.

“Enough is enough. A person who has lived a life of sobriety, a week before the election gets smeared, and we would be none the wiser if he hadn’t gone and gotten his own test,” Little said.

Little said he is in the process of reaching out to Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office to request an investigation. When asked multiple times about false arrest or libel lawsuits, Little said he wanted a “thorough and independent investigation” done first.

He said the word of Police Chief Mindy Casto that the arresting officer had acted appropriately was not enough.

“We want to know everything that was occurring in the dark of night. How long was this process ongoing, to whom it was communicated and for what reason,” Little said. “This is going to require an investigation not by the city itself but by an independent government agency.”

Catch Up on How Events Unfolded

On Oct. 25, news broke that Singh had been arrested for suspicion of DUI late at night on Oct. 24. News came out later that Singh had been pulled for expired tags and had failed six of eight markers in a field sobriety test.

Singh’s first public response didn’t come until Oct. 26, when he held a news conference giving the public some details about the events that led to his arrest and to release a urinalysis showing him to be drug free.

The next day, Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto, after defending the actions of the arresting officer, announced that a toxicology report showed Singh to not have any drugs in his system.

By Thursday, Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias, a Singh supporter, called for an investigation into how news of Singh’s arrest was released. He targeted his comments at Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz, who first confirmed Singh’s arrest.

Singh said that voters “deserve the truth.”

“Part of rebuilding trust with the community requires an independent investigation. The allegations against me have been devastating to my family, to my community, and an attack on my character,” Singh said. “Damages done by false accusations are not easily undone.”

Singh Compares Police Decision to Japanese Internment

Little said it “doesn’t make sense” that Singh would fail his field sobriety test while passing a drug test and a breathalyzer test.

While Casto apologized to Singh after his drug test came back negative, she did said that she’d rather apologize and be wrong than let a suspected DUI driver go.

Both Little and Singh objected to Casto’s better-safe-than-sorry justification.

“If we’re a country that’s actually ruled by truth and justice, in this area we saw in Pinedale during World War II the encampment of hundreds of thousands of Japanese throughout the United State, including in this very area that we live, over a recourse of something like ‘better safe than sorry,'” Singh said. “But that is, we are a nation with a rule of law. We treat people individually, not in these particular broad categories.”

Janz Accuses Arias of Using Position to Try to Cover Up Arrest

Only a few hours before Singh’s news conference, Janz went on KMJ’s “Broeske & Musson” show to defend his actions and talk about his calls for an investigation into possible misconduct by Arias.

Janz defended releasing news of the arrest to media saying that a reporter had come to him with multiple sources asking Janz to confirm it. Independent investigative reporter David Taub first broke the news, also citing an unnamed police source in his story.

“If I had lied to him, I would have been accused by the other campaign of trying to cover up an arrest,” Janz said on the air.

Janz said public records are created immediately and that along with the police department, his office handles requests for those records. He explained his connection to the news of Singh’s arrest by saying that as city attorney, he also represents the police department.

Janz said Arias’ calls to have kept the incident quiet for a candidate he has endorsed until after the election could constitute “corruption.”

“That comes closest to corruption, using his position to cover up an arrest or try to cover up an arrest,” Janz said.

He also said there needs to be an investigation into whether Arias had used city funds to pay to promote Singh.

Arias also mentioned extensive contracts between City Hall and Fresno political consultant Alex Tavlian, who has actively campaigned against Singh.

Janz acknowledged that his office has worked with Tavlian but denied having any political consulting contracts.

Little Wants Bodycam Footage Released With Everything Else

Janz said it is not protocol to release bodycam footage until the statute of limitations expires a year after the incident. However, police have in the past released bodycam footage before the year deadline, especially concerning officer-involved shootings.

On Wednesday of last week, Fresno police denied a public records request by GV Wire for bodycam footage of Singh’s arrest saying that “the request seeks records relating to an ongoing law enforcement investigation and disclosure may endanger the successful completion of the investigation or a related investigation.”

Casto had announced that the case was closed the day before.

Janz did say that if Singh agreed to have footage released, he would consider it.

Little said he and Singh want more than just bodycam footage released, also asking for text messages, Flock camera data, and phone calls.

“We want facts. We want an investigation done. And not put out in fits and spurts according to someone else’s desires,” Little said. “We want everything. We’ve provided the city with a long, long list of documents that we believe need to be considered, obtained, preserved as part of this investigation.”