Manteca police say they are taking threatening comments made against Mayor Gurminder “Gary” Singh seriously.
A recent post in the Downtown Manteca Facebook Group suggested that someone should shoot the mayor, who is seeking reelection, police said.
Sgt. Steve Beermann said authorities immediately investigated the threat as soon as they became aware of it over the weekend. They determined it came from a legitimate Facebook account and were able to identify a suspect — although they are not revealing the person’s name.
“Due to the sensitive and ongoing nature of the investigation, the department is not releasing the identity of the suspect at this time,” police said in a statement.
The department added that once the probe is complete, the case will be submitted to the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s office to determine whether charges should be filed.
Officers gave no indication what spurred the death threat, but there’s been no shortage of twists in the Manteca mayor’s race leading up to the Nov. 3 general election. Singh faces Jacob Naven on the ballot.
Last month, Singh and a local chiropractor, Matthew Alexander, were each charged with two misdemeanor counts by the DA’s office after a social media video offered a $50 chiropractic discount to those who voted for the mayor’s reelection. In the video, Alexander makes the offer, and Sigh replies, “It does pay off to vote for your mayor.”
Singh later said in a social media post that he would address the charges through the “appropriate legal process.”
Weeks before the charges were filed, two of Singh’s large campaign signs were set ablaze, raising fears that the motivation might have been race-based.
At the time, Singh wrote an extensive, heartfelt condemnation of the fires on social media. He said that he wasn’t intimidated by the vandalism and that he is proud of his Indian heritage. Naven joined Singh in condemning the fires and offered to help his opponent hang new signs.