Ajamkot Sandhu, 25, Sentenced to Eight Years for Fatal Impaired Driving Crash

Victim’s Family Finds Closure as Court Hands Down Judgment.

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A Mississauga man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for a fatal crash that claimed the life of a rideshare passenger in 2021. Ajamkot Sandhu, 25, was convicted on multiple charges, including impaired driving and dangerous driving causing death, after a jury found him guilty in August 2024.

The tragic collision occurred on September 11, 2021, at the intersection of Winston Churchill Boulevard and Burnhamthorpe Road. Sandhu, driving a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta, was speeding at 124 km/h in a 60 km/h zone when he slammed into a southbound Subaru operating as a Lyft rideshare vehicle. The impact killed 34-year-old passenger Matthew Cruz and left both the Lyft driver and Sandhu’s girlfriend with serious injuries.

Sandhu, who had been out on bail since his arrest four months after the crash, was taken into custody following his sentencing. In addition to his prison term, he has been handed a 15-year driving ban.

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For Cruz’s family, the ruling marks the end of a painful legal journey. “He (Sandhu) got to say goodbye to his family — they got to say goodbye to him. That’s something we were deprived of,” said Maria Palermo, Cruz’s aunt, outside the courthouse. “Matthew doesn’t get to have a second chance, whereas Mr. Sandhu will.”

During trial proceedings, it was revealed that Sandhu had been drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis at Dave & Buster’s in Oakville before getting behind the wheel. He later admitted to police that he was intoxicated and aware that he should not have been driving.

Following the crash, Sandhu attempted to mislead authorities by falsely identifying another man, “Jay,” as the driver. He also instructed his girlfriend to lie to police, which she initially did. However, in November 2021, after speaking with her mother, she recanted her statement and provided the truth to investigators. Crown prosecutor Ryan Moir described this moment as her “crisis of conscience.”

The judge acknowledged Sandhu’s attempt to evade responsibility but noted that justice had ultimately prevailed. With credit for time spent in pre-trial custody and house arrest, he has seven years and nine months left to serve in prison.

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