Driver was drunk, unlicensed when he killed U student in hit-and-run near near campus, charges say

A Minneapolis man was drunk and driving without a license when he sped into an intersection, killed a University of Minnesota student in a crosswalk near campus and drove off, according to court filings.

Ali Abas Samator, 30, is now charged in Hennepin County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide, drunken driving and driving with a canceled license in connection with the crash on Nov. 7 that killed 18-year-old Rylie Saloum of Albertville, Minn.

The charges were upgraded from criminal vehicular operation after Saloum’s death Nov. 10 at HCMC.

Samator remains jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Dec. 10. Messages were left with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations.

Court records in Minnesota show that Samator has been convicted of drunken driving twice and once for underage drinking.

On the day of the crash, Samator was driving after the state had canceled his license June 23, when he withdrew from participation in the ignition interlock program, said state Department of Public Safety spokesman Mark Karstedt.

“We had required the program for reinstatement due to a previous DUI violation” in June 2018, Karstedt said.

Samator’s criminal history also includes two convictions for theft and one each for robbery, drug possession and driving after his license was revoked.

Saloum was a freshman at the U who graduated this past spring from St. Michael-Albertville High School.

According to the criminal complaint and a related court filing:

Police went to Cedar and Riverside avenues and saw Saloum down in the street with severe injuries. Emergency medical personnel took her to HCMC.

Surveillance video showed Saloum had the right of way while walking in the crosswalk, where a car’s driver ran a red light heading south on Cedar, hit Saloum and kept going.

The officers “did not notice any tire marks indicating that the ... car tried to stop prior to hitting the victim,” the charges read.

The impact threw Saloum’s body 111 feet, according to a search warrant affidavit that police filed asking for court permission to collect the car’s computer data.

“Due to the distance [Saloum] was thrown, it is believed this crash took place at a speed well above the posted speed limit of 30 mph,” the affidavit read.

Samator headed onto northbound Interstate 35W and fled an effort by police to stop him. Moments later, he returned to the crash scene and drove through police tape.

Officers soon caught up to the car nearby, with Samator inside and showing signs of intoxication. The officers also saw what appeared to be human hair on the windshield.

Samator was arrested, and law enforcement secured a sample of his blood to measure intoxication. The results showed that his blood alcohol content was 0.17%, more than twice the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.