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

A Minneapolis man was drunk and driving without a license when he struck and killed a University of Minnesota student walking in a crosswalk near the campus, according to charges.

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 on Nov. 10 at HCMC.

Samator remains jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail ahead of a court appearance on 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 on 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history also includes two convictions for theft and one each for robbery, drug possession and driving after his license was revoked.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:

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, when a car’s driver ran a red light, 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.

Officers soon found the car nearby, with Samator inside and showing several signs of being intoxicated. 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 for degree of intoxication. Those results have yet to be disclosed.