23-Year-Old Sentenced After Deadly Downtown Minneapolis Crash

Jun 25

A Minneapolis woman who drove an SUV into a group of teenagers in downtown last fall, killing one and injuring several others, has been sentenced to nearly 24 years in prison.

Latalia Anjolie Margalli, 23, received a 285-month sentence Tuesday after pleading guilty to second-degree unintentional murder and five counts of second-degree assault.

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The charges stem from an incident on the evening of September 14, 2024, near Fifth Street South and Hennepin Avenue, where a fight had broken out involving multiple people.

According to the criminal complaint, Margalli was seen walking away from the fight before getting into a silver Jeep Liberty. Seconds later, she accelerated toward the group, ran over 16-year-old De’Miaya Broome who was on the ground during a fight, and continued forward without braking. Surveillance video reportedly captured the impact and showed no indication that Margalli attempted to stop before hitting the teens.

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Broome suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to the hospital. Five other teenagers were also struck by the SUV and sustained various injuries, ranging from bumps and bruises to a broken leg.

Margalli was followed from the scene by a witness to the crash and relayed her location to the police. Officers stopped Margalli and was able to take her into custody. As part of her plea agreement, she admitted she was aware people were in front of her SUV when she drove forward.

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Prosecutors filed a motion in October asking for a sentence above state guidelines, citing the victim’s vulnerability during the crash. At sentencing, the State requested 285 months for the second-degree murder charge, along with consecutive sentences for each of the five assault charges.

The judge agreed to impose consecutive sentences. Margalli was sentenced to 180 months (15 years) for the murder conviction and an additional 21 months for each of the five assault convictions, bringing the total sentence to 285 months—just under 24 years.

“My thoughts are with De’Miaya’s family, and all others impacted by this tragic incident,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “Ms. Margalli chose to drive into the crowd, taking De’Miaya’s life and irreparably harming so many people. This sentence holds Ms. Margalli accountable and protects our community.”

Margalli will be required to serve at least two-thirds of her sentence in prison before becoming eligible for supervised release.

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