7-Year Sentence for Man Who Fled Police, Ran Red Light, Killed Pedestrian

May 4

A Minneapolis man with multiple prior impaired driving offenses has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison after he fatally struck a pedestrian while fleeing police in Nov. 2024.

Ali Abas Samator, 31, was sentenced last week to 93 months in prison after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide—operating a motor vehicle in a negligent manner while under the influence of alcohol.

Three additional charges, including fleeing police, first-degree DWI and driving after cancellation, were dismissed under a plea agreement accepted by the court.

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The fatal crash occurred shortly after midnight on Nov. 7, 2024, near the University of Minnesota. According to court records, University of Minnesota police had attempted to stop Samator after observing him driving the wrong way. Squad lights were activated, but officers discontinued the pursuit due to the vehicle’s dangerous speed. Soon after, the same red Toyota Camry was reported in a pedestrian hit-and-run at an intersection nearby.

Surveillance video showed the pedestrian had the right-of-way and was crossing in a marked crosswalk when the driver of the Camry ran a red light and struck her without braking. The driver then left the scene. Officers arrived to find the woman gravely injured in the roadway. She was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with head-to-toe fractures, brain trauma, internal bleeding and a damaged carotid artery. She died three days later on Nov. 10.

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Samator was located a short time later in the driver’s seat of the damaged vehicle and a few blocks away. Officers observed his bloodshot eyes, an odor of alcohol on Samator and what appeared to be human hair in the vehicle’s windshield. He was arrested and consented to a blood draw. In a written guilty plea, he admitted to consuming alcohol, speeding through a red light and striking the pedestrian. He also acknowledged being over the legal blood alcohol limit at the time of the crash.

At the time of the incident, Samator’s driver’s license had been canceled as inimical to public safety due to a history of impaired driving. He had three prior alcohol-related driving convictions within the past 10 years, including two prior DWIs—one of which was a second-degree offense.

As part of the plea agreement, Samator admitted guilt to the top charge while the remaining charges—including a felony fleeing offense tied to the attempted traffic stop—were dismissed at sentencing.

A judge ordered Samator to serve 93 months in prison, the top end of the sentencing guideline range. He received credit for 130 days already served in custody and will be subject to a five-year conditional release period following incarceration. Samator was also ordered to submit a DNA sample and is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

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