MINNEAPOLIS— A 30-year-old Minneapolis man is facing charges after a student was killed in a collision near the University of Minnesota.
Ali Samator ran a red light, struck a victim crossing the street and then left the scene, police say.
Hennepin County
Officers located Samator a short distance from the area. They noticed an odor of alcohol coming from him, as well as bloodshot eyes. He was taken into custody and consented to a blood draw, the complaint said.
The victim, identified by family members as Rylie Saloum, died in hospital on November 10, three days after the crash. Hospital officials said she died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Saloum is fondly remembered by her community.
“It’s a tragedy,” Barb Whiteis said. “To highlight the life of such a young person, who had so much to offer.”
For twelve years, Whiteis taught Rylie Saloum one of her earliest passions: horse riding.
“She had cute dimples, the dimples, that’s what I remember,” Whiteis said. “She was very outgoing and came almost every day.”
Saloum’s father, Scott Saloum, said he picked up his daughter’s things from college on Thursday.
“She is very outgoing, caring and energetic. Always smiling,” Saloum said. “She loved acting and aspired to one day be in film or on TV.”
Samator had three prior drunk driving convictions in the past decade and had a revoked driver’s license following a 2016 incident.
“It’s incredibly annoying that the laws here allow people like this to keep doing things over and over again until someone dies,” Saloum said.
Samator was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and one count of driving with a suspended license.
WCCO personnel
