A man with a long history of getting on the road despite the state repeatedly pulling his driving privileges has been charged with speeding through a red light at a Minnetonka intersection and causing a collision that critically injured a teenager.
Mohamed Aydarus Salad, 29, of Minnetonka appeared in Hennepin County District Court Monday after being charged with criminal vehicular operation in connection with the crash on March 5 at Hwy. 7 and Williston Road that left 18-year-old Lauren E. Olson with severe brain damage and other serious injuries.
Al Olson, Lauren’s father, attended the appearance and said she is doing well physically and mentally in her recovery.
“She’s doing fine, absolutely fine,” he said, adding that it’s not the outcome you expect from this kind of accident.
Judge Amber Brennan set Salad’s bail at $25,000 with conditions, including that he not drive a car. His public defender, Isa Domin, noted that Salad didn’t have a criminal record, while Assistant County Attorney Judith Cole countered that he had a lengthy history of misdemeanor traffic violations. Ultimately, Brennan sided with the state’s argument for higher bail.
The state Department of Public Safety said Monday that Salad’s license had been revoked since December 2021 for driving without insurance.
Court records show that he has convictions for careless driving and inattentive driving. He has also been cited nine times for driving while his license was either suspended or revoked, the records reveal.
Olson, who graduated from Hopkins High School about three months after the crash, was less than two blocks from home when the collision occurred.
