Bakdash Sentenced To 40 Years For Fatal 'U' Hit-And-Run
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A wrong-way drunk driver who hit three people in Dinkytown was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Monday.
Last month, a jury found Timothy Bakdash guilty in nine of the 12 criminal counts he faced, after nearly eight hours of deliberation. He was not convicted on first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree attempted murder.
Prosecutors said he ran over a group of University of Minnesota students on purpose last April.
The incident killed 23-year-old Ben Van Handel and injured Katelynn Hanson and Sarah Bagley. Bagley suffered severe leg injuries in the crash.
Police say Bakdash was upset over an argument at a nearby bar. They say he drove down the wrong way of a one-way street -- 5th Street Southeast -- and hit the students.
Bakdash's lawyers say the incident could not be defined as a "premeditated" act because Bakdash was too drunk and high at the time.
