Prosecutors charge 22-year-old in March auto killing



Hennepin County prosecutors charged a woman Monday, with hitting and killing a 22-year-old University of St. Thomas senior in March.

Prosecutors say Gabryela Marie Liebgott, 22, of St. Paul, allegedly killed Sehem Hassen around 3 a.m. on March 23 as Hassen crossed Marshall Street near 16th Avenue in Minneapolis. Hennepin County prosecutors charged Liebgott with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide.

Liebgott is currently in the Hennepin County Jail. A judge set bond at $150,000.

According to charging documents, Liebgott did not slow the car down as she drove through at a high speed while Hassen prepared to cross. Parts of Hassen’s clothes were scattered in the street, and the driver’s-side mirror was in the roadway.

Medics treated Hassen, who later died at the Hennepin Healthcare. She was on track to graduate in May.

Investigators gathered video from a nearby parked Tesla that caught the collision, according to the charging documents. The video showed Hassen’s body flung onto the windshield before falling beneath the car.

A shop that specializes in vinyl exterior wraps called the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on March 30 to report a 2005 Infiniti G35 with hood damage and a missing driver’s-side mirror. Minneapolis police collected apparent blood samples from the vehicle’s exterior.

The shop owner told police someone named “Gabby” wanted to have the car wrapped, but also store it, according to the charging documents. She never called back to check on the car. Police ran the car’s plates and found it registered to one of Liebgott’s relatives.

Investigators also found Liebgott swiped her ID to enter the Minneapolis VFW on Lyndale Avenue South around 1 a.m. the night of the killing. Two people who said they were in the car with Liebgott when she hit Hassen told police she’d been drinking.

Multiple cameras caught Liebgott’s car leaving the VFW and swerving into oncoming traffic, according to the charging documents. The car was recorded driving down Hennepin Avenue, onto Minnesota Highway 280 and into St. Paul.

If convicted, Liebgott faces up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine for each count.



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A Republican lawmaker charged in an alcohol-related driving offense won’t have to appear in court again until after the Legislature adjourns for the year.

A June 10 arraignment hearing is set for Rep. Elliott Engen, a Lino Lakes Republican who faces three misdemeanor charges following an arrest early Friday. He was stopped for speeding and other infractions in White Bear Lake; officers detected alcohol and he later tested well above the legal limit for driving, according to a citation.

Engen has apologized for a lapse in judgment; he promised to learn from his actions and “do better.” Aside from being a second-term legislator, he is also a candidate for state auditor.

A second lawmaker, GOP Rep. Walter Hudson, was in Engen’s truck at the time of the stop and an open bottle of alcohol was found in a rear seat. Hudson, a second-term legislator from Albertville, was in possession of a permitted handgun, which could cause him legal problems if he is determined to have been intoxicated.

Police officers wrote in their report that Hudson disclosed he had the gun as the truck was being searched. The report said police took the firearm for safekeeping and said he could pick it up at a later time, which Hudson agreed to.

“I regret the poor decisions that were made during this incident, and commend the White Bear Police Department for their professional response,” Hudson said in a written statement. “I’m grateful that no harm was done to ourselves and others.”

Two lawmakers stand and look around
Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, (center) and Rep. Bidal Duran, R-Bemidji, (right) join other Republican lawmakers gather in the House chambers Jan. 27, 2025.
Tim Evans for MPR News file

A third, unidentified passenger was in the truck as well, according to police. Hudson and that person were transferred to the police department until they could arrange rides.

The Minnesota lawmakers had been at the Capitol late into the evening Thursday as the House debated procedural motions on gun, immigration and social media legislation. The motions failed on 67-67 votes.

There is no indication yet that either Hudson nor Engen had been drinking on Capitol grounds, which would be a violation of a House rule against consumption of alcohol or drugs in spaces under that chamber’s control.

According to a White Bear Lake Police report, Engen initially said he had not been drinking when asked by the police officer who pulled him over — “nothing at all,” he is quoted as saying. He performed a field sobriety test, which the report says showed signs of impairment.

Engen gave a preliminary breath sample there, the report says, which estimated a 0.142 blood alcohol level. After he was taken by squad car to the police department “Engen spontaneously stated, ‘Sir, I had a drink three hours ago,’” the report says.

He told the Minnesota Star Tribune in an interview Monday that he had also consumed alcohol in the afternoon on Thursday as well.

Engen is charged with two impaired driving offenses and speeding. White Bear Lake police also said he was driving a vehicle with expired registration and an inoperable headlight.

Engen has not returned calls from MPR News. A court docket lists a “notice of appearance” on Tuesday.

He is being represented in the criminal case by Chris Madel, an Excelsior attorney who waged a brief Republican campaign for governor.



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