Driver who ran over teen with his Mini Cooper while 'petting his dog,' leaving her screaming in pain in the street and paralyzed, learns his fate

Inset: James Lawrence Shaheen (Livingston County Sheriff's Office). Background: Gabriella Golden (GoFundMe).

A Michigan man who left the scene after running over a teenage girl on a longboard was sentenced to jail time.

James Lawrence Shaheen, 40, pleaded guilty to failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing injury in connection with a hit-and-run that left Gabriella Golden, then 18 years old, paralyzed from the waist down. Shaheen was driving a Mini Cooper on the night of Oct. 22, 2024, when he struck Golden. The sound of the crash was picked up by surveillance cameras, which also captured his car fleeing the scene.

Golden was found by someone driving through the neighborhood about five minutes later. She was reportedly in the middle of the road, her face covered in blood.

When first responders arrived, they reported that Golden was "screaming in pain." Medical personnel told police that her injuries were critical, including a severe injury to her spine as well as a dislocated shoulder and injuries to her liver, spleen and carotid artery.

According to a GoFundMe page started by Golden's family, she "sustained a paralyzing injury" and was in a medically induced coma following the crash. WDIV followed up with Golden's family during her recovery and reported that she used a wheelchair and was still paralyzed from the waist down. At the time, she reportedly still had "deeply embedded shards of glass" in her skin and a piece of metal in her abdomen that doctors felt was too risky to remove.

On the afternoon of Oct. 23, 2024, Shaheen called the police and told them that he believed he had hit someone with his car. WDIV reported that the cadet who took that call wrote in a written statement that Shaheen "told me that last night he was involved in a crash in which he struck a pedestrian and fled the scene. [Shaheen] told me he fled the scene because he was scared but was calling because he wanted to do the right thing and turn himself in."

Before contacting local authorities, Shaheen spoke to a police chief from a different department whom he knew from a gym. That police chief provided the Michigan State Police a written statement in which Shaheen said that "he believed he may have hit someone on a skateboard. [Shaheen] said that he was petting his dog when he crossed the center line and hit the skateboarder. [Shaheen] stated that he had a panic attack and fled the scene."

More from Law&Crime: Driver 'petting his dog' struck teen on a longboard with his Mini Cooper and left her paralyzed in the middle of the road, police say

When a state trooper went to Shaheen's home, Shaheen brought the trooper to his Mini Cooper. He told the trooper that he knew that leaving the scene was wrong, and he "didn't want you guys to think you need to come hunt me down." He expressed concern about Golden and asked about her condition.

When the trooper and a sheriff's deputy found the Mini Cooper, they observed that there was "obvious damage to the front end, windshield and roof." The windshield, according to the report, was "caved in," with "three long strands of hair" visible. Blood was also observed on various parts of the car.

Shaheen was sentenced on Oct. 8 to six months in jail and 18 months' probation.