James Lawrence Shaheen, 40, fled the scene after striking Gabriella Golden, an 18-year-old longboarder in Hartland, Michigan on October 22, 2024. Golden suffered severe injuries including a spinal injury that left her paralyzed from the waist down and was hospitalized with additional complications such as dislocated shoulders and liver damage. Shaheen turned himself in two days later after hiding his damaged Mini Cooper at home. He was sentenced to six months in jail and 18 months of probation for failing to stop at the scene of a serious injury crash.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On October 22, 2024, in Hartland, Michigan, an 18-year-old named Gabriella Golden was hit by a Mini Cooper that crossed the center line while she was riding her longboard. The driver, identified as James Lawrence Shaheen, 40, fled the scene and hid the damaged vehicle on his property for two days before surrendering to authorities. Witnesses who heard the crash called police; otherwise, Golden might have died according to her family members.
Police found Golden screaming in pain at the accident site. She was hospitalized with severe injuries including a spinal injury, complications with her carotid artery, a dislocated right shoulder, liver and spleen injuries, and road rash. As a result of these injuries, she is now paralyzed from the waist down.
Shaheen was charged with failure to stop at the scene of a serious personal injury crash on April 14, 2025, six months after the incident. He posted a $15,000 bond before his trial and was sentenced to just six months in jail, which has sparked significant public outrage over the leniency of the sentence for such a severe crime.
Written for “Hit And Run Sentencing Controversy” on 2026-10-13,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
A Michigan man who fled after striking a teenage girl with his car, leaving her paralyzed and screaming on the ground, has received a measly jail sentence.
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who → flee → sentence
Gabriella Golden, 18, was riding her longboard in Hartland, a township northwest of Detroit, on October 22, 2024, when a Mini Cooper crossed the center line and slammed into her.
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Cooper → rid → her
The driver, identified by police as James Lawrence Shaheen, 40, sped off and hid the damaged Mini Cooper on his property for two days before turning himself in.
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driver → identify → himself
When police arrived at the scene of the crash, they said they found Golden 'screaming in pain on the ground.'
The teenager was rushed to a local hospital, where staff determined she had suffered a spine injury, complications with her carotid artery, a dislocated right shoulder, liver and spleen injuries, and road rash.
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she → arrive → artery
The 18-year-old is now paralyzed from the waist down.
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old → paralyze → waist
Her family members told WDIV that if it hadn't been for Samaritans who heard the crash and called police, the teenager may have died.
uncertain
teenager → tell → police
Shaheen was charged with failure to stop at the scene of a serious personal injury crash on April 14, 2025, six months after hitting Golden.
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Shaheen → charge → Golden
He was given a $15,000 bond, which he posted before being released on April 22.
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he → give → April
The hit-and-run driver was sentenced last week to a minimum of six months in jail followed by 18 months of probation.
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driver → hit → probation
Gabriella Golden, 18, was struck by a car while riding her longboard in Hartland, Michigan, on October 22, 2024.
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Golden → strike → October
The driver fled the scene
Golden suffered a spine injury, complications with her carotid artery, a dislocated right shoulder, a liver injury, a spleen injury and road rash.
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Golden → flee → artery
She is pictured in the hospital
Golden is now paralyzed from the waist down.
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Golden → picture → waist
Her family said that if it had not been for Samaritans who heard the crash and called police, the teen may have died
Police began investigating Shaheen soon after the crash, as a fender that had come off his car had a part number consistent with a 2002 to 2008 Mini Cooper model.
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that → say → model
Surveillance footage from a nearby home also showed a Mini Cooper.
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footage → show → Cooper
Detectives looked into registered owners of the car model in the surrounding area and identified Shaheen as a possible suspect.
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Detectives → look → suspect
He lived about two miles from where he hit Golden.
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he → live → Golden
A state trooper visited his home on October 23, a day after the crash, and knocked on the door, but there was no answer.
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trooper → visit → door
The trooper also only observed a black Buick on the property.
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trooper → observe → property
The next day, Shaheen called a police chief with the Green Oak Township Police Department whom he was friends with and asked for advice.
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he → call → advice
The chief told Shaheen to turn himself in.
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chief → tell → himself
Shaheen called state police shortly after and said that he had hit someone riding a skateboard with his car and fled because 'he was scared but was calling because he wanted to do the right thing,' according to the officer who took the call.
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who → call → call
Shaheen had also told his police chief friend that he was petting his dog when he crossed the center line and had a 'panic attack' after hitting Golden, which caused him to flee, according to a statement the chief gave to Michigan State Police.
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chief → tell → Police
When officers went to Shaheen's home, they found his Mini Cooper tucked away into a clearing in a wooded area of his property.
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Cooper → go → property
The car had blood on its broken windshield and hair stuck in the weather seal between the windshield and the roof, according to a state trooper's account.
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car → have → account
Police identified James Lawrence Shaheen, 40, as the driver who struck Golden and fled.
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who → identify → Golden
He was sentenced to just six months in jail and 18 months of probation last week
Golden's aunt, Monica Schwartz, said that the teenager had just started her first semester of college and was 'excited to start her new life.'
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teenager → sentence → life
An X-ray of Golden's spinal injury is pictured
Blood and hair strands were also found embedded in the glass of the windshield, and there was blood on top of the car and near the rear passenger brake light, police said.
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police → picture → light
Golden's aunt, Monica Schwartz, told WDIV last year that she believes Shaheen's actions were 'calculated' and that it seemed like he was trying to cover up his crime.
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he → tell → crime
'I think that he knew people in the police department and wanted to ask advice and see what his options were before doing the right thing,' Schwartz said.
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Schwartz → think → thing
'To me, it seems like he had something to hide that night,' she added.
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she → seem → something
The aunt also said that Golden was in her first semester of college at the time of the crash and 'excited to start her new life, and unfortunately that had to change.'
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that → say → life
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