Bilal Hassan drove 133 mph on the Meadowbrook Parkway while intoxicated and killed his passenger
MINEOLA, N.Y. –Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that a Brooklyn man was convicted today on all 11 charges related to a November 27, 2014, crash in which he killed his 24-year-old passenger, Malih Takkouche.
The defendant crashed into a tree near an exit ramp on the Meadowbrook Parkway at a speed of more than 130 miles per hour while intoxicated, with a revoked license and without a required interlock device.
Bilal Hassan, 24, was convicted by a jury today of:
• Two counts of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide (a B felony)
• Two counts of Vehicular Manslaughter in the 1st Degree (a C felony)• Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree (a C felony)
• Two counts of Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol (an E felony)• Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the 1st Degree (an E felony)
• Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the 2nd Degree (an unclassified misdemeanor)• Reckless Driving (an unclassified misdemeanor)
• Operating a Motor Vehicle Without an Ignition Interlock Device (an A misdemeanor)
The jury returned the verdict after an hour of deliberation.
The defendant was remanded by Court of Claims Judge Philip Grella and is due back for sentencing on August 4. Hassan faces up to 8-1/3 to 25 years in prison.
“The night before Thanksgiving can be especially dangerous for young people on our roads, but no one could anticipate that a drunk driver would drive drunk again just six weeks after his DWI conviction with a revoked license, no interlock and at speeds more than 130 mph on the Meadowbrook Parkway” DA Singas said. “Our sympathies are with the family of 24 year-old Malih Takkouche, whose promising young life was stolen by the criminal selfishness of this defendant.”
DA Singas said that on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 27, 2014 at approximately 2:30 a.m., Hassan was traveling southbound in his 2014 Infiniti Q50 when he lost control on the Meadowbrook Parkway and violently crashed into a tree near the exit for the westbound Southern State Parkway. A subsequent download of the Infiniti’s black box revealed that the vehicle had been traveling at least 133 miles per hour.
Police observed Hassan to be intoxicated at the scene. It was later determined that his blood alcohol content was .16%, two times the legal limit.
The defendant was ordered in 2014 to install an ignition interlock on any vehicle he owned or operated less than two months prior to the crash. The Infiniti driven by Hassan did not have an ignition interlock installed.
Members of the New York State Police Department arrested Hassan.
Deputy Bureau Chief Michael Bushwack and Assistant District Attorney Stefanie Palma of DA Singas’ Vehicular Crimes Bureau are prosecuting the case. Hassan is represented by Christopher Devane, Esq.