Activist Given Jail Sentence
Najee Ali, a prominent community activist, pleaded no contest Thursday to felony hit-and-run and perjury and was sentenced to six months in jail and 1,000 hours of community service.
Authorities said Ali, 41, crashed head on into another vehicle shortly before midnight on Feb. 22 at Crenshaw and Martin Luther King boulevards, then ran into the nearby Magic Johnson Theatre. The driver of the other vehicle was hospitalized with injuries.
At the time, Ali was free on $90,000 bail on charges that he had used purchased identity documents to apply for and receive two driver’s licenses.
Ali, who initially fought the charges, said he had decided to plead no contest because he couldn’t afford attorney fees.
“I’m remorseful, but I don’t think my actions were criminal,” Ali said.
“If I’m guilty of anything, it’s using poor judgment,” he said.
Torrance Superior Court Judge Mark S. Arnold ordered Ali, the founder of the community organization Project Islamic HOPE, to surrender to authorities on Nov. 15.
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