Two charged in recent armed robbery

Two men were charged Wednesday in connection with a Sunday armed robbery in Marcy-Holmes.

Abdulkadir Ahmed Farah-Hassan, 18, was charged with aggravated robbery of a person for a robbery on Sunday. If convicted, he could serve up to 10 years in prison and faces a fine of up to $17,500.

Tarambi Abdi Dahir, also 18, was charged with attempted simple robbery, which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, if convicted.

A third suspect was arrested in connection with the incident, but was released. He denied being involved, according to the police report.

The victim of the robbery identified the third suspect as being in the area at the time of the incident, but said he wasn’t an aggressor, according to the complaint. Minneapolis police didn’t have enough evidence to charge him.

Minneapolis police Sgt. Steve McCarty declined to comment on whether any of the suspects were also involved in another robbery nearby early Saturday morning.

Katherine Lymn, a Minnesota Daily news editor who was mugged Saturday morning, was called into a suspect lineup Tuesday. She said she didn’t see anyone who resembled the man that robbed her and hit her friend on the head with a gun.

On Sunday, police received a call about an armed robbery at 728 Eighth Ave. SE.

The victim said that three men approached him from behind and asked for directions to the nearest McDonald’s on his walk home, according to the criminal complaint.

The victim gave them directions, but the group continued to follow him until he reached his residence. At that point, Farah-Hassan pointed a gun at the victim and demanded his phone and wallet.

The victim began to hand over his possessions, but backed into his yard and triggered the motion sensors lights. The suspects fled when the lights came on.

Moments before the robbery call came through police dispatch, a Minneapolis police officer stopped a group of three individuals at Ninth Avenue and Seventh Street Southeast.

The officer described the three as looking “suspicious.” Sgt. McCarty said any number of actions could have qualified as suspicious behavior and attracted the officer’s attention.

“The time, the people’s actions when they see the police, that sort of thing,” McCarty said. “It’s not a finite sort of thing — it’s just a sense or a feeling. There are several factors involved.”

The officer realized the three matched the description of the robbery suspects and held them until additional officers arrived.

McCarty said the officer’s ability to catch the suspects was likely due to the increased patrols by Minneapolis police after an unusually high rate of robberies in October.

“Pretty good job by the cop, I think,” McCarty said.

Officers discovered a pellet gun behind the left rear tire of a minivan parked nearby after a search of the area.

The three suspects were booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of aggravated robbery of person. Farah-Hassan’s bail has been set at $100,000 and Dahir’s at $40,000.

-Kyle Potter contributed to this report.