Suspect in Rochester Walmart Shooting Now Also Wanted for Violent Carjacking
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The man who has an active arrest warrant for shooting at a Rochester Walmart is now also wanted for a carjacking.
Read More: Arrest Warrant Issued for Rochester Walmart Shooting Suspect
An arrest warrant filed in Olmsted County Court on Tuesday says the alleged carjacking happened the day before the Walmart shooting.
Court documents say the carjacking was connected to a prior assault at an apartment complex in northwest Rochester.
Rochester Walmart Shooting Suspect Now Also Wanted for Carjacking
The warrant charges 25-year-old Abdulahi Mohamed Abukar with first-degree carjacking, aggravated robbery and fifth-degree assault.
Rochester police responded to the report of a vehicle theft at the Valleyhigh Flats apartment complex around 5:30 p.m. on March 22. An officer found the stolen vehicle running and unoccupied while responding to the scene.
The victim, who was seen bleeding from his nose, flagged down officers. He told police he had pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex to move something into his trunk when two vehicles pulled up alongside him.
Two men got out of the vehicles and he heard one of them say, “that’s him,” the complaint says.
The man began assaulting the victim while the other man got into the victim’s vehicle and drove away, the complaint says.
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The victim told officers he saw the assailant drive his vehicle into a tree, causing front-end damage and flat front tires, according to the court document.
Assault Preceded Carjacking
During their investigation officers learned of an assault that occurred at the apartment complex prior to the carjacking. The man assaulted by the group of five people was identified as Abukar, the charges say.
The victim identified Abukar as the man who was involved in the carjacking after being shown a photo of him, the warrant says.
Court documents indicate the carjacking victim was not involved in the prior assault.
Walmart Shooting
Abukar is also wanted in connection with a shooting at the north Walmart store in Rochester that happened on the night of March 23.
The Rochester man is accused of firing two gunshots at a vehicle occupied by two people, an act investigators suspect of being in retaliation for the assault, according to the arrest warrant in that case.
No injuries were reported
Alleged Carjacking & Shooting Occurred Ahead of Assault Sentencing
The shooting and carjacking occurred while Abukar is awaiting sentencing for an assault case in which he was accused of breaking into an apartment and robbed the resident at knife-point.
Read More: Guilty Plea for Violent Rochester Home Invasion
Court records also show he served an 18-month prison sentence for a felony assault conviction in Olmsted County in 2019.
Abukar is not in custody as of Wednesday morning.
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Gallery Credit: Jessica On The Radio
