Three Men Charged in Assault Involving a Gun

ST. CLOUD -- Three men face assault and robbery charges after another man was threatened with a gun, beaten and robbed. Eighteen-year-old Ali Hassan of St. Cloud, 20-year-old Abdishakur Maalim of Champlain and 19-year-old Adan Shire of Waite Park are charged with 1st-degree aggravated robbery with a gun and 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

The incident happened Tuesday night after 11:00 p.m. when police were called to the 900 block of 16th Street South on a report of a robbery and assault with a gun.

A man said he was walking to the gas station when a car full of men called him over. The victim knew one of them as a cousin through marriage and that he was under 18-years-old. The group offered to give the victim a ride to the gas station but instead drove to the 900 block of 16th Street South saying they were going to smoke marijuana.

Court records show that's when the man's cousin pulled out a handgun, racked the chamber and pointed it at the victim saying he was going to shoot him and to give him all of his money. The man with the gun then pistol-whipped the victim and the other occupants in the car began punching the victim in the face. At some point, the assailants took matchbooks, $50 in cash and his pearl-colored iPhone from his pockets.

The victim eventually was able to escape and started running toward his house when he heard two gunshots. He thought the gunman was shooting at him.

Police later found matchbooks and spent shell casing at the scene of the incident and a neighbor confirmed hearing gunshots at the time of the assault.

The following day Waite Park Police spotted the car used in the attack and linked it to Shire. Shire admitted to being with Hassan and Maalim the day before along with another person he wouldn't identify and that there was a fight in his car but denied any guns were involved.

Maalim told police the underage assailant had a gun in his waistband and that the victim was known as a snitch. He said he didn't know the situation with the victim would get that serious or that the teen would shoot at the victim.

Hassan never gave a statement because police said he was drunk, but officers found a pearl colored iPhone and cash in his pocket.

It's unclear if the minor suspect is charged in the case.  The identities of underage suspects are not public information.