Third Man Sentenced in Rochester AT&T Store Robbery

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Another man has been handed a prison sentence for his involvement in an armed robbery at a Rochester business two years ago.

Twenty-eight-year-old Ahmed Abdulqadir Ali entered into a plea agreement in February and admitted to a first-degree aggravated robbery charge. He was the third person to plead guilty in the case.

Sentenced For Armed Robbery of Rochester Cell Phone Store

According to Olmsted County court records, Ali and 23-year-old Bilal Ali Hilowle were arrested shortly after the Rochester Police Department responded to the AT&T cell phone store near the Hy-Vee Crossroads location in May 2024. Both men were accused of barging into the business while employees were closing the store for the day.

Robbery Recorded by Security Cameras

The criminal complaint says Rochester police were dispatched to the store after a regional manager reported that a break-in was occurring and was visible on the store’s surveillance cameras. The store manager told responding officers he had been robbed by two men dressed in all black who had already fled the business.

Employee Suffered Knife Wound

Responding officers also spotted an employee in an office with a large laceration on one of his legs. The investigation into the robbery later led to allegations that the employee was involved in the crime.

Ali and Hilowle were both arrested near the crime scene after police officers spotted them in the nearby parking lot of the Crossroads Shopping Center. The criminal complaint says Ali was found hiding near some trees, and Hilowle was apprehended outside Andy’s Liquor.

READ MORE: Charges Filed Against Rochester AT&T Store Robbery Suspects

Employee Implicated in Crime

Following the robbery, court documents state that investigators uncovered evidence implicating the store employee who was stabbed in the leg during the robbery in the theft of cell phones from the business. Twenty-four-year-old Mohamed Aden Hassan was also accused of working with Ali and Hilowle in the commission of the robbery by giving them access to the store through the rear door.

Guilty pleas and Sentences

Hilowle was earlier sentenced to 50 months in prison for first-degree aggravated robbery, while Hassan admitted to a charge of aiding an offender and was sentenced to three months in jail and five years on probation.

READ MORE: ‘Inside Man’ Sentenced For Role in Rochester Armed Robbery

Ali has now been given a 41-month prison sentence. He was given credit for the 213 days he spent in jail following his arrest.

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