Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) – One of the men charged in connection with a robbery at a Rochester cell phone business is headed to prison.
Court records indicate 23-year-old Bilal Ali Hilowle entered into a plea agreement back in January and admitted to a first-degree robbery charge. He and another man, 28-year-old Ahmed Abdulqadir Ali, were arrested in May of last year after Rochester police responded to a report of a robbery at the AT&T cell phone store near the Crossroads Hy-Vee location.
The criminal complaint against Hilowle stated that police were called to the business after two men barged into the store while employees were closing for the day. The 911 call was placed by a regional manager who was able to view the break-in remotely through a connection to the store’s surveillance cameras.
Employees Held at Knifepoint During Rochester Robbery
According to the charges, the store manager told police he heard someone entering numbers on the keypad at the rear entrance just before he was approached by two men dressed in all black. The manager indicated one of the men was armed with a knife and ordered him to get on his knees in the bathroom.
Rochester police squad vehicle
The court document says the robber with the knife slid the blade in front of the manager’s mouth and ordered him to be quiet before taking him into the room where the store’s safe is located. The manager indicated that he complied with the demand but also informed the robbers that the safe was equipped with a feature requiring a 10-minute waiting period before the door would open.
The manager told police he managed to lock himself inside the safe room while the robbers were distracted rummaging through a box of returned cell phones.
Employee Suffers Knife Wound in Store Struggle
When police arrived at the scene, the criminal complaint says officers found another employee suffering from a knife wound, described as a large laceration to one of his legs. The court document says the injury occurred during a struggle with the robbers after the manager locked himself in the office.
Hilowle and Ali were later arrested after officers responding to the robbery spotted them in the parking lot of the Crossroads Shopping Center. The charges say investigators found a fixed-blade knife that appeared to have blood on it outside the door to the business, near several cell phones and a smartwatch. Two bags containing cell phones were also discovered in a trash bin at a nearby laundromat.
Hilowle was sentenced today to 50 months in prison. He was given credit for 127 days spent in the Olmsted County jail.
Ali was also charged with first-degree aggravated robbery for his alleged involvement in the crime. His case is still pending.
Ali – Olmsted County ADC photo
Investigators Uncover Link to Prior Cell Phone Theft Scheme
Following the robbery, the investigation led to the discovery of evidence implicating an employee of the AT&T store in the theft of cell phones in the week leading up to the robbery. Ali is also charged with aiding and abetting theft and aiding and abetting receiving stolen property for his alleged involvement in those thefts.
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