A man struck another man in the face with a firearm and then pointed the weapon at him in a Saint Cloud apartment parking lot, according to a criminal complaint filed in Stearns County.

Abdihakin Khalif Salah faces a charge of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

According to the complaint, at about 12:20 p.m. on October 20, a Saint Cloud police officer was dispatched to La Cruz Apartment in Saint Cloud for a report of an assault involving a firearm. The officer met with the victim, who said he had been sitting in a vehicle parked in the apartment lot when he saw a man wearing a blue jacket and red shorts removing items from the back of a Mitsubishi SUV.

READ MORE → Stearns County coverage

The complaint states the man was later identified as Abdihakin Khalif Salah. The victim told police that Salah began to walk away from the vehicles, then suddenly approached the victim’s window and asked if the victim knew who he was. The victim said he did not.

The complaint says Salah then lifted his shirt, exposing a firearm in his waistband. The victim looked away, and when he looked back, Salah struck him in the face with the firearm. The victim reported minor bleeding, a split lip and that he felt like a few of his teeth were loose.

The victim told police that after striking him, Salah pointed the firearm at him and that he was terrified he was going to be killed.

The charge of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon alleges that Salah used a firearm to assault the victim, causing injury and fear of death, according to the complaint.

The complaint was filed October 23 in Stearns County District Court.

Related MN CRIME Coverage

2 Officers Assaulted, Saint Cloud Man Charged After Threats • Woman Arrested After Alleged Racist Assault in Waite Park • Two Children Hurt After Driver Hits Them in Saint Cloud Crosswalk

Jurisdictional Context

Stearns County encompasses Saint Cloud and is the largest county in central Minnesota. The Stearns County Attorney’s Office handles felony prosecutions through the Seventh Judicial District at the Stearns County Courthouse in Saint Cloud.