Man With Prior Sex Assault Conviction Charged After Knife-Point Assault
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A 33-year-old man is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct after prosecutors say he sexually assaulted the same woman he was convicted of assaulting in 2024.
The incident happened shortly before 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at an apartment building in the 800 block of Rice Street in Saint Paul.
Abdirahim Ahmed Hassan, of Minneapolis, is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving force while armed with a knife. Prosecutors allege he sexually assaulted the woman and threatened her with a weapon during the attack.
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According to the criminal complaint, officers were dispatched after a 911 caller could be heard yelling “Stop,” while whispering that she might be kidnapped. A man was heard yelling in the background. Officers located Hassan at the scene and arrested him. Authorities say he was wet and initially gave officers a false name, identifying himself as his brother.
Police located a woman inside the building suffering from a cut to her hand. She told officers she needed a sexual assault examination and was transported to the hospital.
Investigators say the woman told police Hassan had previously sexually assaulted her in 2024 and that the two had gone on a date before that earlier incident. On the night of the new assault, she said she was staying at her mother’s apartment for her birthday when she heard someone enter and saw Hassan inside the apartment. She told investigators she freaked out and could not breathe. Hassan told the victim he planned to shower and that they were going to “have a good time,” causing her to hide in a bedroom.
According to the complaint, she attempted to call 911 using a tablet but was unsuccessful at first. After Hassan briefly left the room, she grabbed his phone and managed to call 911. Prosecutors allege Hassan returned, located the woman and sexually assaulted her. She told investigators she was able to kick him away initially, but he held her down and struck her with a belt before she ran toward the living room.
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Authorities say Hassan then grabbed a kitchen knife, cut her hand and gestured that he would cut her again. The woman kicked the knife away, forced her way past a barricaded door and fled to a laundry room, where she hid until officers arrived. Police later recovered a knife inside the apartment.
The woman’s mother told investigators she returned home and saw her daughter running and yelling for her to flee while Hassan chased after her.
While in custody, prosecutors say Hassan told officers he had swallowed fentanyl and was transported to Regions Hospital, where a sexual assault exam was conducted pursuant to a search warrant.
Court records show Hassan has a recent criminal history involving the same victim. In 2024, he was charged with third-degree felony criminal sexual conduct stemming from an incident at a Saint Paul motel in which prosecutors alleged he used force during a sexual assault. He later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct and received an 18-month prison sentence that was stayed while he served probation. Hassan was given credit for 150 days served in jail.
Court filings show multiple probation violations, including positive tests for methamphetamine and fentanyl, failure to complete treatment and threatening behavior toward others while in treatment. Earlier violations resulted in additional jail time with authorization for early release to inpatient treatment, while a later violation remains pending.
In the new case, Hassan made an initial court appearance on Friday where unconditional bail was set at $150,000 and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim. If convicted of the current charge, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
