5 charged in assault on teen at Twin Cities high school basketball game
HEW HOPE, Minn. — Five people have been charged in connection with an assault during a Twin Cities high school basketball game earlier this week.
Yahya Khanyare, 18, Dursa Mohamed, 18, and Ayub Ali, 19 are each charged with second-degree assault and second-degree riot, court documents filed Thursday in Hennepin County show. Mohamed also faces a charge of fleeing a peace officer.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, two others — a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old — are also charged with second-degree assault and second-degree riot.
"This was a shocking display of violence at a high school basketball game, causing injury to the victim and terrifying those in attendance," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. "We're grateful the victim is recovering from his injuries, and we will hold the individuals who committed this violence accountable."
All five were arrested after the assault, which occurred at Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope on Tuesday night during a game against Fridley High School.
According to the criminal complaint, Khanyare, Mohamed, Ali and two others drove to the game together, brought weapons into the gym and attacked the victim, who was sitting on the visiting team's bench. Police previously said the victim is 17.
The complaint states Khanyare hit the victim with a tire iron, while others punched and tried to stab the boy. Ali allegedly served as a lookout during the attack.
The victim was taken to an emergency room, where he needed six staples to close a laceration on his head caused by the tire iron, according to investigators.
"Before being struck in the head with this dangerous weapon, the victim was totally unaware the attack was about to happen," the complaint states.
After the assault, the five suspects tried to flee in their vehicle, with Mohamed as the driver, according to the complaint. The vehicle crashed and all five were arrested. The three men charged remain in custody. The other two arrested are juveniles, police said.