COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Two suspects are facing federal charges in an armed robbery spree in Ohio that ended with a police shootout that left a third suspect dead and an officer critically wounded.
Aden Abdullahi Jama, 20, of Reynoldsburg and Fazsal M. Darod, 23, of Columbus face charges of aiding and abetting a bank robbery and the use of a firearm during a violent crime, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker of the Southern District of Ohio told reporters Saturday evening.
Federal marshals arrested Jama on Saturday afternoon trying to board a flight to Turkey at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Parker said. Darod had been arrested early Friday outside his home by a federal marshals’ fugitive apprehension strike team.
Jama’s extradition from Illinois was being sought, officials said.
The spree began around 2:15 p.m. Thursday, when a man stole the keys to an SUV at gunpoint from a worker at a Porsche dealership in Whitehall, according to Whitehall Deputy Police Chief Dan Kelso. That suspect and two other men then robbed a bank in Columbus but were confronted by police.
The trio fled in the SUV and the police pursuit began, eventually winding up on Interstate 70 in Columbus. Greg Bodker, the city’s assistant police chief, said the suspects then began shooting at officers, who returned fire. One suspect wounded in the shootout was pronounced dead at the scene and two suspects fled on foot.
The wounded officer’s partner took him to a hospital, where he underwent surgery and was later upgraded as in stable condition. Parker said Saturday he was “doing well” and was thankful for the community’s support and prayers. Authorities didn’t immediately release his name but said he has served on the Columbus force for less than five years.
Parker said investigators do not know at this time which of the suspects was responsible for the gunfire that wounded the officer. Officials are looking at the possibility of filing state charges against the defendants as well, he said.
It’s unclear whether the defendants have attorneys; listed numbers for them couldn’t be found Saturday. Aden Jama of Columbus, who said he was Jama’s uncle, expressed shock about the accusations about his nephew and the allegation that he had been trying to leave the country.
“It’s the saddest thing,” he said. “I was looking for him, trying to tell him to turn himself in.”
