Man charged with robbing 4 Ann Arbor businesses held on $1.2 million bond
A 30-year-old Ann Arbor man is being held in the Washtenaw County Jail on a $1.2 million bond after being charged in four brazen armed robberies in the city this year.
Ahmad Abdullah-Albasir
Courtesy of WCSO
Ahmad Abdullah-Albasir faces four counts of armed robbery and was arraigned in front of Magistrate Thomas Truesdell Friday afternoon. Ann Arbor police Lt. Detective Robert Pfannes reported in a statement Abdullah-Albasir is responsible for four daylight robberies at GameStop, Biggby Coffee and two Subway locations in Ann Arbor.
Pfannes reported that a substance believed to be heroin also was seized at the suspect’s home.
The long investigation eventually paid off after Ann Arbor police Officer Michael Fechik recognized an unoccupied vehicle matching the suspect’s vehicle description on the midnight shift.
“Detectives assigned to the cases were aware that the suspect descriptions and method of operation were similar and that the cases had significant potential to be related,” Pfannes said. “The cases were open and leads were exhausted or pending.”
The first robbery in the string of incidents Abdullah-Albasir is suspected in was reported on April 30. According to police, a man walked into the GameStop, 3225 Washtenaw Ave., at 5:23 p.m. on April 30 and pulled out a knife. The suspect demanded cash before walking away from the business.
Later that week, a man robbed the Biggby Coffee shop at 2550 W. Stadium Blvd, at 3:51 p.m. In that incident, the suspect went around the counter with a knife and demanded cash from a register. He was given an unknown amount of cash and walked away from the store.
A little more than a month later, police believe the same suspect struck again. At 4:35 p.m. June 5, the man walked into the Subway at 885 W. Eisenhower Blvd. and showed a knife, according to police. He received an unknown amount of cash and then ran from the area.
The final incident occurred on July 12. According to police, the man walked into the Subway at 2140 W. Stadium Blvd. between 6 and 6:19 p.m. July 12 and implied he had a handgun but kept his hand in his pocket. The victim in the incident reported seeing the barrel of a handgun. The suspect again fled on foot.
Pfannes said a possible vehicle description was developed by detectives throughout the investigation and sent to patrol officers in agencies throughout Washtenaw County. Fechik recognized the vehicle while on patrol on the midnight shift and passed that information onto detectives.
Detectives Bill Stanford, Chris Fitzpatrick, Kevin Warner and Robin Larson worked the lead and eventually served a search warrant at a home in the 700 block of North Maple Road on Thursday.
Abdullah-Albasir was arrested and heroin was seized at the scene, Pfannes said. He was arraigned Friday at the Washtenaw County Jail by Truesdell and is being held on bond.
Information on his preliminary hearing was not immediately available Friday.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
newsboy
Mon, Jul 22, 2013 : 2:37 a.m.
Where did he live?
Zhuk
Tue, Jul 23, 2013 : 2:23 p.m.
By the map pin that google produces if you search for 700 block of Maple, it would appear that he lived in or near North Maple Estates.
lisasimpson
Sun, Jul 21, 2013 : 2:34 p.m.
Drugs are bad, folks.
kelly
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 2:52 p.m.
I'm confused. Initial stories indicated that the robberies were committed by a black male. Further stories also indicated that the robbery at Subway was not related to the previous crimes.
JBK
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 1:46 a.m.
This is all George Bush's fault. This young man could not find work and he needed to support a family. That is what led him down a very destructive path of armed robbery. YEAH RIGHT!:)
TryingToBeObjective
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 1:05 p.m.
He still lives with mom, I believe.
a2xarob
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 1:45 a.m.
Congratulations to the A2PD detectives for their hard and successful work solving these robberies. Exemplary work!
Messa
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 12:19 a.m.
The victims must have been terrified. I feel so badly for them. I'm glad they caught this man, that should help them sleep a little easier at night.
smokeblwr
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 12:09 a.m.
Ahmad Abdullah-Albasir of Ann Arbor was Arraigned on Armed robbery.
arborani
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 4:18 p.m.
I used "alliteration" in a 3-word positive comment. (al•lit•er•a•tion ( -l t -r sh n). n. The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables.) The other two words were "brain" and "freeze." I would *really* like to know the logic of the block. Off topic? Inflammatory? Too many syllables? Or? I suppose this will be blocked, too. Sigh.
Billy
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 11:21 p.m.
Wow....he robbed all these places with a KNIFE... I wonder if he specifically targeted chain/franchise locations because they all have policies against employee intervention. Losing the till is a LOT cheaper than paying out medical or DEATH benefits. Had he tried to rob a mom & pop place with a knife he would have been facing a bat or gun most likely. At least he's caught now.
Indymama
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 4:13 p.m.
But for how long will he be held???
Gorc
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 12:23 p.m.
Yes...give the cash to the robber. Most customer purchases are conducted with debit or credit cards. Thus the register has a small amount of cash in at any given time. The suspect probably walked away with a few hundred bucks at a time. For that small amount, let him have it, minimize the risk of anyone getting hurt, and let the police do their best to apprehend the meathead.
Nicholas Urfe
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 9:56 p.m.
"Detectives Bill Stanford, Chris Fitzpatrick, Kevin Warner and Robin Larson worked the lead and eventually served a search warrant at a home in the 700 block of North Maple Road on Thursday." Woot! Grind, wheels of justice! Grind!
nickcarraweigh
Fri, Jul 19, 2013 : 9:21 p.m.
Between the name and the nature of the crimes alleged, this has to be a solid contender for most-commented 2013 YTD. We'll see.
Arboriginal
Sat, Jul 20, 2013 : 3 a.m.
This isn't about cat leash laws so I doubt it!