One of 4 St. Paul beating suspects pleads guilty

One of the four defendants accused in the bloody beating of a man at a SuperAmerica station near downtown St. Paul pleaded guilty Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court.

Zakaria A. Yusef, 22, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree assault. Prosecutor Dave Miller said Yusef didn't participate in the beating but was a lookout for the others. He will be sentenced Sept. 28 by Judge Joanne Smith.

According to the charges, about 3 a.m. on May 25, a man with a metal baseball bat chased Edwin Daniel, 39, into the SuperAmerica at 296 E. 7th St. Other men followed, cornered Daniel and assaulted him. Witnesses described "bats flying through the air."

Police found Daniel unconscious with serious injuries. He has since been released from the hospital but faces months of recuperation.

Daniel, an overnight shuttle driver for the St. Paul Crowne Plaza hotel, had intervened several days earlier when men were harassing the overnight clerks at the gas station.

Three others charged with second-degree assault are:

•Ibrahim M. Abdullahi, 22, of St. Paul. Prosecutors offered to let him plead guilty as charged and have filed notice that they plan to ask for aggravated sentencing, or a lengthy sentence.

If he doesn't accept the offer, he will be charged with first-degree assault, Miller said. His next court hearing is Sept. 1.

•Ahmed F. Hirsi, 21, of St. Paul, has a court hearing set for Aug. 23.

•Abdiaziz Hirsi, 22, of Minneapolis, has a court hearing Aug. 20.

A fifth suspect has not yet been charged.

PAT PHEIFER