Court had ordered man accused of rape into psychiatric care

Ahmed Hersi Abdi
Ahmed Hersi Abdi was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Courtesy of Hennepin County Sheriff

A man who's accused of raping a 10-year-old girl in Minneapolis was ordered into psychiatric in-patient care earlier this year.

On Sunday, Ahmed Abdi allegedly followed a young girl into an elevator and raped her in the hallway of the third floor of Riverside Plaza, according to a criminal complaint.

He was booked into jail Monday morning and was charged the following day with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Last year, Abdi, 34, was taken to the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, after he pulled a knife on a stranger on the street. A few days later, a doctor at the medical center determined that Abdi was suffering from schizophrenia and was committed for treatment.

"As a consequence of his mental illness, [Abdi] engages in grossly disturbed behavior or experiences faulty perceptions, and he poses a substantial likelihood of causing physical harm," the Nov. 26, 2014 order of commitment said.

The Hennepin County District Court initially ordered Abdi to be committed until May of this year, and subsequently extended that order to November. But Abdi was discharged from University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview on Jan. 9.

In early August, the court revoked that discharge and ordered Abdi to be returned to a commitment facility, citing Abdi's "aggression" and his use of "illicit substances."

David Martinson, a spokesperson for Fairview, said privacy concerns prevent doctors from commenting on Abdi's case.

Court documents show Abdi has a history of chemical abuse dating back to 2003. According to his medical treatment history, Abdi had suffered from auditory hallucinations and failed to take his medications properly.

Burhan Mohumed, who grew up in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, said he used to see Abdi wandering around the neighborhood. Abdi would sometimes follow people into restaurants and ask them to buy tea for him.

Community members were concerned about his mental state, Mohumed said.

"It's unfortunate that it happened that way," he said about the alleged rape. "It's tragic"