Inmate with 'disregard for law enforcement' accused of assaulting corrections officer

SALT LAKE CITY — A 22-year-old man whom law enforcers linked to a downtown shooting and whom prosecutors said "has shown that he will not comply with law enforcement" is now accused of assaulting an officer at the Utah State Prison.

Ahmednasir Mohammed Abdi was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with robbery, a first-degree felony, assault by a prisoner and being a restricted person in possession of a weapon, all first-degree felonies. Prosecutors have added penalty enhancements on those charges if Abdi is convicted of being a habitual offender. He was also charged with being an inmate in possession of a weapon, a second-degree felony.

According to charging documents, Abdi was in the prison recreation area on July 3 when officers asked him to return to his cell. Abdi then requested his tablet from an officer and the officer went to a multipurpose room where the tablets are stored.

Shortly after going into the room, Abdi punched the officer in the face and grabbed his OC spray, the charges state.

"Abdi continued striking (the officer) multiple times, including while holding the metal OC canister, and advanced toward him while pointing the canister at him," according to the charges.

The officer retreated and activated an emergency alarm.

"Responding officers entered the section, and Abdi moved to the center of the section, lay face down, and was restrained," the charges state.

The officer was taken to a local hospital "where a CT scan showed multiple facial fractures, including a minimally displaced fracture of the right orbital floor and a comminuted and depressed fracture near the right eye and sinus without permanent impairment," according to the charges.

In June 2023, Abdi was arrested following an exchange of gunshots outside the New Yorker, 60 W. Market Street. It was one of several violent incidents in the same area that weekend that prompted then Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown to increase patrols in the area.

A few months later, in December, after being released from jail, investigators say Abdi began posting pictures of himself with guns and drugs on his social media accounts, according to charging documents. Abdi was subsequently arrested again for investigation of two counts of being a restricted person in possession of a gun and drug possession with intent to distribute.

"The defendant's history with law enforcement is that he is willing to make attempts to evade capture and has shown that he will not comply with law enforcement. The defendant has continued criminal activity while on probation. (He) has shown that he has no intention of complying with state or federal laws," prosecutors wrote in their charges.

He was convicted in 2024 in both cases of being a restricted person in possession of a weapon, a second-degree felony, and was sentenced to one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison.

"Abdi's criminal history further demonstrates a pattern of dangerous-weapon offenses and disregard for law enforcement," his new charges state. "The current violent conduct, committed while incarcerated and despite the restrictions of a secure facility, together with his repeated dangerous-weapon and law-enforcement-related convictions, demonstrates that he presents a substantial danger to correctional staff and the community if released."

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