3 charged in Anoka County carjacking, chase

Charges have been filed against three people in connection to a stolen vehicle, carjacking and a police chase.

Thirty-year-old Ahmed Bahaa Abdelhafiz is charged with simple robbery, receiving stolen property and fleeing a peace officer; twenty-three-year-old Bailey Brittney Held is charged with simple robbery and receiving stolen property; and 22-year-old Jonnilee Marie Seeman is charged with receiving stolen property and fleeing a peace officer.

According to a criminal complaint, officers were called to MHC Imports in Anoka at about 7:34 a.m. on Oct. 8 on a report of a vehicle theft. An employee told officers one of the vehicles in the lot — a white car — was missing. Broken glass was found on the ground and there was a lapse in the surveillance video between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. The car’s keys, however, were still at the business.

Several people arrested after carjacking, chase in Anoka County

At 9:07 a.m., a caller reported three people putting a white car onto a trailer on Maple Avenue. The trailer was hooked up to a black car.

When officers arrived, they talked with the driver of the black car, identified as Abdelhafiz. Held was also in the car. While speaking with Abdelhafiz, the officer noticed the white car on the trailer matched the stolen vehicle from MHC Imports. Abdelhafiz then drove off and ignored the officer’s orders to stop, the complaint states.

Seeman then got into a maroon vehicle parked on the street, ignored the officer’s commands to stop and also drove away.

The complaint states that law enforcement found both vehicles nearby and Seeman crashed her vehicle. She began to run away but was taken into custody. However, Abdelhafiz continued to flee, and law enforcement saw the trailer was no longer attached to the black car. Several agencies then began a pursuit of Abdelhafiz.

At one point, he stopped the vehicle, and he and Held ran to a white SUV on Highway 10 in Anoka, ordered the occupants out and drove away in the SUV, the complaint states. Law enforcement attempted a PIT maneuver but it was unsuccessful.

Eventually, Abdelhafiz crashed into two squad cars and then crashed in the 4700 block of Juniper Ridge Circle. Abdelhafiz resisted arrest and was bitten by a K-9 before being taken into custody. He was later taken to a hospital for treatment of the bite. Held was also arrested.

Law enforcement said the pursuit lasted over 30 miles and had speeds of over 120 mph at times, with Abdelhafiz also driving into oncoming traffic on several occasions.

Simple robbery has a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in jail, a $20,000 fine or both, while receiving stolen property could carry up to five years in jail, up to a $10,000 fine or both, and fleeing a peace officer carries up to three years in jail, up to a $5,000 fine or both.