Man sentenced to prison for 2019 armed robbery of Cowboy Jack’s in Minneapolis

A man was sentenced Thursday for the violent armed robbery of a downtown Minneapolis bar and grill last year and assaulting a corrections officer.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said 25-year-old Hakeem Alexander Coles was sentenced to 17 years (204 months) in prison for robbing Cowboy Jack’s and for assaulting a corrections officer while in custody.

Complaint: Fired Cowboy Jack’s security employee armed with shotgun punches manager, steals $24K

According to Coles’ guilty plea, on Aug. 17, 2019, Coles, who’d been fired from the restaurant the night before, held the general manager at gunpoint with a short-barreled shotgun and demanded she fill a backpack with cash from the safe. He also tied the victim’s hands with a phone cord and violently punched her in the side of her head, knocking her unconscious.

After stealing more than $24,000 from Cowboy Jack’s, he fled to Texas where he’s accused of committing another armed robbery before being stopped and arrested in Louisiana.

Correctional officer seriously injured by inmate in Sherburne County

In January 2020, Coles was transferred back to the District of Minnesota and taken to Sherburne County Jail, pending trial. On Jan. 27, he attacked and assaulted a Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer who was making rounds in the jail, causing significant injuries, including a traumatic brain injury.

In addition to his prison sentence, Coles was ordered to have three years of supervised release and pay $86,200 in restitution to the victims.