A man pleaded guilty Monday to charges related to several robberies and a shootout on Interstate 70 on July 6 that left one Columbus police officer seriously injured and another suspect dead after being shot by police.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio announced in a press release that Faisal M. Darod, 23, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to nine counts in a federal indictment, including assisting with the robbery of a Fifth Third Bank in Hilliard with a firearm.
Prosecutors are recommending Darod spend 20 to 30 years in prison.
He pleaded guilty to being involved in a string of robberies in the weeks leading up to the fatal shootout in July. The locations included a Hilliard Gamestop, two vehicle dealers and another Fifth Third Bank in Upper Arlington.
After the shootout in July, Darod led police on a manhunt before he was arrested the next day.
Darod is the second suspect to face charges for the robbery and shootout that day. Aden Abdullahi Jama, 20, of Reynoldsburg pleaded guilty earlier this month. A third man, Abdisamad Ismail, 19, was the driver the day of the shootout, died after police shot him on the highway, police said.
Police refused to identify the eight officers involved in the shootout. They cited Marsy's law, which allows the identities of crime victims to stay anonymous.
