Burnsville Man Gets 70 Months For Illegal Firearm Possession

BURNSVILLE, MN — A Burnsville man was sentenced Tuesday to 70 months, or almost six years, in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon, according to a news release by the United States Attorney’s District of Minnesota Office.

After his time in prison, Hashim Salah Haji, 25, will be under three years of supervised release, officials said.

According to court documents, in 2019, Minneapolis police officers pulled over a vehicle and Haji was riding in the passenger seat. When officers ordered Haji to step out of the vehicle, a stolen 9mm Springfield Armory model XD9 pistol fell out of his shorts, police said.

Officers also found a 50-round large capacity magazine and a 9mm Intratec "Tec 9" model AB10 pistol in a backpack on the floor of the passenger seat, according to court documents.

Haji has previous felony convictions in Dakota County, making it illegal for him to possess firearms or ammunition, officials said. In September 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon, officials said.

According to officials, this case was a result of an investigation done by Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted as part of the joint state, federal and local Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which is a Department of Justice program that aims to reduce violent crime, officials said.