Three men are in custody after a capital city crime spree that started with a robbery at a pawn shop and led to a high-speed chase through the streets of downtown Des Moines. Des Moines Police Sergeant Todd Dykstra says the robbery was reported shortly before noon Tuesday.
"Three individuals went into the establishment. I believe one of them had a hand gun. Another one had a hammer," Dykstra says. "They broke a glass case and took several fire arms and then left the store." The trio of thieves jumped into a car. An employee at the pawn shop jumped in his own car and started following the thieves.
"One of these individuals observed this…and fired several shots at the employee who was in the (trailing) car," Dykstra says. "I believe the car was struck at least one time, however the employee was not hurt." After the shooting the pawn shop employee gave up his chase, but nearby cops quickly spied the get-away car.
According to Dykstra, a chase ensued and the driver of the get-away vehicle was going too fast and ran into a tree. "They all bailed out of the vehicle and began running," Dykstra says. "Fortunately, we had numerous officers in the area and all three were taken into custody just a short time later." In other crime-related news, a Cedar Rapids convenience store has donated one-thousand dollars in reward money to someone who can identify whomever stabbed a man to death outside the convenience store Friday night.