Iowa City Pancheros armed robbery under investigation

IOWA CITY — Another armed robbery - the third in less than a week, all within half a mile of each other - is under investigation in Iowa City.

Iowa City Police Sgt. Scott Gaarde confirmed Monday that investigators are exploring connections between the three robberies.

'Based on the locations and similar suspect descriptions, we're certainly not eliminating the chance,' they're related, Gaarde said.

Police responded to Pancheros, 965 Riverside Dr., at 1:18 a.m. Monday for an 'unknown problem,' according to a department news release. Responding officers learned the victims had been robbed at gunpoint.

Police said the victims reported leaving Pancheros from the rear exit and being approached by a man with a gun. The victims told police the man forced them back into the store and made them turn over an undisclosed amount of cash and property. The suspect then fled in an unknown direction.

No one was injured during the robbery.

The suspect was described as a tall, slender black man wearing a hoodie with the hood up, black pants and a black mask covering most of his face.

3 robberies in Iowa City since Wednesday

The Pancheros robbery comes on the heels of a similar incident alleged to have occurred Saturday morning at Culver's, 710 Highway 1 W. Police said an employee reported taking trash out from the restaurant around 7:15 a.m. when he was approached by an armed suspect. The victim told police he was forced at gunpoint into the restaurant, but managed to lock himself inside an office. The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

The suspect was described as a black man wearing a black hoodie and shorts.

On Wednesday, police announced they were looking for a black man, dressed in black, who had robbed the First American Bank, 640 Highway 1 W., around 1:53 p.m. Wednesday. The suspect, who was wearing a hoodie pulled up over his head, fled on foot and was not found, police said.

First American Bank, Culver's and Pancheros are less than a mile apart.

Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in each of the three robberies. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 358-TIPS.