Suspected Iowa City bank robber reportedly tried to pull loaded gun on officers

The suspect in an Iowa City armed robbery Monday that led officers on an hourlong chase and forced eight schools into lockdown is accused of pointing a loaded gun in the face of bank employees and customers and trying to pull out the loaded weapon as officers were chasing him.

Eric Martin, 34, of Davenport, is being held at the Johnson County Jail this morning in lieu of a $1 million cash-only bond on suspicion of first-degree robbery, possession of a firearm as a felon, interference with official acts with a weapon, carrying weapons and eluding.

According to criminal complaints made public Tuesday morning, Martin is accused of entering Hills Bank and Trust Co., 1401 S. Gilbert St., at 9:32 a.m. and demanding cash from the tellers. According to police, surveillance video captured during the robbery shows Martin threatening bank employees and customers with a loaded 9mm gun and pointing it in several people's faces.

Officers saw a man matching the description of the robber leave the scene on a motorcycle, according to a complaint, and they followed him as he “drove recklessly on sidewalks, through residential yards, and on bike trails.”

“The suspect did not stop until his motorcycle was inoperable, then he tried to run away on foot,” police reported.

The vehicular pursuit ended in a residential yard, and as officers were chasing Martin on foot, he's accused of trying to pull out the loaded handgun, according to the complaint.  Officers knocked him to the ground and took him into custody before he could succeed in pulling the weapon, the complaint states.

The gun was loaded with a round chambered, police reported.

The pursuit ended in the 1900 block of Woodberry Court, near Willow Creek Park. Martin initially was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for treatment of minor injuries.

Two Iowa City police officers also suffered minor injuries in the pursuit, according to the department.

The Iowa City Police Department is working with the FBI to determine whether Martin has been involved in three previous bank robberies in town, according to a news release.

Martin has a lengthy criminal history in Iowa. He first became a convicted felon in this state in June 1997, when he was found guilty of theft and other felony charges. He was sentenced to five years in prison at that time, according to court records.

In 2003, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit a felony and again sentenced to five years in prison. In 2005, he was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy and sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to court records.

He also has been convicted of drunken driving and fleeing the state to avoid prosecution, court records show.