Man caught, Tased after running from officers

Police arrested Christopher Gantt, 25, Marion, after a brief chase this afternoon in southeast Cedar Rapids in which Gantt was tased.

An office on patrol spotted a minivan speeding in the 400 block of 14th Street SE about 12:15 p.m., police Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said. At the Fifth Avenue intersection the van passed another vehicle on the left, ran the stop sign, and went into an alley.

While looking for the vehicle, the officer saw a man later identified as Gantt peering from between houses in the alley between the 1400 blocks of Fifth and Sixth avenues. The man first followed the officer's directions to drop to his knees, but then ran off as the officer called his location on the radio, according to Hamblin.

A first attempt to subdue Gantt with a Taser failed, and a brief chase ensued. The officer caught up with Gantt at the corner of 14th Street and Sixth Avenue SE, where he again used the Taser to place Gantt under arrest.

Gantt, of 180 Southview Dr., Marion was booked into the Linn County Jail on interference with official acts, driving while license under suspention, no insurance, speeding, disobeying a traffic control device, failure to maintain control, operation without registration, and unsafe passing. He was also held on a warrant for failing to make a previous court appearance.