Iowa City police investigating weekend robberies

IOWA CITY - The Iowa City Police Department is investigating a pair of weekend robberies.

The first robbery was reported to police at 5:50 a.m. Nov. 22. The victim told police she was walking on the sidewalk near the intersection of Muscatine Avenue and Williams Street on the east side of Iowa City when she was approached from behind by two black men. The woman told police one of the men pushed an object into her stomach - believed to be a weapon - and demanded her cash and belongings. When the woman fought back, the men pushed her to the ground and stole an undisclosed amount of cash and property, police said. The men then fled toward the Memory Gardens Cemetery.

The woman - who was not injured - described her assailants as being over six feet tall with medium builds and in their late 20s or early 30s. One man was described as wearing black pants and a black hoodie with a black scarf concealing his face. The other man was wearing black pants and a gray hoodie, police said. The woman reported he had a thin mustache, scars and a hairy mole on the left side of his face.

The second robbery was reported around 1:30 a.m. Nov. 23. This robbery was said to have occurred near the intersection of Washington and Linn streets in downtown Iowa City. The victim told police he was talking on the phone and entering an apartment building when four black men approached him. Police said the men assaulted the victim, knocked him to the ground and took undisclosed cash and belongings.

The victim described the attackers as being in their early 20s. Two of the men were over six feet tall and two were under six feet tall. Three of them were wearing black and red clothing and the fourth was wearing a gray tank top, police said. The victim said he did not see any weapons displayed during the robbery.

Police said the victim suffered lacerations, abrasions and contusions during the assault. He was treated and released at the scene by the Johnson County Ambulance Service, police said.

Both robberies are under investigations and Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of these suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 358-TIPS.