Iowa City Police investigating assault on 12-year-old boy

The Iowa City Police Department is seeking public assistance to learn more about an assault on a 12-year-old boy that was reported to the department Friday evening.

According to an Iowa City Police Department media release, at roughly 4 p.m. Friday dispatchers took the report of an assault that had happened near the intersection of Lakeside and Miami Drives.

A 12-year-old male reported to police that he had been walking alone at the above location when a teenage boy approached him from behind and grabbed him, according to the release. Police say the boy told them that the teenage assailant pushed him down to the ground and hit him several times. The boy told police that the teenager attempted to reach into his pockets before getting off of the 12-year-old and running from the area.

The victim received minor injuries that did not require medical attention, and no property was taken from him, according to the release.

The suspect is described in the release as an African American male, approximately 15 years of age, standing five foot six inches with a thin build. He was reported as wearing black jeans and a green and tan hooded sweatshirt with the collar pulled up around his face at the time of the assault.

Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers is offering a reward of up to $1000 for information leading to the arrest of this suspect. Police are urging anyone with information about this incident to contact CrimeStoppers at 358-TIPS (8477). All calls are held in strict confidential and the identity of the caller does not need to be revealed to collect the reward, according to the release.