Des Moines man accused of attempting to break into police squad car in North Liberty

NORTH LIBERTY — A Des Moines man was arrested Wednesday in North Liberty after he reportedly tried to shoot out the tires of a semi-truck, led police on a 14-mile chase and then attempted to break into a squad car.

Lorenza Cartez Johnson, 39, is charged with second-degree robbery, second-degree criminal mischief, eluding, interfering with official acts, operating while intoxicated and driving while license suspended.

Law enforcement was called around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday for a report that Johnson had tried to shoot out the tires of a semi-truck. Iowa City police found Johnson’s vehicle and attempted to pull him over. He led officers on a 14-mile chase that ended when stop sticks were deployed in North Liberty near the ramp to 250th Street from Interstate 380, according to criminal complaints.

After Johnson’s car was stopped, he reportedly tried to steal an unmarked squad car, which had a civilian passenger inside. He attempted to break the windows of the car with a tire iron, and when he wasn’t able to get into that car, he swung the tire iron at a different squad car and broke the windshield, the complaints state.

Johnson was taken into custody after being wrestled to the ground. Complaints state that he was talking non-stop but not making sense. He was taken to a hospital to be evaluated before being booked into the Johnson County Jail, where’s he’s being held on a $35,000 bond.

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