Police arrest 2 suspects following armed robbery in northeast Cedar Rapids

A 28-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy were taken into custody Thursday in connection with an armed robbery that occurred Wednesday night in northeast Cedar Rapids.

According to the Cedar Rapids Police Department, officers were dispatched to Point Liquor and Tobacco, 3221 Center Point Road NE, at 8:21 p.m. Wednesday for an armed robbery.

The clerk told police that a young male suspect entered the store with his face covered, displayed a handgun, and robbed the clerk of money in the cash register.

The suspect then fled on foot, heading north, police said.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the area and identified a suspect vehicle that the armed robbery suspect entered on the passenger side.

Investigators also were able to get a description of the driver and a partial description of the license plate from the surveillance video.

As a result, police said investigators were able to determine the name of the vehicle's registered owner and locate the vehicle in an apartment parking lot in the 1600 block of Park Towne Court NE.

According to the police department, investigators conducted surveillance noting an individual that matched the suspect description of the get-away driver from the armed robbery.

A traffic stop was initiated and the suspect - identified as Dekheary V. Steele, 28, of Chicago, Illinois - was taken into custody and brought to the Police Station for questioning.

Steele admitted to his involvement in the liquor store robbery, according to police.

The investigation also determined that a second suspect - a 14-year-old boy - was still inside an apartment in the 1600 block of Park Towne Court NE.

Officers were able to take the boy into custody, and police said the teen also admitted his part in the robbery.

Steele and the 14-year-old boy face charges of first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. The 14-year-old also faces a charge of carrying weapons.

Steele was taken to Linn County Jail, while the boy was taken to the Linn County Juvenile Detention Center.

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