Records: Man shot AR-15 at Cedar Rapids police as he fled

CEDAR RAPIDS — A 20-year-old man, identified Wednesday by authorities as Michael Griffin of Cedar Rapids, fired an assault-style rifle at police officers as they pursued him on New Year’s Day before a deadly shootout, records show.

An application for court approval to search a cellphone officers believe to have belonged to Griffin sheds more light on events early Monday that began with reports of a drive-by shooting and ended miles away as Cedar Rapids officers forced a fleeing Griffin off the road and returned his fire.

Griffin was found dead in his car after five officers fired, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which is reviewing the officer-involved shooting.

A search warrant affidavit filed Wednesday states that Griffin had talked early Monday with the occupants of 414 Longwood Drive NE, while displaying a black AR-15-style rifle. He demanded they tell him the whereabouts of someone he identified only by a street name. They persuaded him to leave, but shortly after, gunfire started hitting the house, the affidavit said.

Police were called to the area of the drive-by shooting at 6:24 a.m. Monday. Witnesses described seeing shots coming from a dark sedan, the warrant request states.

As Cedar Rapids police officers were driving to the area, they spotted a car that matched the description — and it had a bag covering its license plate. Police attempted to pull it over, but the car sped up and fled at speeds up to 75 mph.

Two people were inside the car, one of whom got out during the chase and was taken into custody. The driver then continued fleeing, according to the warrant request.

The passenger — identified as a 17-year-old boy — told police that Griffin was the driver and was armed with an AR-15. Gunshots started coming toward officers through the driver’s side window and also through the back window of the car while the chase was ongoing, the record states. An officer stopped the car with a PIT maneuver, and it came to rest in the 5600 block of Mount Vernon Road SE.

“At this point the car driven by Michael Griffin was disabled. Upon (officers’) approach a gunshot was heard coming from inside Michael’s car. Believing that Michael was continuing to fire, Officers returned fire and subsequently stopped the threat,” the warrant request states.

When officers approached the car, they found Griffin deceased inside, according to the warrant request. No officers were injured.

Five officers shot at Griffin, but it was not clear how many rounds struck him. An autopsy was performed by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny, but the final results may not be available for four or five weeks, the DCI said.

The officers have been placed on leave while the DCI investigates the shooting, which is routine for an officer-involved shooting. The names of the involved officers have not been released. The DCI said Wednesday it is investigating the chase and the officer-involved shooting, while Cedar Rapids police are investigating the drive-by shooting.

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