Cedar Rapids business robbers also took surveillance tape

Police revealed Wednesday that the two armed men who robbed a Cedar Rapids check-cashing business last week also stole the surveillance video tape.

No one was hurt in the robbery Friday morning at Check 'N Go, 124 Collins Rd. NE, Suite E. Police said one man had a handgun and the other had a knife when they demanded money around 10 a.m.

The daring hold-up happened in broad daylight across from Lindale Mall and near one of the busiest intersections in city.

Sgt. Denni Randall, a police spokeswoman, said the suspects discovered the video tape on their own when they looked inside a cabinet while they were rummaging around. Police did not confirm whether it was running before they took the tape, she said.

The suspects got an undisclosed amount of money before running north across Twixt Town Road NE toward an apartment complex, police said. Officers swarmed that area, but were unable to locate them.

Little Caesars employee Nic Meyers, 20, of Cedar Rapids, said he and his general manager chased after the suspects after the Check 'N Go clerk pounded on their door and told them about the robbery. He said he eventually lost sight of the men when he got stuck behind a fence.

Both suspects are described as black males, between 5-foot-8 and 6 feet tall, around 200 pounds, police said. They were wearing gloves and nylon masks to cover their faces.

Investigators were able to utilize surveillance tape from a nearby store to confirm the suspects' clothing. One wore a baby blue hooded sweat shirt and dark sweat pants. The other had on a black hooded sweat shirt, jeans and white Nike shoes, according to Meyers.

No arrests had been made as of Wednesday morning. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (319) 286-5491 or Linn County CrimeStoppers at 1-800-CS-CRIME.