Check-cashing business robbed in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS – Two armed men robbed a Cedar Rapids check-cashing business in broad daylight Friday.

Police Sgt. Robert Collins said one suspect had a handgun and the other had a knife when they demanded money from a clerk at Check ‘N Go, 124 Collins Rd. NE, Suite E. No one was injured in the incident, which was reported to police around 10:10 a.m.

Police arrive on the scene of an armed robbery at Check 'N Go, 124 Collins Rd. NE, Suite E, this morning, Friday, Nov. 18. No one was hurt. (Jeff Raasch/SourceMedia Group News)

Little Caesars employee Nic Meyers, 20, of Cedar Rapids, said the Check ‘N Go clerk came pounding on their door and said her business had been robbed. Meyers said he and his general manager chased after the two men, who went north across the street toward some apartment buildings, but they eventually lost sight of them.

“I got trapped behind a fence, and I saw them in the parking lot,” Meyers said. “That's when they had stopped, I'm guessing because they ran out of breath. I said stop!”

Meyers said he cut back through a yard to get around the fence, but by the time he got back to where the suspects were, they were gone.

Several officers from Cedar Rapids and Marion swarmed the area, concentrating on an apartment complex near Ridge Drive and Southview Drive in Marion.

“We converged on the area, and we brought one of our K-9 (dogs) up,” Collins said. “We attempted to track the suspects, but were unsuccessful.”

Police said the suspects were described as two black males wearing masks. Collins said they were reviewing video surveillance that may have captured the crime.

According to Meyers, one suspect was wearing a black hooded sweat shirt, blue jeans and white Nike shoes. The other suspect had on a blue hooded sweat shirt, black sweat pants and black shoes. Those descriptions have not been confirmed by police.

Investigators were still at the business at noon.

Meyers said he and his general manager did not hesitate to chase after the suspects. He credited his military background for his response.

“It was more adrenaline at that time than it was scary,” Meyers said.

Collins commended Meyers but said police caution against chasing after suspects, especially if they are armed.

“We are always glad when someone has good information and who is a good witness, but we want them to do it in a safe way,” Collins said.