Man accused of robbing bank in Iowa City

IOWA CITY - A suspect in the armed robbery of an Iowa City bank Monday led officers on an hourlong chase by motorcycle and foot before being apprehended.

Eric Martin, 34, of 1656 W. 42nd St. in Davenport, faces charges of first-degree robbery, possession of a firearm as a felon, interference with official acts with a weapon, carrying weapons and eluding.

Law enforcement was called at 9:32 a.m. for a report of an armed robbery at Hills Bank and Trust Co., 1401 S. Gilbert St.

Police said a man wearing dark clothing entered the bank armed with a handgun and demanded cash from the tellers. After an undisclosed amount of money was put in a backpack, he left on an off-road motorcycle.

Nearby Johnson County sheriff's deputies pursued the motorcycle into Benton Hill Park. Officers from several other agencies set up a perimeter, and a team entered the area and found Martin in a wooded area behind the 1100 block of Weeber Circle, which is northwest of the Lodge apartment complex off Highway 1.

Martin again fled on his motorcycle, then fled on foot when the motorcycle collided with a marked squad car, police said. He was apprehended a short time later in the 1900 block of Woodberry Court, near Willow Creek Park, after a brief struggle, police said.

Martin was treated and released from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for minor injuries. A news release said he was being held in the Johnson County Jail on a $38,000 bond, but the jail said he had not been booked as of 5:10 p.m.

Two Iowa City police officers suffered minor injuries while arresting Martin. No bank employees or other civilians were injured, police said.

The Iowa City Police Department and the FBI are continuing to investigate the robbery, “including determination of Martin's involvement in three previous Iowa City bank robberies,” according to the news release. A police official did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

The U.S. Bank at 2312 Mormon Trek Blvd. was robbed in February and November, and the MidWestOne Bank at 2233 Rochester Ave. was robbed in December. All three of those incidents occurred after 5 p.m. on Fridays.

Monday's robbery led to lockdowns at eight Iowa City school district schools for about one hour, and parents were notified with a recorded phone call. The University of Iowa also sent out an alert on its system.

Here's a statement sent out by the Iowa City School District earlier Monday:

At approximately 9:40 a.m. today, April 23, 2012, our district received information from law enforcement which has caused us to implement precautionary safety procedures. Iowa City Police indicated they are in pursuit of an armed bank robbery suspect in the west side vicinity.

We initially went into hard lock down at these schools:

• West High

• Northwest Junior High

• Weber Elementary

• Lincoln Elementary

• Horn Elementary

• Kirkwood Elementary

• Coralville Central Elementary

• Roosevelt Elementary

At this time all schools moved to soft lock down with the exception of Roosevelt and Horn. Student safety is our primary concern. We will share further information as it is received.

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