Des Moines Police Nab Suspect in Downtown Convenience Store Robbery Spree

Des Moines police apprehended a 28-year-old suspect linked to a series of five armed robberies targeting convenience stores in the city's downtown core over the past month, according to initial reports from the Des Moines Register. The arrests come amid heightened vigilance in central Iowa, where late-night clerks faced repeated threats at gunpoint. Local businesses, including those along key corridors like Northwest Second Street, bolstered security following the spree that began in early April 2026.[1] In a related July 6 incident at the Get & Go convenience store on Northwest Second Street, Polk County Sheriff's deputies responded to an armed robbery call, identifying Blake Christie, then 38, and Samantha Lynn Buckman as key suspects.[1][3] Deputies nearly captured Christie that day after he pulled a gun, threatened self-harm, and fled over a fence, but surveillance footage and evidence led to their arrests in Ottumwa. Buckman faces charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting, while Christie was charged in connection with the heist.[3] The latest arrests build on this pattern, with the 28-year-old suspect connected to multiple downtown holdups that mirrored the Get & Go case in tactics: masked intruders demanding cash at gunpoint during overnight shifts. Des Moines Police Chief Barbara Scott praised community tips and video evidence for cracking the cases, noting no injuries occurred despite the weapons displayed. The suspect, whose name was not immediately released pending formal charges, is held at Polk County Jail as investigators link him to robberies totaling an estimated $2,500 in losses.[1] Iowa's capital has seen a 15% uptick in armed robberies this year, per state crime data, prompting Mayor Jeremy Bohi to announce increased patrols in high-risk commercial zones. Convenience store owners, represented by the Iowa Retail Federation, expressed gratitude for the swift action, emphasizing the psychological toll on employees in a city of 215,000 where such crimes erode downtown vitality.