Man arrested in connection with a robbery after a standoff

Iowa City, Iowa – On August 3rd, at around 6:04 o’clock in the evening, the Iowa City Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the vicinity of Highway 6 East and South Riverside Drive.

Rick L. Wappler, 41, the driver, said he was carrying a knife.

Wappler allegedly drove away from the scene in the vehicle, which led to a chase. The chase was ended by the authorities because they decided that it posed a threat to the general public.

Then, at 9:16 p.m., officers from the Iowa City Police Department responded to a call of a hit-and-run accident that had occurred close to 130 Highway 1 W. Both Wappler and the car that he was last seen driving matched the descriptions provided by the witnesses.

The 100 block of Prairie Hill Lane was the location of a robbery and carjacking that was reported to dispatch around 9:50 in the evening. Wappler was located inside a vehicle when officers from Iowa City and Johnson County arrived in the area. A standoff ensued.

During the standoff, members of the Crisis Negotiation Team of the police department were in contact with Wappler. According to the information obtained by the police, Wappler was involved in a second burglary that took place earlier in the 100 block of Prairie Hill Lane.

After approximately three hours, during which time negotiations ultimately failed, law enforcement officers made an effort to arrest Wappler. One shot was fired from an officer’s service weapon by a member of the Iowa City Police Department. Wappler was not hit by the weapon and was apprehended using less lethal methods. He was sent to a local hospital for evaluation as a precaution.

Wappler was charged with two counts of first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, and going armed with intent.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation into the officers’ use of force.