Two Iowa men are behind bars in Omaha after leading Council Bluffs Police on a pursuit over the river and through downtown Thursday morning.
Around 8:00 Council Bluffs Police located 40 year old Robert Edie III near 1st and Benton Street, who was wanted on outstanding felony warrants in both Nebraska and Iowa. Edie was able to get into a red pickup truck and flee from officers.
Officers pursued Edie and his passenger, 24 year old Cody Doss. Sgt. Ed Carlson with the Council Bluffs Police Department tells NewsRadio 1110 KFAB that officers attempted to stop the suspects multiple times. "They attempted to stop stick the vehicle at 16th and Avenue G where it hit a curb and blew out both tires. The officers then attempted to perform a P.I.T. maneuver (Pursuit Intervention Technique) to get the vehicle to stop, but it was unsuccessful."
The vehicle then fled into Omaha on the I-480, where a handgun was thrown from the vehicle. The truck continued, on two flat tires, into a parking lot off of 14th and California Street where Edie and Doss fled on foot.
Carlson says CBPD Police Service Dog Olaf was deployed at that time. "Officers deployed a canine unit, which Edie surrendered to without incident to at 14th and Mike Fahey Street." Doss was caught after a short foot pursuit at 16th and Mike Fahey Street. Both men were turned over to Omaha Police where they are being held on Fugitive From Justice charges, the outstanding Nebraska Warrant and narcotics charges. Charges and extradition paperwork are also being filed in Iowa.
It was later determined that the gun was a realistic Air-Soft/BB Gun type handgun, but Carlson says at first glance you wouldn't know it. "When they brought this gun in to police property, I took a look at it and it looks like a real handgun."
Carlson says although the gun turned out to be fake, officers can't usually make that determination in the heat of the action. "We have to treat every weapon as though it's a real weapon and officers can't take that split second judgement to realize whether it's a real gun or not."
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