COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA – The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations is looking into a shooting by Council Bluffs police that occurred when a man attempted to run them over with a stolen corvette.
At approximately 12:39 on December 23, two officers with the Council Bluffs Police Department’s PAR (Police Area Representative) Unit, were attempting to locate a 2012 Blue Corvette that had been reported stolen. The Corvette was reported stolen from an address on Old Lincoln Highway, in Pottawattamie County on December 13, 2014. As the officers were driving southbound in the 100 Block of Park Avenue, they observed a newer blue Corvette pull into the driveway of an apartment complex at 127 Park Avenue and stop near the driveway entrance.
The officers, who were in full police uniform, stopped their unmarked patrol car in the street and approached the Corvette on foot from behind. As they neared the Corvette, it’s driver put the vehicle in reverse and accelerated toward the officers, striking and damaging their parked patrol car. Two shots were fired at the driver of the Corvette as it backed toward the officers. The officers radioed the shots fired call at 12:39 p.m. and advised that the Corvette had fled the scene southbound on Park Avenue. Neither officer was injured during the assault. There were no other occupants in the Corvette during the incident.
Patrol officers located the Corvette speeding eastbound on 9th Avenue from Bluff Street. The Corvette led the Council Bluffs Police Officers on a high speed pursuit on 9th Avenue, where it turned northbound onto I-29 and then west onto I-480. The officers lost sight of the Corvette near I-480 and Highway 75.
At 1:13 p.m., Omaha Police Officers located the Corvette abandoned in the 5900 block of No. 35th Street.
Information developed during the investigation identified the driver of the Corvette as 33 year old Jesse Wilkinson of Council Bluffs. Mr. Wilkinson has outstanding warrants for his arrest to include a federal warrant for prohibited possession of a firearm by a felon and State of Iowa warrants for Theft 3rd Degree and Failure to Appear on a controlled substance violation.
Wilkinson has been located and taken into custody without incident at this time. The Council Bluffs Police Department is being assisted by the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Omaha Police Department and the U.S. Marshal’s Metro Area Fugitive Task Force in an effort to locate and apprehend Mr. Wilkinson.
The names of the officers will not be released at this time. One officer is a 13-year veteran and the other is a 14-year veteran, both with the Council Bluffs Police Department.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating this officer involved shooting and the Council Bluffs Police Department is conducting the criminal portion of the investigation.
