MASON CITY – This suspect is accused of arming himself and pointing a gun at random people at a busy North End intersection in Mason City before invading an apartment house and waking a sleeping resident and grabbing their cash, but Mason City police arrived and put a stop to his alleged mayhem.
The incident took place on the afternoon of September 8, 2025. At 3:33 PM that day, Mason City police officers were dispatched to the intersection of 9th and N Federal Avenue in Mason City. A male was reportedly pointing a handgun directly at random people in the area. Officers responded quickly, and witnesses on scene reported to police that the male with the handgun fled east toward 9th and N. Delaware Avenue. Officers investigating the last known location soon heard a loud commotion from inside 820 N Delaware. Officers approaching the apartment building observed a male run down the stairs armed with a handgun. This armed male was chased outside by one of the apartment residents from inside this building.
The officer outside confronted the armed male at gunpoint. The male complied, dropped the gun, and was detained. Officers were told this same male (Jose Martinez Jr. age 25, address unknown) had entered the apartment building, gone up the stairs, and entered an unlocked apartment, where a resident was sleeping inside. The resident said he awoke to see Martinez standing next to him, inside the dwelling. The resident said Martinez pointed the gun at the resident, swiped some cash lying on top of a night stand, and then fled the apartment. The resident followed Martinez down the steps and outside while yelling for help.
Martinez (pictured at top) was charged with felony second-degree robbery and booked into the Cerro Gordo county jail at 5:05 PM. He awaits a court appearance.
Police tell NIT that “the handgun was later determined to be a realistic bb gun but no one knew that at the time Martinez was allegedly pointing it at everyone.”