MOLINE, ILLINOIS – After his two credit cards declined, this suspect just outside Iowa allegedly pepper sprayed workers at the Chinese restaurant he was visiting, then stole the tip jar and made a mad dash with his tasty goods, but cops shanghaied him straight to a jail cell.
The incident went down in Moline, Illinois, part of the Quad Cities metro area, just across the border from Iowa. Police say that on December 6, 2025 at approximately 1:51 PM, the Moline Police Department responded to China Inn in the 3600 block of Avenue of the Cities for a report of a robbery. Employees reported that a customer attempted to pay for food and had two cards declined. The suspect then sprayed the clerk with a substance believed to be pepper spray, took a tip jar from the counter and fled the store on foot.
Two employees and a customer pursued the suspect. The customer later saw the suspect on 22nd Avenue, where the suspect dropped a bag containing the tip jar. The customer recovered the bag, tip jar and money and returned it to the restaurant.
A responding officer located a suspect in the 1800 block of 40th Street Court. The suspect, Shaheem McKnight, 22, of Moline, was taken into custody and transported to the Rock Island County Jail.
On December 8, 2025, the Rock Island County State’s Attorney’s Office filed two counts of Armed Robbery against McKnight. The State’s Attorney also filed a Petition to Deny Pretrial Release. McKnight remains in the Rock Island County Jail pending further court proceedings and a detention hearing.