Cape Girardeau police surround apartment building after robbery report

Guns drawn, over a dozen police searched a Cape Girardeau apartment complex Tuesday in search of a robbery suspect, but police haven't yet been able to confirm the details of the alleged robbery.

Cpl. Jason Selzer said the department received a call at 12:30 p.m. about an attempted robbery outside the Dollar General Store on Broadway. The caller was not identified. When police arrived, workers said no robbery had occurred, Selzer said.

The caller said someone had pointed a gun at him and attempted to take his money, but the victim was gone when police arrived at the location.

As officers were driving near the store, a utility worker stopped the car to say he saw a man who appeared to have a gun sprint into an apartment building at the corner of Ellis and Themis streets. Other witnesses reported seeing someone with a handgun run into the apartment building.

Police maintained a perimeter around the building and eventually entered carrying shields and wearing helmets. Two people were escorted out of the building. A man was taken into custody for questioning. A woman was questioned but not arrested. When police searched the building, they found the gun they believed was used in the robbery attempt.

Afterward, police remained on site, re-entering the building at about 1:15 p.m. to search for other possible suspects. A crowd of about 30 neighbors and bystanders gathered to watch. About 45 minutes later police officers exited alone.

Selzer, spokesman for the department, said officers were heading back to the Dollar General to further investigate.