Hunter
04/14/23
An Iowa City man faces numerous charges after allegedly brandishing a handgun during an argument with people in an apartment complex parking lot.
According to the police reports, 42-year-old Sanchez Watson got into the argument Thursday afternoon with people at the Villa Garden Apartments on Cross Park Avenue. Watson reportedly left, but came back a short time later in his vehicle to continue the confrontation.
Witnesses stated that Watson threatened them and then pulled out a black and brown handgun from his cross body bag with the intention of showing everyone that he had it. Several people were in the vicinity when Watson brandished the gun, including children.
Watson then fled the scene and was later located by officers near the intersection of 1st Avenue and Lower Muscatine Road. Once he spotted police, Watson reportedly attempted to elude them, driving through traffic without stopping. Police say before he pulled into a parking lot and began to run from the scene, Watson threw a handgun and a bag of marijuana out of his vehicle window. The handgun was later determined to be the same one witnesses reported seeing at the apartment complex.
Watson was taken into custody and faces a number of charges. They include Carrying Weapons, Going Armed with Intent, Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault with the Use or Display of a Weapon, Dominion or Control of a Firearm by a Domestic Abuser, Dominion or Control of a Firearm by a Felon, Interference with Official Acts with a Dangerous Weapon, a Controlled Substance violation, and Eluding. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to up to 34 years in prison.