Lang
7/24/23
A Cedar Rapids man has been arrested in connection with a shooting earlier this month on southbound Highway 218.
Iowa City Police say just before 2:30pm on July 2nd 20-year-old Lamont’e O’Neal of 16th Avenue SW was in the back seat of a 2008 Nissan Altima when he got into an argument with a passenger in the front seat. O’Neal allegedly pointed a gun at the man and took his phone. When the passenger tried to get his phone back, O’Neal reportedly shot him in the stomach.
Police say O’Neal then told the driver to drop the victim off on the side of the highway instead of taking him to a hospital. O’Neal allegedly pushed the passenger out somewhere between the Melrose Avenue and Highway 1 exits and told the driver to drive away. He then allegedly pointed the gun at the driver, took his phone and forced him to drive to Peoria.
O’Neal is currently in custody in Cook County, Illinois, on unrelated charges. A detainer has been placed and he will be extradited to Johnson County to face charges related to the July 2nd incident at a later date. He faces two counts each of First-Degree Robbery, Control of a Firearm by a Felon, and Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon and one count each of Attempted Murder, Second-Degree Kidnapping While Armed with a Dangerous Weapon, and Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum of 130 years in prison.
O’Neal has a previous felony weapons conviction out of Will County, Illinois.