Iowa football player mistaken for robber, held at gunpoint

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) A University of Iowa football player says he was playing ''Pokemon Go'' in a public park when he was mistaken for a suspected bank robber,

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) A University of Iowa football player says he was playing ''Pokemon Go'' in a public park when he was mistaken for a suspected bank robber, surrounded by police and searched at gunpoint.

Faith Ekakitie writes on Facebook that he feared for his life Wednesday in Iowa City. He explains that a bank had been robbed nearby and that he matched the suspect's description of a ''large black male, wearing all black, with something on top of his head.'' He says he was wearing goggles on his head at the time.

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

• Georgia
• Utah
• Alabama
• UCLA
• Notre Dame
• Texas
• Miami (FL)
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• BYU
• Kentucky
• Texas Tech

PREREGISTER TO PLAY

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Ekakitie says he understands why police did what they did. He says he had headphones in and didn't respond to police commands. He thanks Iowa City police for their professionalism.

A police spokesman chalks up the episode to ''unfortunate timing.''