Man arrested at Columbia apartment complex charged with robbery

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was accused of pulling out a weapon and robbing a Subway restaurant in northeast Columbia on Monday was charged on Tuesday with first-degree robbery.

Isaiah Anderson, 19, of Columbia, is being held without bond at Boone County Jail. A court date has not been scheduled.

According to the probable cause statement, Columbia police were dispatched to a Subway restaurant on East St. Charles Road for a report of an armed robbery. A store employee allegedly told police that a man was holding a gun while demanding money from the store’s safe and cash registers. The man – later identified as Anderson – was wearing a black hoodie with a bright colored logo, along with a black “COVID-19 mask” or surgical mask, dark pants and black tennis shoes, the statement says.

A witness pointed out a man matching that description to officers and Anderson eventually ran into an apartment at the second floor of The Greens, a northeast Columbia apartment complex, according to the statement and previous reporting.

Officers called for residents of the building to come outside and Anderson walked out of the building, the statement says. Witnesses on the scene apparently identified Anderson as the man who ran into the building, the statement says.

Anderson allegedly told law enforcement that he robbed the restaurant because he needed the money and initially said he threw the gun in the woods, the statement says. Police searched the area, but only found a mask, and Anderson said the gun was in his apartment, according to court documents.

Police found a BB gun inside a black hoodie that was in a garbage bag, the statement says. Anderson allegedly admitted to police that he used a BB gun for the robbery, court documents say.

No injuries or property damage was reported. A Tuesday press release sent by the Columbia Police Department states that law enforcement believes Anderson could be connected to three more “commercial armed robberies,” including:

• June 9, 2023, in the 5600 block of East St Charles Road 
• March 21, 2024, in the 3000 block of Paris Road
• April 2, 2024, in the 2000 block of Paris Road