Good Samaritan Tells West Des Moines Police He Was Robbed While Helping Motorist

Paul James Latare, 39, of Des Moines reported to West Des Moines Police that he was assaulted and robbed of $175 after he stopped to help a motorist on Iowa Highway 5 Monday afternoon.

According to a police report, Latare said he was driving to his job in West Des Moines when he was flagged down by a woman standing next to an older model blue panel van. The vehicle was reportedly stopped on the shoulder of the westbound lane of Highway 5 near the Southwest Connector exit.

The woman said only “no hablo” when he stopped to assist. He told police the woman pointed to the vehicle’s tires, but they appeared to be properly inflated. Latare said there appeared to be something under the van, and as he began to investigate, an unknown number of men got out of the van and assaulted him.

Latare said he was thrown to the ground and hit multiple times. He told police two of the men had used an object during the assault, but he wasn’t able to tell what it was.

He alleged that during the assault, the woman reached into Latare’s pockets and took $175, as well as two military challenge coins. Latare said the men spoke Spanish during the assault, and he was unable to understand them. Latare said that after the assault, the woman and men got back into the van and left the scene.

In his report, West Des Moines Police Officer Matthew Granzow said Latare suffered possible internal injuries and that his eyes were swollen, consistent with his description of the attack. Latare’s clothes were wet and dirty and he appeared to be walking with a limp, Granzow noted.

The woman was described as Hispanic, heavyset, between 5 feet, 2 inches to 5 feet, 4 inches tall, and in her early 30s. The van is described as an older blue panel van with a silver rear bumper with multiple dents and a black rubber piece on it. The rear driver’s side wheel had rust around it, and the windows on the rear of the van had black vent covers, according to the report.

Latare was taken to the Veterans Administration Hospital by a friend, and a metrowide broadcast was put out for the blue panel van.