Ankeny Police Arrest Man Accused of Robbing Two Gas Stations at Knife-Point

An Ankeny man is facing first-degree robbery charges after he allegedly held up two convenience stores at knife-point early this morning.

Ankeny police arrested Troy A. Rivas, 37, early this morning after police stopped his vehicle in the 2600 block of Windover Drive. According to a release issued by the , the description of Rivas and his vehicle matched those given to police following a robbery of a Des Moines convenience store as well an Ankeny , located at 165 S.W. Magazine Rd.

At approximately 3:16 a.m., Rivas allegedly walked into the Kum & Go located near off South Ankeny Boulevard. When he and the clerk were near the cash registers, he allegedly pulled a kitchen knife from the waistband of his pants.

According to the release, the store clerk ran out a back door. The suspect then left without taking anything from the store, heading south on South Ankeny Boulevard.

Later, at approximately 4:29 a.m., the Des Moines Police Department released information in an attempt to locate a suspect who robbed a Des Moines convenience store. The suspect and vehicle description matched that of the Ankeny Kum & Go robbery, the release said.

The Des Moines Register's Tom Alex reported on the Des Moines robbery:

"(Des Moines) police said Rivas is suspected in a robbery shortly before 4:30 a.m., today at the Kum & Go Convenience Store at 3104 University Ave., in Des Moines. Officials said he brought a Pepsi to the counter and acted as if he was going to pay for the drink.

When a clerk opened the cash register, police said, the man displayed a large kitchen knife with a black handle. The robber reportedly said, “Give me the money or I will stab you.”

The clerk backed away as the robber vaulted the counter and began taking cash from the register. With cash in hand the robber ran to a silver car on the east side of the building.

The knife was dropped during the robbery. Store cameras recorded the hold-up and police were given the license plate number on the car."

Ankeny police located Rivas and his vehicle — a silver Chrysler Sebring — just after 6 a.m. this morning. During the traffic stop, Rivas allegedly failed to obey verbal commands from officers, the release said, and was tasered before he was arrested.

Later, Rivas was positively identified as the suspect in the Kum & Go robbery. No one was injured during any of the incidents.

Rivas was booked into Polk County Jail by Ankeny police on charges of first-degree robbery and interference with official acts. First-degree robbery is a Class B felony.