Birthday Celebration Ends in Gunshots in West Des Moines; Urbandale Man Injured

A couple of birthday celebrations ended early Sunday morning in gunshots after a melee broke out among occupants of a party bus that had taken a group of revelers around downtown Des Moines before delivering them to their destination at a West Des Moines motel.

No one was injured by the gunshots, but one of the revelers, a Johnston man, was treated for head injuries at a local hospital, according to West Des Moines Police Officer D.J. Frunzar's report. The man's injuries were related to the gunshots.

Frunzar was dispatched to the parking lot of Motel 6, 7655 Office Plaza Drive, around 2 a.m. Sunday to investigate a report of gunshots and a fight among occupants of the bus.

According to reports, occupants of the bus surrounded an Urbandale man, age unknown, when he stepped off the bus and began walking to his vehicle. The report sad he was “suddenly attacked by the group.”

The gunshots were allegedly fired as the assailants sped away in a vehicle. No one was injured by the gunshots. Police recovered two spent 9 mm cartridges at the scene.

While the fight was still going on, a Johnston man who also was a passenger on the bus, intervened and came to the Urbandale man’s defense. The Johnston man was treated at Iowa Methodist West Hospital about two hours later after complaining of severe headaches, apparently the result of hitting his head on concrete. He reportedly was unconscious for about 30 seconds and doesn’t remember being knocked out or the gunshots.

The results of a CT scan were not known at the time of the report.

The the driver of the bus told Frunzar that a verbal disturbance over someone not paying for their share of the bus ride seemed be escalating due to the fact that “most, if not all, were intoxicated,” according to the report. “His main goal was to get the bus to the desired location and get everyone off as soon as he could with hopes that everyone would calm down.”