Valley Junction Business Owner, Buddy Decide They're Not Going to Take it from Alleged Gunman: 2012 in Review

Editor's note: As the year winds down, we're taking a look at the stories that made you talk, laugh, cry or just shake your head. This story was originally published on May 9.

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The day started quietly enough for Zamir Azam — until he decided a masked gunman wasn’t going to abscond with cash and merchandise from the Valley Junction hookah and tobacco shop he and his brother opened two years ago.

At 1 p.m. Tuesday Azam had just finished classes at Des Moines Area Community College and opened his business, Fortune Gifts, at 515 Maple St. He and his buddy, Joe Lipichok, were casual and laid back.

The Azam brothers said they’re not strangers to trouble in the store, which opened in July 2010. Merchandise has been lifted about nine times. The shop has been burglarized about half a dozen times, the last time earlier this month. Valley Junction seemed like a “family friendly place,” Zafar Azam told The Des Moines Register.

Then it started to get weird.

At 2:40 p.m. Tuesday an armed robber, later identified by police as 18-year-old Jacob William Nielsen of Des Moines, walked into the shop carrying a gun that Zamir thought was a fake and pulling what the shopkeeper initially thought was a gag. The man demanded money.

“My first response was, ‘I think it’s one or two of my friends; they’re just messing with me,’ ” Zamir told the Register.

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When the alleged robber cocked the gun and a bullet tumbled from the chamber to the floor, Zamir remained unconvinced. He still thought it was a BB-gun. 

Within a few minutes the alleged robber’s demeanor changed enough that Zamir knew not to laugh. He handed over some cash and the gunman left the store, grabbing a water pipe as he exited.

A split second later, Lipichok leapt across the counter and pursued the alleged robber. He tackled him outside the store, and the pair struggled.

“I wasn’t going to just stand there and watch my friend take something on his own,” Zamir told The Register. “We had a lot of struggle, trying to get the gun out of his hand.”

Wade Gruwel was watching it all nearby from an upstairs apartment in the historic shopping district. He pulled on his boots and was ready to help Zamir and Lipichok. 

The gun discharged at least once, but Zamir isn’t sure if it was accidental or intentional.  

That was about 2:45 p.m. Christy Cobb heard the shot from The Write Touch, the stationery and gift store she operates around the corner at 209 Fifth St.

“I sort of stood by my car for a minute — kind of unsure whether it was a gunshot or a car backfiring,” she told Patch.

“We’ve never had a shooting,” she said. “That’s kind of unusual.”

No one was hit. But the altercation left all three men with various abrasions and cuts that occurred when the water pipe broke and Zamir used it to defend himself. All three were treated for their injuries at Mercy Medical Center.

“I just hope it never happens again,” Zamir told The Register. “We did good for rookies, I think.”

In an official statement, police said they don’t recommend that victims of crimes, especially those committed with firearms, attempt to apprehend the suspects on their own. Instead, it’s recommended that they call 911 immediately and provide officers with as much information as possible about the incident.

Nielsen was charged with first-degree burglary, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. He is being held in the Polk County Jail without bond.