Iowa City man charged after allegedly pepper spraying man
Hunter
10/17/25
An Iowa City man was arrested early Friday morning after an altercation allegedly escalated to him pepper spraying a victim.
The man stated he and a group of his friends were confronted by 37-year-old Alex Stevenson of Hollywood Boulevard in the downtown area. Stevenson allegedly used racial epithets toward one of his friends. The victim told police he told Stevenson to get away from him multiple times, but Stevenson kept confronting him and ended up hitting the man with a chair. The victim and his friends separated from Stevenson and went to a vehicle at Dubuque and Jefferson streets.
Stevenson then reportedly approached the vehicle and pepper-sprayed the victim in the face. He suffered superficial injuries to his left arm and needed medical assistance from the Johnson County Ambulance Service.
Officers located Stevenson at the intersection of Clinton and Burlington Street a little after 3:15 am, where the victim positively identified him as the man who assaulted him. Stevenson allegedly admitted to drinking earlier in the evening, and had bloodshot watery eyes, had the odor of ingested alcohol, acted belligerently, and had impaired decision making abilities.
Stevenson reportedly fought with officers and had to be physically lifted off the ground after refusing to walk under his own power. He refused a post-arrest PBT.
Stevenson faces charges of Assault causing Bodily Injury, Interference with Official Acts, and Public Intoxication. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to up to 14 months in jail.