A man was arrested after Lincoln Police say he stole three vehicles, including one from the metro area. The crime spree began Thursday when officers responded to S 27th and Woodsale Blvd on report of an auto theft.
The 61-year-old victim reported he was unloading his 2018 gray Ram Promaster 2500 cargo van around 5:00 p.m. and left the keys inside the vehicle. A man pulled up in a 2004 gold Jeep Wrangler with Iowa plates, left the Jeep in the street and drove away in the van.
Officers discovered the Jeep had been stolen out of Council Bluffs earlier in the day. Officers spotted the stolen van on the north end of town and tried to stop it, but the driver did not pull over. At approximately 7:15 pm, a 59-year-old man reported his Ring motion sensor camera alerted him and he saw a van parked in his driveway.
The driver, later identified as 42-year-old Patrick Amburn, got out of the van and entered the victim’s open garage. Amburn stole the victim’s 2001 white Chevrolet Lumina.
Plain-clothes officers along with Lancaster County sheriff’s deputies and a Nebraska State Patrol helicopter followed the Lumina to the area of 61st Street and Normal Boulevard at 9:40 p.m. Amburn was arrested for 3 counts of theft and fleeing to avoid arrest.