Multi-agency effort leads to arrest of four men in connection with Grand Island stolen electronics case

Grand Island, Nebraska – Four suspects were apprehended in Omaha following a collaborative effort by multiple law enforcement agencies to recover a substantial amount of stolen electronics, the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) announced on Wednesday. The stolen equipment, valued at thousands of dollars, had been taken from a Best Buy store in Grand Island.

The incident unfolded when a group of individuals was reported stealing numerous items from the Grand Island Best Buy on Tuesday around 5:00 p.m. The suspects left the store in a stolen Ford Expedition, prompting law enforcement agencies to initiate a search as they traveled eastbound from Grand Island.

The stolen vehicle was eventually spotted by law enforcement on Highway 92 in Saunders County. A Wahoo Police officer attempted to perform a traffic stop, but the suspects’ vehicle collided with the officer’s cruiser and fled the scene. The Omaha Police helicopter, Able-1, assumed aerial surveillance of the fleeing vehicle until it eventually stopped in a residential area near 168th and Maple in Omaha.

With guidance from the helicopter pilots, ground units converged on the location, and the four suspects fled on foot. A coordinated search effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Omaha Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Wahoo Police Department, and Nebraska State Patrol, was swiftly initiated. Within ten minutes, three of the suspects were apprehended, and the fourth suspect was captured approximately two hours later. Inside the stolen Expedition, officers discovered stolen electronics with an estimated value of nearly $10,000.

The four individuals, identified as Shakur Houston (22), Johnathon Thorne (21), Huthaifa Mesfin (20), and Johnathan Semans (28), all residents of Omaha, were arrested for flight to avoid arrest and theft by receiving stolen property exceeding $5,000. Additionally, Mesfin and Semans were cited for possession of marijuana weighing less than one ounce. All four suspects have been remanded to the Douglas County Jail.

Further charges are anticipated in Hall and Saunders Counties. The investigation remains ongoing, with multiple agencies cooperating to unravel the details of Tuesday’s incidents.