Lincoln man convicted of stealing guns followed by armed carjacking

Chance Thigpen pleaded no contest to attempted robbery, burglary and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person for what happened on February 8.

At approximately 6:15 p.m. that day, Lincoln police were dispatched to a convenience store near North 33rd Street and Folkways Boulevard on a report of a robbery.

The 40-year-old victim told police that as he walked out of the store back to his Chevrolet Spark, a man approached him, pulled out a gold Smith & Wesson .380 handgun and demanded his car keys.

The man, identified as Thigpen, then got into the car and drove away.

Police spotted the car shortly afterward and attempted a traffic stop, but Thigpen sped away, so the Nebraska State Patrol helicopter tracked him from above.

Law enforcement officers eventually cornered him in a parking lot at North 27th Street and Cornhusker Highway. After a brief standoff, Thigpen was arrested.

Police found a stolen gun in the car.

At his sentencing Wednesday, Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson said that while Thigpen tried to blame substance abuse, it was his choices that created the danger that resulted.

She also said he couldn’t blame drugs for the messages he received in prison, where he was caught trying to make homemade alcohol and steal from other people.

“For me, I have to look at the sentences that adequately protect the community from you,” Nelson said before announcing the sentence.