A 32-year-old man wanted for absconding on felony parole is back in custody after leading Douglas County deputies on a chase through Omaha, ramming a sheriff's cruiser, and tossing a gun out of his vehicle before an Omaha Police Department K9 unit finally cornered him. David Coppock was taken into custody Tuesday evening after what authorities describe as a brief but chaotic pursuit through several Omaha neighborhoods.
According to WOWT, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office found Coppock near 72nd and Hickory Streets at around 5 p.m. and attempted to make the arrest. Instead of surrendering, Coppock fled the scene, striking a DCSO cruiser in the process and causing an accident at a nearby intersection, per the outlet's reporting.
As he sped away, Coppock allegedly threw a firearm from his vehicle near 69th and Spring Streets, according to DCSO. Law enforcement later recovered the discarded gun, the station's report notes.
K9 Unit Closes In Near Vinton Street
The chase ultimately ended several miles away, where Coppock was tracked down near 24th and Vinton Streets. He was taken into custody there with the help of an Omaha Police Department K9 unit, the same account states. Coppock was treated at a local hospital for a K9 bite before being booked.
Coppock had been wanted for absconding while on felony parole stemming from prior convictions for firearm possession by a prohibited person, deadly weapon possession by a prohibited person, evading arrest in a motor vehicle, and two counts of controlled substance possession. He was booked into Douglas County Corrections on new felony charges of destruction of property, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and flight to avoid arrest.
Coppock’s arrest does not itself determine whether his parole will be revoked. Nebraska law gives the Board of Parole authority to revoke parole after finding criminal conduct, but it may also impose other sanctions for a parole-condition violation, including intensified supervision or a custodial sanction. The board decides what action to take after reviewing the violation.
Nebraska law bars people with prior felony convictions from possessing firearms, and classifies firearm possession by a prohibited person as a Class ID felony for a first offense and Class IB for a second or later offense. Those are statutory classifications; the charges listed in Coppock’s booking do not, by themselves, establish the outcome of any case.
Nebraska’s parole agency says a person may be considered to have absconded when supervision staff cannot locate them within a reasonable time at an approved residence, job or education site. A warrant may be issued for an absconder’s arrest, and the state may seek reimbursement for costs of returning the person to appear before the Board of Parole.
