After Bullets Fly, Escapee Gives Up

Omaha World-Herald ^ | February 7, 2004 | Lynn Safranek & Shannon Henson

[Hat-Trick]

Three rounds of gunfire and three misses.

Before his afternoon arrest in the bathroom of a coffeehouse at 49th and Dodge Streets, Michael E. McGuire acquired a hostage, two guns, a rental car and cash.

McGuire stayed in the hostage's apartment at 4810 Capitol Ave., taking the man out when he needed help and, at other times, leaving him there, handcuffed so he couldn't escape.

Five days of stolen freedom ended Saturday afternoon in dramatic fashion with a capture involving gunshots and a chase. And in a way that McGuire's lawyer says the escapee never wanted: with the target of a five-day manhunt still very much alive and back in a cell.

"He's not happy to be alive," said McGuire's lawyer, James Martin Davis. "Everyone is happy about how this ended, except Michael McGuire."

Law enforcement officers fired at least three times at McGuire during his last minutes of freedom. He was not hit. Neither was anyone else, although a deaf man unable to speak was in the line of fire for a time as he shoveled snow.

"He said, 'I wanted to die, and I didn't get hit,'" said Davis, who talked to his client for 30 minutes following the arrest.

Officers escorted a handcuffed McGuire out a side door of MoJo's Coffeehouse at 49th and Dodge Streets about 2:30 p.m., nearly an hour after it all began. His reddish-blond hair had been shaved off since his escape.

McGuire, 54, was serving up to 193 years in the Tecumseh State Prison for rape, robbery, kidnapping and a previous attempted prison break.

He had planned his latest escape for months, perhaps as much as a year, his lawyer said, and spent that time perfecting how to make a fake gun out of toilet paper, tape and part of a pen.

He used such a "gun" Tuesday to bluff two prison guards who had escorted him to Johnson County Hospital in Tecumseh for medical treatment. He forced the guards into a prison van, drove to Cass County and handcuffed the guards to a tree and left them unharmed. He then drove to Omaha and abandoned the van.

In Omaha, probably later Tuesday, McGuire acquired a toy gun.

McGuire then made his way to the neighborhood near 48th Street and Capitol Avenue in the Dundee area, his lawyer said.

McGuire approached a man who lives in an apartment building at 4810 Capitol Ave., Davis said. He held a newspaper up to the man and pointed to a story about his escape.

[Hat-Trick]

The story now, from the State Prison officials, is that he DID have a real gun, not one made out of TP, as the escapee's attorney indicated in this article. In any case, the incompetence of our State Prison system lets this predator out of jail while our State Legislature keeps a ready supply of potential victims for the predator by continuing to deny the law-abiding citizen their 2nd amendment RIGHT in refusing to pass a CCW law. In the mean time, the Keystone cops trying to apprehend the convict turn Dodge Street into Dodge City, and WAY more than 3 shots were fired, some at a very long distance (exceeding 30 yards) with PISTOLS all missed. But I guess it's OK if the Police shoot & miss (everything) in the middle of Omaha on a busy Saturday afternoon, after all, they are professionally trained. I'm disgusted.

[Hat-Trick]

BANG!

[Nebr FAL owner]

The escapee is a person who said he would not be taken alive instead he was trying to commit suicide by cop cause he ain't got the testicular fortitude to do the deed himself. As for the collection of jerk offs that are the unicameral in Lincoln you were expect something different from that bunch with Ernie Chambers still there ?

[colorado tanker]

I guess that's why Andy didn't let Barney load the gun.

[Hat-Trick]

....instead he was trying to commit suicide by cop

He'd have been better off attempting to commit suicide by CCW permit holder. It's pure luck no innocent bystanders were hit.

[activationproducts]

Speaking of CCW has anybody heard anything about a petition to get it on the ballot? It is unbelievable that we cannot be permitted to carry concealed weapons here in Nebraska.