Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department today (Monday), report a suspect in the Dec. 30th carjacking incident at the Horseshoe Casino, was arrested Sunday after he turned himself-in on warrants. With assistance from the public the suspect was identified as 51-year old John Edward McAuliffe Jr., of Omaha.  Detectives were able to obtain Arrest Warrants for McAuliffe charging him with Attempted Murder, Robbery 1st Degree and Willful Injury.  McAuliffe remains held in the Pottawattamie County Jail after turning himself-in on the warrants.

John Edward McAuliffe, Jr.

The incident occurred at around 4:45-a.m., December 30th, 2017. Council Bluffs Police and Fire Departments were dispatched to the Horseshoe Casino on that date, for a report of a male party laying in the parking lot who had been shot. It was discovered the male party had been the victim of a robbery / car-jacking in the parking lot. The victim was shot by a suspect as the victim attempted to flee on foot from the vehicle. The suspect fled from the scene with the victim’s vehicle, a gray 2006 Ford F-150 Super-Crew.

The victim was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The victim’s vehicle was recovered by the Omaha Police Department in the area of the 2000 block of South 45th St. It had been burned.