SLO County sheriff identifies white supremacist gang member killed in deputy shootout
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson on Friday identified the white supremacist gang member killed in a Thursday shootout with deputies as Christopher Straub of Templeton.
Straub, 38, was killed after he fled a pedestrian traffic stop in Templeton and ambushed two deputies, injuring one. The Sheriff’s Office had waited to identify him until his next of kin were notified of his death.
Straub had been a repeat offender with 28 bookings in California jails and at least two prison sentences, Parkinson said at a news conference on Friday.
He had an outstanding felony warrant and a history of multiple weapons charges, and the Sheriff’s Office gang task force had been investigating the known white supremacist gang member for illegal firearm manufacturing, Parkinson said.
“He was known by us, he was wanted by us and he was considered armed and dangerous,” Parkinson said at a Thursday news conference.
The Sheriff’s Office said they found eight guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition in Straub’s vehicle, in addition to the handgun he used to fire on deputies. The cache in the car included four assault rifles, one bolt-action hunting rifle, one shotgun and two handguns.
At least three of the guns were loaded — one of which was between the driver- and passenger-side seats of the vehicle, and two of which were in the back seat.
Parkinson said he believes Straub was returning to his vehicle, which had broken down on Theatre Drive, to retrieve one of the guns right before his final shootout with deputies. But the vehicle was locked, and Straub was fatally shot after he again began engaging deputies in a gunfight.
Parkinson said all of the guns in Straub’s possession were illegal due to his felony status.
He also said sheriff’s deputies found gun manufacturing equipment during a search warrant at Straub’s home Thursday after the shooting. Straub likely manufactured some of the weapons found in the vehicle himself, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
One of the magazine drums deputies found had the phrase “f--- all cops” written on it. Parkinson said there were indications before the shootout that Straub was prepared to resist attempts to take him back into custody.
“There was a concern he knew he was potentially going back to prison and did not want to and had made statements that he intended to shoot it out with the police,” Parkinson said.
He said investigators believe Straub was the sole suspect in the case.
SLO County white supremacist gang activity
Parkinson did not release the name of Straub’s gang. However, he said it was a gang “centered out of San Luis Obispo that we’re quite familiar with.”
Deputies from the county’s gang task force have helped convict multiple members of the gang, who were sentenced to state prison, Parkinson said.
When asked whether the public should be concerned about the presence of a heavily armed white supremacist gang operating within the county, Parkinson said, “We don’t want any gang in San Luis Obispo, regardless of what their purpose is.”
“Just because he’s in a white supremacist gang doesn’t mean that they’re targeting necessarily minorities for their crimes,” Parkinson said. “They’re still a gang. They’re still making money conducting criminal behavior. I think any gang should be of concern to the public.”
Injured deputy identified
The sheriff also identified the deputy who was wounded in the shootout as Dep. Richard “Ted” Lehnhoff.
He underwent surgery for the gunshot wound to his leg and is in good spirits while recovering at a local hospital, Parkinson said.
Lehnhoff is assigned to the sheriff’s North County Station, a post he moved into in January. He began his career as a SLO County correctional deputy in 2008. After leaving for a job in Riverside, he returned in January 2015 as a patrol deputy.
Gun battle near cemetery wounded deputy
Thursday’s shootout began shortly after Lehnhoff recognized Straub’s vehicle parked on the side of Theatre Drive. The deputy made a U-turn and pulled up next to the vehicle, which was unoccupied.
Lehnhoff then drove north and found Straub walking on Cemetery Road off Theatre Drive near the Templeton Cemetery, Parkinson said. He said the deputy tried to make a pedestrian traffic stop, but Straub took off running toward the cemetery.
Straub hid behind a bush and when Lehnhoff and a second deputy approached the area, he “ambushed the deputy,” and shot multiple rounds, Parkinson said Thursday.
At least one of the bullets from that exchange hit Lehnhoff in the lower leg, Parkinson said Friday.
Lehnhoff and the other deputy returned fire, but Straub fled the cemetery into a nearby vineyard and tried to make a run toward his car. As he tried to open the car where the additional guns were located, more deputies arrived as they responded to calls that a deputy had been shot.
“The two additional deputies pulled up, engaged the suspect, who was still armed with a handgun, and engaged in a gun battle where the suspect was struck and pronounced dead at the scene,” Parkinson said.
According to scanner traffic, Straub was down by 10:40 a.m.
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 11:27 AM.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect that eight guns, not six, were found in the suspect’s vehicle.
