White supremacist killed in shootout with California agents

Christopher Michael Straub escaped and shot California officers before they fatally shot him on Thursday, September 24, 2020.

(CNN) -

A white supremacist was killed in a shootout with officers in Templeton, California, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office on Friday.

The shooting took place on Thursday morning when officers tried to stop the vehicle carrying Christopher Michael Straub, 38, near a cemetery.

Straub got out of his car and ran through the cemetery vineyards, according to the statement.

He then went into hiding and ambushed the officers, firing multiple rounds at them with a pistol.

Agent Richard "Ted" Lehnhoff, 34, was struck in the leg and flown to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery and is in stable condition, the statement said.

Straub continued to evade officers and attempted to return to his vehicle through the vineyard, but other officers arrived at the scene and intercepted him as he tried to regain access to his vehicle.

Later, Straub was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.

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  for the US, according to a preliminary assessment by the Department of Homeland Security

After the shooting, authorities found multiple weapons in Straub's vehicle, including four assault rifles, a bolt-action hunting rifle, a shotgun, and two pistols along with the pistol he used to fire at the officers, plus hundreds of rounds. of ammunition.

California officers found multiple weapons and ammunition in Christopher Straub's vehicle after he was killed in a shootout with officers.

Authorities searched Straub's residence, where they discovered that he was illegally manufacturing weapon parts.

"Straub was a wanted criminal and it is illegal for criminals to possess weapons," the sheriff's office said.

Authorities say Straub was a known member of a white supremacist gang and the Sheriff's Gang Task Force was conducting an investigation ahead of Thursday's shooting.

Straub "had a significant criminal history having been booked into California jails 28 times, including two incarcerations in a state prison," the sheriff's office said in the statement.

Templeton is about 183 miles miles west of Bakersfield.

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