Shooting Suspect Arrested In Danville For Parking Lot Gunfire

DANVILLE, CA – A 37-year-old Nevada man was arrested Wednesday night in the East Bay in connection with multiple shots being fired at an SUV Friday in a Palo Alto supermarket parking lot, authorities said.

Christian David Poppe, of Henderson, was apprehended in Danville after investigators identified him as the shooting suspect and obtained a warrant for his arrest, the Palo Alto Police Department said.

Poppe was stopped at 6:22 p.m. while driving a black 2013 Chevrolet Silverado pickup on the 500 block of San Ramon Valley Boulevard in Danville, police said, adding that assistance was rendered from the Walnut Creek and Danville police departments. Recovered from Poppe's vehicle was a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, which officers believe was used in the shooting, according to officials.

Palo Alto police were called Aug. 3 at about 9:15 p.m. to the Safeway at 2811 Middlefield Road in the Midtown neighborhood after multiple callers reported shots fired. Responding officers spotted a white Lexus SUV, with paper license plates and what appeared to be a shattered window, leaving the area. Despite a pursuit onto Highway 101, the motorist, who was "driving erratically," got away, the department said.

Investigators determined the Lexus driver had a confrontation with Poppe in the parking lot and sped off after the suspect fired multiple rounds into his vehicle, authorities said.

The victim has not been located or identified, and was described as a black male in his 20s or 30s and wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt at the time, police said.

"As the victim remains unknown, police do not know if the gunshots struck him," the agency said.

Surveillance images from inside the grocery store and released to the public aided with the identification of Poppe as the suspected shooter, who was believed to be in Contra Costa County, and an arrest warrant was issued Aug. 7, police said.

Police still hope to find and interview the Lexus driver to learn if he suffered any injuries and to hear more regarding the argument in the parking lot. "There is no indication at this point that the two men knew each other," police added.

Poppe was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on felony charges of suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon involving a firearm, negligent discharge of a firearm and discharging a firearm at an occupied vehicle, authorities said.

Anyone with information about this incident can call Palo Alto's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413, or anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org, sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984, or left anonymously through the free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

• ALSO SEE: Homicide: Injured, Bleeding Woman Found In Fairfield Parking Lot

--Images via Palo Alto PD