Meet Shane Allen Ryan Lester, a man whose rap sheet is longer than the Buddy Holly Walk of Fame. Already a convicted felon, Lester somehow thought the best way to spend his parole was by allegedly breaking into a business in Knox County and swiping 20 assault rifles. Because nothing screams “turn my life around” like stockpiling weapons you can’t legally touch.
When deputies spotted him in Lubbock, Lester decided to make things interesting. Cue the high-speed chase: ten glorious minutes of “Fast & Furious: South Plains Drift” before he wrapped his truck around an unsuspecting SUV. Pro tip: the whole fleeing thing works better if you don’t crash your ride in front of half the police force.
After the crash, officers found one stolen rifle in plain sight and—oh, surprise!—a giant box in the backseat containing the other 19. Yes, Lester apparently transported his loot like a Sam’s Club order. Why bother with subtlety when you can just giftwrap your evidence for law enforcement?
Court records also remind us this wasn’t Lester’s first rodeo. Forgery, fraud, meth, stolen cars—you name it, he’s tried it. He was already on parole when this all went down, which really makes the whole “I’ll definitely do better this time, Judge” routine a tough sell. Now he’s got 15 years of federal time to reflect on whether his getaway plan should’ve included not slamming into traffic with a truck full of stolen rifles.
Honestly, with criminals this helpful, does Lubbock PD even need detectives anymore—or just better tow trucks?
