3 officers, suspect injured after violent incident at Redding recovery center

REDDING, Calif. — Three Redding police officers and a suspect were injured during a violent encounter that happened at Empire Recovery Center, Saturday afternoon, Aug. 29.

Officers had responded to the recovery center on the 1200 block of California St. after receiving reports of a trespassing and disturbance at the location, according to authorities.

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Officers responded to the scene shortly after 1 p.m., after receiving reports that a man “who was unknown to the clients and employees of the recovery center … was in the back parking lot of the recovery center destroying property, attempting to force entry into the back door and challenging clients to a fight,” Redding Police Corporal Rob Garnero later said of the violent encounter and arrest.

When officers arrived they contacted Steven Robinson, 39, of Crescent City, within the parking lot and attempted to deescalate the situation and gain his compliance, according to Garnero. 

Officers from around Redding converged on Empire Recovery Center after a man began fighting with officials investigating reports of a person under the influence of drugs who was trespassing and causing a disturbance at the location. Redding PD photo

“Robinson, who was agitated and appeared to be under the influence of drugs, refused to listen to officers and became violently combative when they attempted to arrest him,” described Garnero. 

As the situation escalated and Robinson began fighting, officers at the scene put out an emergency call for assistance, which brought officials flooding into the area from around the city.

“Officers struggled with Robinson for nearly five minutes,” Garnero continued; saying, “He struck officers, attempted to apply a choke hold on an officer, tried to gain control of officer’s defensive weapons and reached for an officer’s duty firearm.”

After several minutes of fighting with Robinson, officers were able to overcome and subdue the violent man and took him into custody.

“As a result of the incident, three officers sustained minor injuries which did not require hospitalization,” according to Garnero.

During their subsequent investigation, officers learned that Robinson trespassed onto the recovery center’s property and destroyed the “No Trespassing” sign, attempted to force his way through the back door, assaulted one of the clients and challenged numerous other citizens to fight.

Three Redding police officers sustained minor injuries while apprehending Steven Robinson, who was trespassing and causing a violent disturbance at Empire Recovery Center yesterday afternoon. Redding PD photo

Robinson sustained minor injuries during the encounter and was medically cleared at a local hospital before being booked at Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of resisting arrest with the use of force or violence, battery on peace officers, battery on a citizen and trespassing.

Anyone with any information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200. Callers can remain anonymous.


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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.