“You chose the wrong place,” mom says after armed families confront machete-wielding woman

REDDING, Calif. — Authorities say a drug-influenced woman who was wielding a machete and had a loaded firearm in her waistband was arrested after family and friends attending a birthday party at a Redding park – including some who were legally armed with their own handguns – confronted and held the woman until police officers arrived late Saturday afternoon, May 15.

“You chose the wrong place for that bull crap,” one woman was reportedly heard yelling to the woman as she was being arrested at the scene of Saturday’s incident, which happened at Enterprise Park, located at 4000 Victor Avenue.

The early evening arrest was the second involving an armed and erratic behaving person in Redding the same day. The other incident that occurred earlier in the morning involved an Oregon man who called 911 and reported that he was being chased by unknown individuals and that he was armed with a loaded handgun. Fearing the man would possibly confront citizens “while in his unpredictable state”, quick-thinking dispatchers were able to calmly coax the delusional man into driving to the Redding Police Station where officers could contact him in a more controlled and safe setting, away from citizens.

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City of Redding police officers were dispatched to the park around 5:50 p.m. after receiving multiple reports of a woman who was swinging a machete “dangerously close to a bounce house filled with children”, Redding Police Sergeant Sheldon later said of the incident and arrest.

Responding officers learned that a group of a family and friends were attending a children’s birthday party at the park when they became concerned over the woman’s bizarre and unusual behavior.

Official radio traffic at the time indicated that several of the parents, who were legal, CCW permit holders and were armed with firearms according to officials, had told emergency dispatchers they were prepared to “handle the situation” themselves and “intended to use their firearms” if the woman’s erratic behavior escalated or if she came any closer to or directly threatened the children attending the birthday celebration.

When officers arrived they found 32-year-old Jamie Lynn Richardson standing next to her machete while being verbally confronted by several of the armed parents.

Officers handcuffed the woman at which time they discovered that in addition to the machete she was seen swinging, she was also armed with a loaded .380 semi-automatic handgun concealed in her waistband.

Additionally, officers determined Richardson was under the influence of methamphetamine, “which explained her unusual behavior,” said Sheldon.

Officers arrested Richardson and she was later booked into Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of public intoxication and illegal possession of a concealed firearm.

Online jail records indicate Richardson had already been released as of this report and was no longer in custody.

Area residents later largely praised the CCW permit carriers who were armed for their own protection, including Holli Mathews, who said, “Thank goodness for someone carrying with a CCW to protect those kids and others.”

“(This is) exactly why everyone should be educated in carrying legally,” Mathews continued.

“Good job CCW holders! She not only had a machete but a concealed .380 and (was) on meth,” Andrew McCarville said, while opining, “None of the CCW holders did anything wrong, either.”

After hearing of Richardson’s swift release from custody, area resident Shilo Robertson told SCNS, “This is exactly why we – the good and law abiding citizens of Shasta County – need to obtain our CCW permits, become proficient in firearms safety and use, and always carry.”

“The police can not be everywhere (at) all times and if the jails and courts can’t, or won’t, hold these criminals accountable for their illegal behavior it is up to us to protect ourselves,” Robertson continued.

Saturday’s two incidents come on the heels of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office announcement that the Department had streamlined the County’s process of requesting and obtaining CCWs for legal carry use. More information about that announcement and the streamlined, online application process can be found here.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident and arrest is encouraged to contact Redding PD at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 21R032411 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

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 30 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.