Dispute over parking spot at Enterprise Park leads to large police response, arrest

REDDING, Calif. — A dispute that reportedly escalated over a parking spot at Redding’s Enterprise Park led to the arrest of a man who allegedly brandished what appeared to be a firearm while threatening to shoot several people yesterday morning, Tuesday, June 8th. According to area residents who often visit the park, the alleged suspect is known to sit inside his vehicle at the location and is known to be confrontational and often causes problems with other park visitors.

Officers who responded to yesterday’s 911 call with an armored tactical rescue vehicle and helicopter eventually learned the suspect had been in possession of a realistic looking replica firearm while threatening the victims and arrested the man.

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City of Redding police officers responded to Enterprise Park off Victor Avenue around 6:35 a.m. after receiving reports of a man who had brandished a firearm at two victims and threatened to shoot them, Redding Police Sergeant Gary Meadows later said of the incident and arrest.

SCNS has since learned that the man had been inside a blue Dodge Ram pickup truck when an argument escalated over a parking spot at the park.

71-year-old Charles Rodgers was arrested yesterday morning after allegedly brandishing a replica firearm at two people who reportedly parked in a spot where he is known to sit inside his truck daily. Redding Police Department photo

“Due to the possibility of an armed confrontation, officers responded with the Department’s armored rescue vehicle,” Meadows explained. “Officers also utilized a helicopter for air support, provided by CHP – Northern Division Air Operations.”

Responding officers quickly located the Dodge and its occupant, since identified as Charles Rodgers, 71, of Redding. After approaching Rodgers’ truck with the armored rescue vehicle and ordering him to surrender, the man was taken into custody without incident.

During a subsequent search, officers located a “replica, revolver-style handgun” inside Rodgers truck and arrested him, Meadows explained. He was later booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of brandishing a replica firearm in a threatening manner.

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An anonymous witness later said Rodgers is a regular visitor to the park and that he normally sits inside his truck near the park’s bathrooms.

“He is mentally ill and often causes problems, yelling and cussing at anyone who annoys him,” the woman explained.

“Someone parked in the spot he usually does and that started a confrontation,” she continued; adding that Rodgers told the other driver to move or he would shoot them.

“They ignored him and he pulled a gun out,” the witness described.

Online jail records indicate Rodgers remains in custody in lieu of $1,000 bail or bond.

Anyone with further information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 21R038047 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.