Man who claimed to have stabbed roommate leads to Redding SWAT standoff

November 12, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

REDDING, Calif., — An allegedly intoxicated man who called 911 to report that he had stabbed his roommate and was seen threatening to stab other citizens led to a SWAT standoff in Redding early Thursday morning, Nov. 11. He was later arrested for public intoxication, misuse of the 911 system and filing the false report of an emergency after surrendering to officers outside his residence.

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At around 5:40 a.m., SHASCOM began to get several 911 calls from citizens reporting that a man was intentionally stepping in front of vehicles on Shasta View Drive while attempting to stop motorists, Redding Police Sergeant Gary Meadows later said of the man’s arrest.

911 callers also said the man, since identified as Christopher Tavarez, 31, of Redding, was saying he was going to stab somebody.

Christopher Tavarez was arrested following a SWAT standoff at his Redding residence after calling 911 and claiming he was armed and had just stabbed his roommate. Redding Police Department photo

Soon thereafter, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call Tavarez himself, who told dispatchers he was armed with a knife and firearm and he had stabbed his roommate.

“Tavarez continued to make statements he would actively evade law enforcement if contacted,” explained Meadows.

Due to Tavarez claiming to be armed with a firearm and his claims that he had just stabbed his roommate, Redding PD deployed a tactical armored rescue vehicle to the area and requested California Highway Patrol Northern Air Operations respond to the scene to assist with a helicopter.

When officers arrived in the area they found Tavarez inside his residence; at which time officials at the scene and SHASCOM dispatchers began negotiating with Tavarez over the phone and via the rescue vehicles on board PA system.

Although Tavarez was initially non-compliant and refused officers’ orders to exit his residence he ultimately came out of his home and was taken into custody without further incident.

A City of Redding police officer is seen using a PA system in the department’s armored tactical rescue vehicle while investigating the false report of a stabbing. Redding Police Department photos

“Nobody was injured during this encounter and the statements Tavarez made that he had already stabbed somebody were unsubstantiated,” said Meadows.

Tavarez was later booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of making false reports of an emergency, misuse of 911, and public intoxication.

Online jail records show Tavarez was released on his own recognizance a few hours after his arrest and Meadows said a report will be filed with the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, 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.