Brief standoff with intoxicated Redding felon leads to man’s arrest

December 22, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say an intoxicated local man, a felon who was recently released from prison after serving his fifth prison term, was safely taken into custody after a brief standoff outside a Redding home Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 21.

Although members of Redding PD’s recently formed Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) responded to the scene to assist in calming the uncooperative and combative man, they were unsuccessful. As the suspect began getting more confrontational, officers fired a less-lethal round into his abdomen, which distracted him long enough to allow officers to move in and take him into custody, according to officials.

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City of Redding police officers were dispatched to a private residence in the 1400 block of Riverside Drive shortly before 4 p.m. after receiving the report of a subject drinking alcohol in the front yard of a home, Redding Police Corporal Wes Townsley later said of the incident and apprehension.

Responding officers were advised the man, later identified as Christopher Sage, 35, of Redding, was possibly in possession of a firearm.

35-year-old Christopher Sage was taken into custody after a brief standoff outside a Redding home yesterday afternoon. Redding PD photo

According to Townsley, when officers arrived and attempted to contact Sage, “he would not comply with officers’ lawful orders” and continued drinking whiskey from a bottle. He then began making statements that he wanted officers to shoot him, telling them he had recently been released from prison after serving his fifth prison term.

“Officers quickly recognized potential mental health issues displayed by Sage,” Townsley explained; adding that on-scene officials requested assistance from the department’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT).

After responding to the scene, CIRT officials began negotiating with Sage; however, after around twenty minutes of tense negotiations “it was clear Sage was not going to follow directions,” Townsley continued.

“After multiple warnings, officers fired a single less-lethal round into Sage’s abdomen which had little, to no effect,” the corporal explained; adding that the discharged less-lethal round “provided the distraction necessary for officers to close the gap between them and Sage.”

“After a brief struggle Sage was safely taken into custody,” the Corporal explained.

After his safe apprehension, Sage was booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of resisting arrest and trespassing.

CIRT members will later follow up with Sage once he has been released from custody, according to Townsley.

Anyone with further information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file 21R082999 can remain anonymous.

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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.