On February 21, 2020, at approximately 12:57 a.m., Officers from the Redding Police Department were dispatched to a reported burglary in progress at the Clear Creek Suites, located at 7036 Westside Road. The reporting party witnessed the suspect break out a window and crawl through it and enter the closed business. Several minutes later they reported seeing the suspect covered in blood and using his fists to try and punch through another window inside the business.
As officers arrived, the suspect crawled out through the broken window and confronted police in the parking lot. The male was shirtless, covered in blood and appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. The suspect was later identified as Christopher Lee Reed, 38 years of Anderson.
Reed did not speak to officers or obey any commands. Officers deployed a Taser, which was ineffective. Officers also utilized a less lethal bean bag shotgun in a ongoing attempt to arrest Reed. The less lethal shotgun had little affect on Reed. He then started to walk towards the Clear Creek Market where three employees were inside working. K-9 Hank was deployed and assisted in finally subduing Reed and taking him into custody.
Officers discovered that Reed had multiple lacerations caused by crawling through the window he broke. Reed was subsequently transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he was admitted due to his injuries.
Christopher Lee Reed is well known to local law enforcement and is on probation in Shasta County for possession of a concealed weapon. Since March of 2019, Reed has been arrested 18 times, including 16 bookings at the Shasta County Jail. Reed was last arrested on February 10, 2020, for being under the influence of a controlled substance and trying to break out a window at the Child Family Services building on California Street. He was released later that day.
Chronic offenders, like Christopher Lee Reed, continue to place a strain on the capacity limits of the Shasta County Jail and drain the resources of local law enforcement agencies. The most recent case involving Reed will be forwarded to the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office for a review of the charge of burglary, resisting arrest and a violation of probation.
