Off-duty CHP officer pulls gun on transient after being threatened, police say

Sgt. Brian Barner said the CHP officer, who was identified as Simon Hamann, was threatened around 2:25 p.m., by the transient, who "came at him."

Hamann, who pulled his gun and identified himself as a law enforcement officer, attempted to detain the transient at gunpoint near the trailhead parking lot off Court Street until police arrived.

But, he said, the transient, Theodore Morris, 28, declined to cooperate and walked away.

Hamann, who had called Redding police on his cell phone, followed Morris as he walked southbound on Court Street until police arrived moments later, Barner said.

Barner said Morris, who was placed in the back of a patrol car, was taken to Shasta Regional Medical Center for a mental health evaluation, adding that he is well known to police.

“We get calls on him all the time,” Barner said.

Hamann was later interviewed by members of a CHP Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team at the Sacramento River Trail.

He declined to discuss the incident after speaking with the investigation team.

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