The man arrested following a standoff in Redwater on Christmas morning was considered a high risk to reoffend, parole documents show.

Patrick Young, 22, is accused of shooting at Edmonton police after being pulled over in a traffic stop and faces 31 charges.

Young was granted mandatory release after serving two-thirds of a two-year sentence for a violent robbery where he held a knife to a clerk's throat.

In his first parole review in April 2010 the parole board noted Young's drug problem and ordered him to stay away from drugs.

But Young was back in jail in November 2010 after failing a drug test.

He was back out three months later, but again tested positive for cocaine about one month later.

In his next parole review, the board concluded his risk to reoffend had elevated and his release could compromise public safety.

No officers were injured in the shootout on Dec. 23.

Young's SUV was found nearby a few hours later, but police did not find Young himself until he was spotted two days later in a motel in Redwater, about 50 kilometres north of Edmonton, Tuesday morning.

RCMP and Edmonton city police officers surrounded the motel, at one point blocking the highway access into town, before arresting Young.

With files from the CBC's Gareth Hampshire