Beaumont Man Suspected Of Child Abduction Leads Chase, Crashes

BEAUMONT, CA — A man suspected of being a drug user and having "declining mental health" was apprehended by Beaumont police after he allegedly abducted his three young children and crashed with them in a vehicle.

Around 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, the Beaumont Police Department received a call about a possible child abduction from a business in the 1200 block of E. 6th Street.

It was later determined that Ledrew Lee, 26, of Beaumont was staying at a local motel with a family member when he became distraught and left in his gray-colored Toyota Camry with his three young children.

"The family was concerned for the welfare of the children due to Lee’s declining mental health and drug use," according to the Beaumont Police Department.

A Beaumont police officer spotted the Camry and tried to pull Lee over, but he sped off westbound on 6th Street, ran a red light at Beaumont Avenue, and crashed with two other vehicles.

The chase ended with the crash, but Lee refused to get out of the wrecked car, so officers pulled him out, according to police.

The children were in the backseat of the crashed Camry and were transported to an area hospital "for observation," police said.

Lee was hospitalized with injuries.

The driver of one of the other crash vehicles was hospitalized with minor injuries, police said.

Lee is pending charges for three counts of willful cruelty to a child and evading a police officer, according to police. As of Friday morning, jail records show he had not been booked into a detention facility.

Lee is a suspect in a separate Banning Police Department case involving a neighbor dispute that ended in gunfire, according to Beaumont police. That case is still under investigation.