HEMET: Hit and run suspect arrested after bizarre pursuit

HEMET — A hit and run suspect led officers on a bizarre, twenty-minute long pursuit that ended about one mile from where the incident began, Sunday morning, Nov. 19.

During the early morning pursuit, the man who led officers on the slow-speed chase made about one dozen U-Turns on Florida Avenue, never driving much further than about one mile from the scene of the hit and run.

At times, the fleeing man was seen taunting pursuing officers and driving in circles around  officials’ patrol vehicles in the middle of Florida Avenue.

The incident began on E. Florida Avenue, west of N. State Street and ended when the man pulled into the parking lot of a 7-Eleven at the intersection of N. San Jacinto Street and E. Florida Avenue.

After the pursuit ended officers arrested Lee Andrew Abair, 58, of Hemet. He was later booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of hit and run, resisting/obstructing a peace officer, driving under the influence of drugs and recklessly evading police.

The incident began about 12:14 a.m., when Abair, who was driving a newer, silver Mercedes-Benz C230 sedan, attempted to pass a grey Dodge Charger and the two vehicles collided. After the collision, Abair fled the scene of the accident – driving eastbound on Florida Avenue.

Miguel Shannon, a community news reporter with Epicenter News, witnessed the collision and immediately called 911 to report the hit and run accident.

Shannon remained on the line with City of Hemet and California Highway Patrol emergency dispatchers while providing constant updates for officers responding to the incident.

At one point Abair seemed to realize Shannon was following his damaged vehicle and he immediately made a dangerous and illegal U-Turn in the middle of the block before running the first of numerous red stop lights in an effort escape.

Shannon continued following Abair at a safe distance and speed and continued providing updates for responding officers. According to Shannon, officials caught up with Adair about four minutes after the hit and run happened and they attempted to conduct a traffic enforcement stop on the fleeing vehicle.

Abair refused to yield to the officer’s flashing lights and sirens and continued driving, at which time officials initiated a vehicle pursuit.

During the slow-speed chase, Abair continued driving along Florida Avenue in an extremely reckless manner, swerving from lane to lane, running stop lights, making constant mid-block U-Turns and even driving in circles several times around patrol vehicles that were following him.

As the pursuit continued, citizens from open businesses along Florida Avenue came out to watch as the dangerous and unpredictable chase repeatedly passed by the same locations when Abair kept making U-Turns and changing his direction of travel on the busy, main thoroughfare that travels through the city.

Some witnesses cheered the fleeing man on, while others yelled obscenities at Abair and shouted for the him to stop.

One such witness, Jim Stevenson of San Jacinto, said he witnessed most of the pursuit after he heard the commotion and sirens that kept passing Chappies Bar, at the corner of Florida Avenue and N. Carmalita Street.

“What an absolute moron,” Stevenson said about Abair the morning after the incident and arrest. “People like that who drive while intoxicated don’t realize or even care that they (put everyone’s) lives at risk. They just don’t give a damn and should have their licenses permanently revoked.”

As the pursuit continued, Riverside County Sheriff’s aviation unit assisted from above, continuously circling over Florida Avenue and providing ground officers with updates as Abair repeatedly drove up and down the busy highway.

Officers eventually used spike strips to successfully flatten three of the sedan’s four tires.

The pursuit ended a short time later when Abair pulled into the 7-11 parking lot and stopped between several gas pumps at the location.

Officers that had been pursuing Abair stacked up behind and around the Mercedes-Benz and conducted a felony traffic stop.

Even with numerous officers behind him with their weapons drawn, Abair refused to obey orders for him to exit his vehicle and remained uncooperative, sitting inside his car while smoking a cigarette.

After several tense minutes, an officer armed with a “less-lethal” pepperball launcher fired about one dozen pepperball rounds through Abair’s open windows, causing the Mercedes-Benz to quickly fill with clouds of choking smoke from the impacts of the pepperballs.

After the irritating pepper-powder filled Abair’s sedan, he eventually tossed his cigarette out the window against one of the gas pumps and exited his vehicle.

When he got out of his vehicle, Abair was barefoot and shoe-less and wearing what appeared to be pajamas. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Officers determined Abair was under the influence of drugs and subsequently arrested him for DUI and other charges.

There were no injuries reported related to the hit and run collision or vehicle pursuit.

An online jail records search revealed Abair remains in custody and is being held on $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned at an unspecified court Nov. 22.

Hemet PD is investigating the incident and their investigation is active and ongoing.

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Miguel Shannon/Epicenter News video

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

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.

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.