Beaumont Burglary Suspect Leads Police on Chase, Escapes

A man suspected of breaking into a woman's Beaumont house while she was inside Wednesday is sought by police after his escape following a freeway chase, police reported.

The home break-in was reported at 8:54 a.m. in the 11000 block of Sanders Street, near the Tournament Hills area of town off Cherry Valley Blvd., according to Beaumont Police Spokeswoman Darci Mulvihill.

"The victim heard someone enter her house after she did not answer the doorbell, at which time she locked herself in a room and called police," Mulvihill said in a news release.  "Realizing that there was someone in the house, the suspects fled."

According to Mulvihill, officers responded "within minutes" and started searching the area.  A short time later, an officer spotted a vehicle and man matching the woman's description in the area of Desert Lawn Drive, about two miles from the house.

"The vehicle failed to stop and led officers onto the eastbound I-10 and then the westbound SR-60 before exiting on Jack Rabbit Trail, at which point officers lost the vehicle," Mulvihill said.

The man— and possibly a female passenger— have not been seen since.    However, the gold Toyota Tacoma truck they were driving was located abandoned in an unincorporated area of Nuevo, with the help of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol, according to Mulvihill.  

The truck had been reported stolen out of Corona on Aug. 16, she added.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the on-duty Watch Commander of the Beaumont Police Department at (951) 769-8500. Information can also be sent to crimetips@beaumontpd.org or reported anonymously to WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME.