A 25-year-old man accused of firing a rifle at a Banning home occupied by a couple and their infant child, then later leading police on a chase that ended with a crash that injured his own children, pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony and misdemeanor charges.
Ledrew Mac Lee of Banning is charged with shooting at an occupied dwelling, possession of an assault weapon and carrying a loaded firearm in public without a permit.
He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Oct. 14 at the Banning Justice Center.
The defendant is free on a $50,000 bond.
Police allege that in the early morning hours of April 14, Lee drove to the 5000 block of West Ramsey Street, just north of Interstate 10, and opened fire on a single-story residence using an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, then fled.
The three occupants, who were not publicly identified, were not hit, according to investigators, who did not disclose a possible motive for the attack and whether the couple and their baby were the intended targets.
Police identified Lee as the alleged perpetrator soon afterward. On April 26, patrol officers attempted to stop him as he drove through the city, but the defendant allegedly floored his vehicle, culminating in a brief pursuit that ended with him crashing his vehicle into roadside objects, police said.
His three children were in the car and suffered unspecified non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.
The AR-15 was seized from the vehicle, and the defendant was taken into custody without further incident, police said.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.