Trucker’s Freeway Rampage Remains a Mystery : Driver of 18-Wheeler Pleads Guilty, Won’t Say Why He Rammed Cars Last May

Charley Tom Lee Jr., the Texas truck driver who terrorized Los Angeles freeway motorists from Temple City to Hollywood one May afternoon when he rammed almost a score of cars with his 18-wheel tractor-trailer, pleaded guilty Friday to five counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Judith C. Chirlin ordered Lee to undergo a 90-day psychiatric evaluation before sentencing.

Making Restitution

Lee could get a maximum of eight years in state prison, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Craig Veals. Lee, 25, has no prior criminal record, Veals said.

Veals said the insurance company for Lee’s employer, Lisa Motor Lines Inc., of Houston, is making restitution to the 18 motorists who testified that their vehicles were rammed from behind by Lee’s truck.

The rampage May 18 began about 3 p.m. on the San Bernardino Freeway in Temple City and continued until California Highway Patrol officers pulled Lee over at gunpoint on the Hollywood Freeway more than 35 miles later.

Traveling at more than 80 m.p.h., Lee rear-ended numerous cars, leaving a trail of leaking fuel, broken glass and twisted scraps of metal. Many of his victims, as well as witnesses, chased him. Lee’s truck was hauling ironing boards at the time.

Lee has offered no explanation for his behavior; neither have his lawyer, Laura Green, a Los Angeles deputy public defender, nor his family.

In exchange for Lee’s guilty plea, 11 other felony counts were dropped, including possession of a loaded handgun and a small amount of amphetamines.