A Beaumont man faces a $1.3 million bond after allegedly kidnapping and holding a woman hostage at gunpoint, prompting a standoff with law enforcement.
SOUR LAKE, Texas — A Beaumont man’s bond has been set after kidnapping an holding a woman hostage Friday morning.
Bradley Hutson, 26, of Beaumont, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon ( $500,000 bond) and aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon ($800,000 bond), authorities say additional charges in Hardin County are still possible. The total bond is set at $1,300,000.
Officers were dispatched around 7:31 a.m. Friday to a home in the 6200 block of Gracemount Lane in reference to a reported shooting, according to the Beaumont Police Department. Investigators later reviewed surveillance video showing a maroon Dodge Charger pull into the driveway, where a man, identified as Hutson, armed with an AR-15–style rifle exited the vehicle and approached the victim.
According to an affidavit provided by Jefferson County Magistrate Judge Marc DeRouen, the video shows a brief struggle between Hutson and the victim before he fired a round in her direction. The footage was partially obstructed by parked vehicles, and investigators could not immediately confirm whether the woman was hit at that moment. The video then shows Hutson forcing her into the front passenger seat of the Charger before fleeing the scene.
Police said Beaumont officers began searching for the suspect and victim, using license plate reader technology to track the vehicle.
“They began checking the FLOCK system for any license plate reads for the vehicle. Hardin County was instrumental in helping with that,” Wiltz said.
The maroon Dodge Charger, Hutson, and the victim were later located in a remote area of Hardin County in the 36000 block of Old Sour Lake Road. Hardin County deputies and Sour Lake police followed the vehicle until it came to a stop, according to Hardin County Sheriff Mark Davis.
“They followed them, I wouldn’t say pursuit, but they were with them, and finally reached a stopping point here on Old Sour Lake Road,” Davis said. “That turned into pretty much a standoff, a barricaded person.”
According to the affidavit, when officers arrived, Hutson was outside the vehicle, positioned next to the open passenger door while holding the rifle. Authorities said his positioning prevented the victim from exiting the vehicle as hostage negotiators spoke with him.
Beaumont SWAT and Hardin County SWAT teams, along with negotiators, responded to the scene. After a prolonged standoff involving the Hardin County Sheriff’s Department, Beaumont SWAT, the Lumberton Police Department and the Sour Lake Police Department, Hutson surrendered without incident and was taken into custody Friday afternoon, authorities said.
Hutson was booked into the Jefferson County Correctional Facility, where an emergency protective order was completed, court records state.