🔗 Share this article

A woman formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in California reportedly took a stolen van and engaged in a hours-long police chase ending with her crossing the border into Mexico on the start of the week.

Vehicle Theft Reported from Sober Living Home

As stated in a police statement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, notified authorities that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was stolen, along with her vehicle key. The owner, who manages two women’s sober living homes, named the suspect as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, located approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“My keys were taken out of my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up just as it was occurring,” she said, noting that the vehicle is used for the sobriety home’s tasks.

Dramatic Chase Unfolds Across Several Regions

Authorities located the van about 19 kilometers to the north in a nearby city, where they attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the suspect did not comply and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 90mph on the State Route 118 until the pursuit continued into LA County. At that juncture, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the CHP once the driver merged onto the Interstate 405 traveling southbound.

“This incident is very unique in the sense of the traffic conditions enabling individuals to persist on the highway and extend this chase,” said a public information officer from the local law enforcement agency.

Wilson reportedly avoided all the spike strips deployed on the road by authorities, as seen in footage from above.

International Getaway and Aftermath Developments

The pursuit finally arrived at the US-Mexico border by 1.30pm, leading to the CHP to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

The vehicle owner stated on Tuesday that the minivan was located in the Mexican city of Tijuana and that she was coordinating with the CHP to retrieve it.

“At the end of the day, I’m not concerned with the car,” Walters said. “I’m more at ease aware she wasn’t hurt. The car is replaceable.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has operated Diana’s House Sober Living since last October, acknowledges that the journey toward sobriety from substance abuse and emotional distress is not always linear.

“This represents a mental health and addiction crisis,” she said. “We need additional assistance. We need greater resources for those that are struggling.”

“The recovery process isn’t always pretty,” Walters concluded.