🔗 Share this article

A woman previously residing at a women’s sobriety home in California reportedly stole a minivan and led a prolonged law enforcement pursuit culminating with her crossing the border into Mexico on Monday.

Auto Theft Discovered from Recovery Residence

According to a law enforcement announcement, a another female, Nicolle Walters, 45, notified authorities that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was missing, along with her car key. Walters, who operates two women’s sober living homes, named the alleged thief as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, situated approximately 60 minutes north-west of Los Angeles.

“The keys were stolen out of my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up just as it was happening,” Walters stated, noting that the vehicle is used for the facility’s daily operations.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Multiple Counties

Officials tracked 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 118 freeway until the pursuit proceeded into LA County. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies handed over the operation to the CHP once the driver merged onto the 405 freeway heading south.

“This one is particularly unusual in the sense of the road situation allowing individuals to continue to remain on the freeway and extend this chase,” commented a spokesperson from the local law enforcement agency.

Wilson reportedly dodged all the tire-deflation devices tossed on the road by police, as documented in aerial videos.

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath Developments

The pursuit eventually reached the US-Mexico border by early afternoon, prompting the highway patrol to end its pursuit due to legal limitations.

Walters stated on Tuesday that the vehicle was situated in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was coordinating with the CHP to recover the vehicle.

“At the end of the day, I’m not concerned with the car,” she remarked. “I’m relieved knowing she wasn’t hurt. The car is replaceable.”

Owner’s Perspective

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

“This is a mental health and addiction emergency,” Walters emphasized. “We need additional assistance. We need more resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“Recovery can be messy,” she added.