🔗 Share this article

A woman formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in California reportedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long police chase culminating with her traveling across the border into Mexico on the start of the week.

Vehicle Theft Reported from Recovery Residence

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 missing, along with her vehicle key. The owner, who operates two women’s sober living homes, identified the alleged thief as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, located approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“My keys were stolen from my manager’s handbag. I happened to pull up right when it was happening,” she said, noting that the vehicle is used for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Develops Across Multiple Counties

Authorities located the stolen vehicle about 19 kilometers to the north in Simi Valley, where they attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Wilson did not comply and sped away. She attained speeds of about 145km/h on the 118 freeway until the chase continued into LA County. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies handed over the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver merged onto the 405 freeway traveling southbound.

“This one is particularly unusual in the sense of the traffic conditions allowing drivers to continue to remain on the freeway and extend this pursuit,” commented a public information officer from the local law enforcement agency.

Wilson reportedly dodged all the tire-deflation devices deployed on the roadway by authorities, as documented in footage from above.

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath Developments

The chase finally arrived at the US-Mexico border by early afternoon, prompting the CHP to end its pursuit due to legal limitations.

Walters stated on the following day that the minivan was located in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was coordinating with the CHP to recover the vehicle.

“At the end of the day, I’m not worried about the vehicle,” she said. “I’m more at ease aware she wasn’t hurt. The car is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

The sober living home owner, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since last October, recognizes that the path to recovery from addiction and trauma is often non-linear.

“This is a psychological and addiction crisis,” she said. “There is a need for more support. We need greater resources for those that are struggling.”

“Recovery can be messy,” Walters concluded.