A Simi Valley woman who allegedly drove a minivan across four counties Monday, leading law enforcement on an hours-long chase before finally driving into Mexico, was arrested Tuesday, officials said.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman in a statement as 29-year-old Alyssa Wilson. A department spokesperson said that investigators were sent to San Diego to take custody of Wilson on Tuesday.
Wilson is accused of leading a freeway police pursuit that is unique in the annals of L.A. car chase lore — especially one being broadcast live.
In past pursuits, a few of those on the lam have escaped into parking lots and abandoned their cars. In one case this year, a carjacking suspect managed to flee with help from an accomplice. But this driver’s escape tactic of choice, driving from Ventura County to Mexico with police on her tail, was a new one for the books.
The woman behind the wheel of a stolen gray 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan drove 173 miles across Southern California, speeding across freeways and evading the California Highway Patrol until making it across the border into Mexico.
The great escape began at a sober living home in the 1900 block of East Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks, where Wilson was a resident. The owner of the Toyota minivan notified police that it had been taken and that her ignition keys were missing from her personal belongings, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Authorities did not say whether the owner of the minivan also lived at the home.
“Deputies from both the Thousand Oaks and Moorpark police stations were able to track the vehicle to the intersection of Cochran Street and First Street in Simi Valley,” the statement read. “Deputies attempted to initiate a traffic enforcement stop, but the vehicle immediately fled eastbound toward Erringer Road. The suspect then entered the 118 Freeway eastbound from Erringer Road, reaching speeds of up to 90 miles per hour.”
Attempts to stop the vehicle using spike strips failed as the minivan continued to speed south through Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties as police pursued for more than two hours.
The CHP took over the pursuit shortly before 11 a.m. after receiving reports of a stolen vehicle from the Sheriff’s Office, CHP Sgt. Dan Keen said.
No other occupants were in the van, authorities said.
The minivan continued making its way south on the 405 Freeway, reaching speeds of up to 80 mph. At one point broadcast live on local news, a CHP officer threw a spike strip into the minivan’s path. The minivan swerved to avoid it and the chase continued. A second spike strip attempt also failed.
Before noon, the minivan made its way into Orange County and onto the 5 Freeway in Mission Viejo. Sgt. Esteban Hernandez of the CHP said units notified U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the San Ysidro Port of Entry about the chase at 1:08 p.m., informing them the vehicle was nearing the border.
By 1:19 p.m., Hernandez said, CHP units were canceled during the pursuit on State Route 905 because of public safety concerns, a common occurrence in pursuits near the border to protect officers and drivers.
“We don’t want this car forcing its way through the entry, hurting other people,” Hernandez said.
By 1:24 p.m., CHP officers were notified that the minivan had made its way into Mexico, Hernandez said.
But on Tuesday, shortly after 1 p.m., Wilson was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers when she attempted to reenter the country through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, according to a CHP statement. Shortly thereafter, CHP officers took Wilson into custody.
Officials at Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment.
