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A woman previously residing at a women’s sobriety home in California reportedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long police chase culminating with her crossing the border into Mexico on Monday.

Vehicle Theft Discovered 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 missing, along with her car key. Walters, who manages two female recovery residences, named the alleged thief as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, located approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“The keys were taken from my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up right when it was occurring,” she said, noting that the vehicle is used for the sobriety home’s tasks.

Dramatic Chase Unfolds Across Multiple Counties

Authorities tracked the van about 19 kilometers north in a nearby city, where they tried to pull the vehicle over, but Wilson refused to stop and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 145km/h on the State Route 118 until the chase proceeded into Los Angeles county. At that point, Ventura county authorities handed over the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver entered the 405 freeway heading south.

“This incident is very unique in the context of the traffic conditions enabling drivers to continue to remain on the highway and prolong this pursuit,” commented 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

The pursuit eventually reached the US-Mexico border by early afternoon, leading to the CHP to end its pursuit due to jurisdictional constraints.

The vehicle owner stated on the following day that the vehicle was located in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was coordinating with the CHP to retrieve it.

“Ultimately, I’m not concerned with the vehicle,” she said. “I’m relieved knowing she was not injured. The car is replaceable.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has run 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 is a psychological and addiction emergency,” Walters emphasized. “We need more support. We need greater resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“The recovery process isn’t always pretty,” she added.