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A woman formerly staying at a female recovery facility in the state of California allegedly stole a minivan and engaged in a hours-long police chase culminating with her crossing the international boundary into Mexico on the start of the week.

Auto Theft Reported from Sober Living Home

As stated in a police statement, a second woman, the owner of the vehicle, 45, notified authorities that her gray minivan from 2004 was stolen, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who operates two women’s sober living homes, 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 minivan is designated for the facility’s daily operations.

High-Speed Pursuit Unfolds Across Multiple Counties

Officials tracked the stolen vehicle about 12 miles to the north in a nearby city, where they tried to pull the vehicle over, but the suspect refused to stop and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 145km/h on the State Route 118 until the pursuit proceeded into Los Angeles county. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies handed over the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver entered the 405 freeway traveling southbound.

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

The suspect reportedly avoided all the tire-deflation devices deployed on the road by authorities, as documented in aerial videos.

International Getaway and Aftermath Developments

The chase eventually reached the international border by 1.30pm, leading to the CHP to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

Walters stated on Tuesday that the minivan was located in the Mexican city of Tijuana and that she was working with the authorities to retrieve it.

“At the end of the day, I’m not worried about the car,” she said. “I’m more at ease knowing she was not injured. The car is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

The sober living home owner, who has run the recovery residence since last October, acknowledges that the path to recovery from substance abuse and emotional distress is not always linear.

“This is a psychological and addiction crisis,” Walters emphasized. “There is a need for additional assistance. We need greater resources for those that are facing challenges.”

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