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A female individual previously residing at a women’s sobriety home in the state of California allegedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long police chase culminating with her crossing the international boundary into the nation of Mexico on the start of the week.

Auto Theft Discovered from Recovery Residence

As stated in a law enforcement statement, a second woman, Nicolle Walters, forty-five years old, notified authorities that her gray minivan from 2004 was missing, along with her vehicle key. The owner, who manages two female recovery residences, named the alleged thief as Alyssa Wilson at Diana’s House Sober Living, located approximately 60 minutes north-west of LA.

“The keys were taken out of my house manager’s purse. I happened to pull up right when it was occurring,” Walters stated, adding that the minivan is designated for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Develops Across Several Regions

Authorities located the van about 12 miles north in a nearby city, where they tried to pull the vehicle over, but the suspect did not comply and sped away. She reached speeds of about 145km/h on the 118 freeway until the pursuit continued into LA County. At that point, Ventura county authorities handed over the operation to the CHP once the driver entered the 405 freeway traveling southbound.

“This incident is very unique in the sense of the traffic conditions allowing drivers to persist on the highway and prolong this pursuit,” said a public information officer from the local law enforcement agency.

Wilson reportedly avoided all the spike strips deployed on the roadway by police, as seen in footage from above.

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath Developments

The pursuit finally arrived at the US-Mexico border by 1.30pm, prompting the CHP to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

The vehicle owner indicated on Tuesday that the minivan was situated 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 relieved knowing she wasn’t hurt. The minivan is replaceable.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has operated Diana’s House Sober Living since October 2024, acknowledges that the path to recovery from addiction and trauma is often non-linear.

“This is a mental health and substance abuse emergency,” Walters emphasized. “We need more support. We need greater resources for those that are struggling.”

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