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A female individual formerly staying at a female recovery facility in the state of California allegedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long police chase ending with her crossing the border into Mexico on the start of the week.

Vehicle Theft Reported from Recovery Residence

According to a law enforcement statement, a second woman, the owner of the vehicle, 45, notified authorities that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was stolen, along with her car key. The owner, who manages two female recovery residences, named the alleged thief as one of the residents at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, located approximately an hour’s drive of Los Angeles.

“The keys were stolen from my house manager’s purse. I arrived right when it was occurring,” Walters stated, adding that the minivan is designated for the facility’s daily operations.

Dramatic Chase Unfolds Across Several Regions

Authorities located the stolen vehicle about 12 miles to the north in Simi Valley, where they attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the suspect did not comply and sped away. She reached speeds of about 90mph on the 118 freeway until the chase continued into Los Angeles county. At that juncture, local sheriff’s deputies handed over the pursuit to the CHP once the driver merged onto the 405 freeway heading south.

“This incident is very unique in the sense of the road situation enabling individuals to persist on the highway and extend this pursuit,” said a spokesperson from the Ventura county sheriff’s office.

The suspect reportedly avoided all the spike strips tossed on the roadway by police, as documented in footage from above.

International Getaway and Aftermath

The chase eventually reached the US-Mexico border by 1.30pm, prompting the highway patrol to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

The vehicle owner indicated on the following day that the vehicle was situated in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was coordinating with the authorities to recover the vehicle.

“At the end of the day, I’m not concerned with the vehicle,” she remarked. “I’m more at ease knowing she wasn’t hurt. The car is easily substituted.”

Owner’s Perspective

Walters, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since October 2024, recognizes that the journey toward sobriety from addiction and trauma is not always linear.

“This represents a mental health and addiction emergency,” she said. “We need more support. We need more resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“Recovery isn’t always pretty,” she added.