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A female individual formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in California allegedly stole a minivan and engaged in a hours-long police chase culminating with her traveling across the border into the nation of Mexico on the start of the week.

Vehicle Theft Discovered from Recovery Residence

As stated in a police statement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, reported that her gray minivan from 2004 was missing, along with her car key. Walters, who operates two women’s sober living homes, named the alleged thief as one of the residents at Diana’s House Sober Living, located approximately an hour’s drive of Los Angeles.

“My keys were stolen from my house manager’s purse. I arrived right when it was occurring,” she said, noting that the minivan is designated for the sobriety home’s tasks.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Multiple Counties

Officials located the van about 19 kilometers north in a nearby city, where they attempted 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 continued into LA County. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies handed over the pursuit to the California highway patrol once the driver entered the 405 freeway heading south.

“This one is particularly unusual in the sense of the road situation enabling drivers to persist on the freeway and extend this pursuit,” commented a spokesperson from the Ventura county sheriff’s office.

The suspect allegedly dodged all the tire-deflation devices tossed on the road by police, as seen in footage from above.

International Getaway and Aftermath

The pursuit eventually reached the international border by early afternoon, leading to the highway patrol to terminate the chase due to legal limitations.

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

“Ultimately, I’m not worried about the vehicle,” Walters said. “I’m relieved knowing she was not injured. The minivan is replaceable.”

Insight from the Facility Operator

The sober living home owner, who has operated Diana’s House Sober Living since October 2024, acknowledges that the path to recovery from addiction and emotional distress is not always linear.

“This is a psychological and addiction crisis,” she said. “We need more support. It is essential to provide greater resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“The recovery process can be messy,” Walters concluded.