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A woman formerly staying at a women’s sobriety home in the state of California allegedly stole a minivan and engaged in a prolonged law enforcement pursuit culminating with her traveling across the border into the nation of Mexico on the start of the week.

Auto Theft Discovered from Sober Living Home

According to a police statement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, 45, reported that her 2004 gray Toyota Sienna was missing, along with her car key. Walters, who operates two women’s sober living homes, identified 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 manager’s handbag. I happened to pull up right when it was happening,” Walters stated, adding that the vehicle is used for the sobriety home’s tasks.

Dramatic Chase Develops Across Several Regions

Officials located the stolen vehicle about 19 kilometers north in a nearby city, where they tried to pull the vehicle over, but the suspect refused to stop and sped away. She attained speeds of about 145km/h on the State Route 118 until the pursuit continued into Los Angeles county. At that juncture, Ventura county authorities transferred the pursuit to the California highway patrol once Wilson entered the Interstate 405 heading south.

“This incident is particularly unusual in the context of the road situation enabling drivers to persist on the freeway and prolong this chase,” said a public information officer from the Ventura county sheriff’s office.

Wilson allegedly avoided all the tire-deflation devices deployed on the road by police, as seen in aerial videos.

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath

The chase eventually reached the US-Mexico border by 1.30pm, leading to the CHP to terminate the chase due to legal limitations.

The vehicle owner stated on Tuesday that the vehicle was situated in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was working with the authorities to recover the vehicle.

“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 replaceable.”

Insight from the Facility Operator

The sober living home owner, who has operated Diana’s House Sober Living since October 2024, recognizes that the path to recovery from substance abuse and trauma is not always linear.

“This represents a mental health and addiction emergency,” Walters emphasized. “We need more support. We need more resources for those that are struggling.”

“The recovery process can be messy,” she added.