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A female individual previously residing at a women’s sobriety home in the state of California allegedly took a stolen van and engaged in a prolonged law enforcement pursuit ending with her traveling across the border into the nation of Mexico on Monday.

Auto Theft Discovered from Sober Living Home

According to a police announcement, a second woman, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, reported that her gray minivan from 2004 was stolen, along with her vehicle key. Walters, who manages two female recovery residences, identified the suspect as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, situated approximately an hour’s drive of Los Angeles.

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

High-Speed Pursuit Unfolds Across Several Regions

Authorities tracked the stolen vehicle about 19 kilometers north in a nearby city, where they attempted to pull the vehicle over, but Wilson refused to stop and accelerated rapidly. She attained speeds of about 145km/h on the State Route 118 until the chase proceeded into Los Angeles county. At that point, local sheriff’s deputies transferred the pursuit to the CHP once the driver merged onto the Interstate 405 traveling southbound.

“This one is very unique in the context of the road situation allowing drivers to persist on the freeway and extend this chase,” said a public information officer from the Ventura county sheriff’s office.

Wilson allegedly avoided all the spike strips tossed on the road by police, as seen in aerial videos.

International Getaway and Aftermath

The pursuit finally arrived at the international border by early afternoon, prompting the highway patrol to end its pursuit due to legal limitations.

The vehicle owner stated on Tuesday that the minivan was located in the Mexican city of Tijuana and that she was working with the CHP to retrieve it.

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

Insight from the Facility Operator

The sober living home owner, who has run Diana’s House Sober Living since October 2024, acknowledges that the journey toward sobriety from addiction and trauma is not always linear.

“This is a mental health and substance abuse emergency,” she said. “There is a need for more support. It is essential to provide more resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“Recovery can be messy,” Walters concluded.