🔗 Share this article

A female individual previously residing at a female recovery facility in California allegedly stole a minivan and led a hours-long law enforcement pursuit ending with her crossing the international boundary into Mexico on Monday.

Auto Theft Reported from Recovery Residence

According to a law enforcement announcement, a another female, the owner of the vehicle, forty-five years old, notified authorities that her gray minivan from 2004 was stolen, along with her car key. The owner, who operates two women’s sober living homes, named the alleged thief as Alyssa Wilson at a recovery facility in Thousand Oaks, situated approximately an hour’s drive of LA.

“My keys were taken out of my manager’s handbag. I happened to pull up just as it was occurring,” Walters stated, noting that the vehicle is designated for the facility’s daily operations.

High-Speed Pursuit Develops Across Multiple Counties

Authorities located the stolen vehicle about 12 miles north in a nearby city, where they attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspect refused to stop and sped away. She reached speeds of about 90mph on the State Route 118 until the pursuit proceeded into Los Angeles county. At that juncture, Ventura county authorities handed over the operation to the California highway patrol once the driver entered the Interstate 405 heading south.

“This incident is very unique in the sense of the traffic conditions allowing drivers to continue to remain on the freeway and extend 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 roadway by police, as seen in footage from above.

Cross-Border Escape and Aftermath

The pursuit eventually reached the US-Mexico border by early afternoon, leading to the highway patrol to terminate the chase due to jurisdictional constraints.

Walters stated on Tuesday that the minivan was situated in Tijuana, Mexico and that she was working with the authorities to retrieve it.

“At the end of the day, I’m not concerned with the vehicle,” she remarked. “I’m relieved aware she was not injured. The minivan 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 is a mental health and addiction crisis,” she said. “We need additional assistance. It is essential to provide greater resources for those that are facing challenges.”

“Recovery can be messy,” Walters concluded.