Woman arrested, suspected of leading police in 4 California counties on pursuit into Mexico, then returning to U.S.

A woman who had driven into Mexico after leading multiple law enforcement agencies on a pursuit from Ventura County through San Diego was arrested Tuesday as she tried to cross back into the U.S., California Highway Patrol investigators said.

Officials did not immediately provide the woman’s name. They said charges were pending against her as of Tuesday afternoon.

The incident began around 10:35 a.m. Monday after Ventura County sheriff’s deputies received a report of a woman driving a stolen Toyota Sienna in Thousand Oaks. When deputies tried to pull her over, she refused to stop the minivan, and a pursuit ensued onto the freeway.

CHP officers took over around 11:10 a.m. at the Sepulveda Pass as the chase continued down Interstate 405 before transiting onto south Interstate 5.

In the early afternoon, the CHP San Diego area took over the pursuit as it entered their jurisdiction of the freeway south of Villa De La Valle, CHP Officer Michael Wessendorf said. Spike strips were deployed, but the driver successfully avoided them.

The driver was heading toward the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Interstate 805 when law enforcement officers notified U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials that the pursuit was inbound. CHP called off their pursuit around 1:20 p.m. on southbound Interstate 805 at state Route 905.

The minivan continued into Mexico.

Almost 24 hours later, the suspect attempted to re-enter the United States in the minivan at the border crossing. She was detained by border officials and will be taken into custody by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Wessendorf said.

No other information was immediately available as of Tuesday afternoon.