Minivan Chase Suspect Who Captivated The Nation By Making It To Mexico Arrested

The woman accused of leading police on a three-hour, 180-mile chase in a stolen minivan across Southern California has been arrested after briefly finding cover from the law in Mexico, according to authorities.

Alyssa Wilson, 29, is accused of stealing a minivan from the sober living home where she lives in Thousand Oaks on Monday before 11 a.m., ABC 7 reported.

The Toyota Sienna was reported stolen at around 10:34 a.m. About 20 minutes later, authorities spotted the vehicle and began chasing it on the Reagan (118) Freeway in Simi Valley, then onto the San Diego (405) Freeway in Los Angeles, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Law enforcement chased the vehicle at speeds in excess of 90 mph. The minivan swerved to avoid multiple spike strips and by noon the driver had sped into Orange County on the 5 Freeway.

Successfully avoiding more spike strips, the suspect continued down the 5 through Camp Pendleton and into San Diego County, where more spike strips were deployed.

The CHP Highway Patrol notified U.S. Customs and Border Protection just after 1 p.m. that the vehicle was nearing the border.

CHP units were called off from the pursuit on State Route 905 around 1:20 p.m. because of public safety concerns, a common practice for chases near the border to protect officers and motorists.

“We don’t want this car forcing its way through the entry, hurting other people,” CHP Sgt. Esteban Hernandez told the Los Angeles Times.

Shortly before 1:30 p.m., CHP officers were notified that the minivan had made its way through the San Ysidro crossing into Mexico, Hernandez said.

Wilson reentered the U.S. through the same crossing on Tuesday. She was taken into custody and the stolen vehicle was recovered, the CHP said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.