Hillsdale Shoplifter Leads Officers On Chase With Kids In Car: Police

SAN MATEO, CA — A shoplifting suspect assaulted loss prevention workers at the Hillsdale Shopping Center and led police on a pursuit before being caught in another town, according to San Mateo police.

In a news release Tuesday, police said loss prevention agents working for Macy's notified officers that a shoplifter had taken items from multiple stores before assaulting an agent and fleeing in a vehicle with two minors inside around 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Officers working an unrelated call spotted a vehicle matching the description leaving the mall and attempted a traffic stop. Police said the driver failed to yield and led officers on a chase, driving recklessly, running stop signs and traffic lights, and causing a crash while driving on the wrong side of the road.

Citing a "blatant disregard for public safety," police stopped chasing the vehicle within a couple of minutes, transmitting a "be on the lookout" message to neighboring law enforcement agencies and the California Highway Patrol.

Officers continued their investigation in San Mateo and determined the woman tried to steal cosmetics and clothes by concealing them in a stroller. Police said the woman returned the items when initially confronted by loss prevention, then kicked an agent, attempted to bite another, and escaped before police arrived.

A few minutes after 6 p.m., an officer with the Colma Police Department saw the vehicle and followed it, eventually pulling over the driver near the Geneva and San Jose intersection in San Francisco. Police said the officer learned the passengers were a 15-year-old relative and the suspect's infant.

San Mateo officers responded to the location and took over the investigation. The woman was booked into jail on suspicion of robbery, evading a peace officer and child endangerment. Police identified the suspect Tuesday as Estrella Paniagua, 24, of Daly City.