A 35-year-old woman from Monterey was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence, burglary, and other offenses. According to the Redwood City Police Department, the woman had been arrested four days earlier for another burglary and had recently been released on bail in a domestic violence-related case.
The latest incident began around 6 p.m. on Friday when the woman called to have her car towed to a car rental business but instead stole the tow truck. A Redwood City police officer later spotted the empty truck in a fast-food restaurant parking lot in San Carlos. Police attempted a high-risk traffic stop on the woman, but she repeatedly rammed into two patrol cars, pushing one vehicle through the parking lot before escaping. One officer was treated at a hospital for injuries suffered when the woman struck his car and was later released.
She then took off onto Highway 101, reaching speeds of up to 90 mph while California Highway Patrol and Menlo Park police officers joined the chase. Authorities said she next hit another vehicle before braking as a CHP vehicle caught up to her, damaging and disabling the patrol vehicle.
At some point, police discovered that the tow truck had a GPS tracker and followed her movements as she returned to Redwood City, parked the truck, and burglarized a house on Silver Hill Road. Prosecutors said the suspect had babysat at the house years before, and a nanny and children were inside when she broke in on Friday.
While she was away from the truck, authorities requested the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office to deploy spike strips and a drone, but she fled before they could attempt to stop her. Her last stop was at a gym near downtown Redwood City, where she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend, who works there. She was finally apprehended after officers deployed a police canine. The woman was treated for dog-bite related injuries to her hip and leg before being booked into Maguire Correctional Facility.
