The chase lasted 23 minutes and reached speeds of 100 mph.
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LUFKIN, Texas — A Texas woman who allegedly shoplifted merchandise from an Ulta slipped out of her handcuffs Saturday and led officers on a high speed chase.
Lufkin Police arrested Toscha Sponsler, 33, following a call for a suspected shoplifter at a Lufkin, Texas, Ulta. She was handcuffed behind her back and buckled in the back of a police unit to be taken to jail when she slipped out of one of the handcuffs and unbuckled her seatbelt.
Video released by police shows Sponsler climbing through the vehicle’s sliding partition window toward the driver’s seat. She started the vehicle and almost backed into officers behind her who were checking confiscated bags of suspected stolen merchandise.
Police drove after Sponsler for 23-minutes, at times reaching speeds of 100 mph. Multiple law enforcement agencies joined the chase.
Shortly after, troopers used a pursuit intervention technique maneuver to spin out the vehicle. Sponsler then left the road and crashed into a tree at 6: 03 p.m.
Law enforcement officials found Sponsler in possession of a felony amount of methamphetamine after she was arrested. She will also be charged with escape, evading on foot, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance and aggravated assault of a police officer.
The stolen police vehicle, a Tahoe, is likely totaled.
No one was hurt during the chase and police say that the incident will be further reviewed to make sure the best practices were met.
