A female prisoner who drove off in a California Highway Patrol vehicle in Mission Bay while handcuffed pleaded guilty Jan. 6 to theft of an emergency services vehicle.
Casaundra Rose Lane, 27, also pleaded guilty to felony evasion of police with reckless driving during the Nov. 6 incident, which ended after she collided with three cars at Friars Road and Qualcomm Way in Mission Valley.
Lane also pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon—the CHP vehicle she drove off in. She slipped her handcuffed hands in front of her and slid from the back into the front seat. The seats did not have bars between them.
Lane agreed to accept a prison sentence of four years and eight months, said Deputy District Attorney Michael Runyon. Sentencing was set for Feb. 24 before San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert O’Neill.
“It’s really a bad idea to steal a patrol vehicle,” said Runyon to reporters afterwards. “Theft of a police car is certainly unusual.”
The theft drew a heavy law enforcement presence, as there was a rifle inside the car.
Although Lane was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, that count was dismissed Jan.. 6. Runyon said Lane didn’t gain access to the rifle.
The incident started after Lane was arrested for auto theft when a CHP officer found that a stolen vehicle had collided with street signs in Mission Bay. Lane was placed in the back seat of the vehicle, and after the officer stepped away, she drove off. The officer fired shots as she drove off. Runyon said Lane drove more than 70 miles an hour, while still handcuffed, on Interstate 5 to state Route 163 and to Interstate 8 until she struck three vehicles in Mission Valley. The car was disabled, and Lane was arrested. One man in a car Lane struck was injured.
Lane remains in the Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility on $255,000 bail. She has a previous conviction for felony possession of heroin. – Neal Putnam