A 33-year-old Texas woman escaped her handcuffs and stole a police SUV, according to the Lufkin Police Department.
Toscha Sponsler was placed under arrest after Lufkin Police responded to a call of a possible shoplifter at a Lufkin Ulta.
In a statement, authorities said, “As officers went through her bags of stolen goods, Sponsler removed her seat belt, slipped her cuffs and climbed through a window partition to the driver’s seat.”
Sponsler then led police on a 23-minute, high-speed chase. Officials said during the pursuit, Sponsler was seen “reaching for the officer’s shotgun, which was mechanically locked to the vehicle.”
The chase ended when a Texas Department of Safety Trooper used a PIT maneuver, causing Sponsler to lose control of the SUV.
Sponsler is facing charges of escape causing serious bodily injury, threat of a deadly weapon, aggravated assault against a public servant, possession of a controlled substance, evading arrest with a vehicle with a previous conviction and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
She remains in the Angelina County Jail on a $18,000 bond.
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