2 women charged after wild police chase tore up yards and caused crashes in NW Houston
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Two women have been charged after a wild police chase in northwest Houston on Wednesday afternoon caused chaos for residents.
SkyEye captured some of the dangerous moments from the sky. A black Dodge Ram drove into residential yards in some parts of the area and nearly hit people on the roads.
The driver, 41-year-old Michica La Mitchell, is charged with three felonies -- evading in a motor vehicle, fraud, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Her passenger, 43-year-old Veronica Gonzales, is charged with felony theft.
Houston police released mugshots for both women on Thursday.
Records show La Mitchell has a lengthy criminal history in Harris County, including previous theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle charges. She was sentenced to six months in state jail in 2019 and one year in state jail in 2022, both for unauthorized motor vehicle use.
HPD said the chase started at about 3 p.m. Wednesday in the 4500 block of Dacoma Street when officers received a call of a stolen vehicle.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Man and woman handcuffed after wild police chase in northwest Houston
Towards the end of the chase, the stolen pickup hit a driveway gate of a residence, prompting at least two people to bail out in the area of Jorent Drive and Montgomery Street in the Acres Homes area.
Police were able to put both in handcuffs.
La Mitchell is accused of hitting two vehicles during the chase. The innocent drivers told ABC13 they both had children in their vehicles, between 2 and 8 years old. Everyone is OK.
"I got hurt, but it didn't hurt that bad because I hit my baby sister's car seat, and my cousin hit the window," 8-year-old Johnel Young said.
One neighbor told ABC13 that she learned her yard was being torn up when a friend watching the chase coverage told her at work.
Sure enough, she came home to tire tracks through her yard.
"You work hard every day, to have nice things, but it's no guarantee," she said. "Nothing is guaranteed. And what if she would've ran into my house?"
In probable cause court, a magistrate set La Mitchell's bond at a combined $28,000, while Gonzales' bond was set at $15,000.
