A woman was taken into custody this past weekend following a lengthy car chase that extended over a hundred miles through Southern California. The incident began on Saturday morning at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where Melissa Kotulski, a 47-year-old woman from Connecticut, reportedly refused to leave the premises. According to KTLA, Simi Valley Police Department officers were called to the scene for a report of Kotulski's refusal to vacate the area.
When officers approached Kotulski, she allegedly drove her vehicle toward an officer, narrowly missing them, and her patrol vehicle. Following this near-collision, Kotulski entered the southbound 101 Freeway and began the lengthy chase. The route took a winding path, transitioning through the 134 and 210 Freeways. Officers from Simi Valley Police were joined by the California Highway Patrol, with an LAPD air unit also in support, as reported by Nixle. During the pursuit, law enforcement worked to bring the situation to a halt.
The chase came to an end in the Claremont area when the California Highway Patrol successfully deployed spike strips, deflating the tires on Kotulski's vehicle. The intervention brought the hundred-mile chase to a standstill, with no injuries reported from the incident. Kotulski was arrested and as per KTLA, is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and reckless evading.
