Lufkin Police have released video of Toscha Fay Sponsler, the Texas woman who escaped her handcuffs and hijacked a cop car.
The video released by the Lufkin Police Department shows Sponsler, 33, being handcuffed on the ground and then put in the back of a police car while officers examine evidence at the scene. While police were distracted, Sponsler escaped her handcuffs, hopped over the divider, and drove off with the squad car.
She then led police on a 23-minute chase during which she hit speeds of up to 100mph.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgN8vWbjI0s
The video begins as officers initially placed handcuffs on Sponsler near the South First Street and Loop 287 intersection after she allegedly fled from officers responding to a shoplifter report at Ulta. After officers took Sponsler back to Ulta, she can be seen in the video slipping one of her hands out of the handcuff and climbing through the partition into the front seat before driving off with the patrol vehicle, nearly striking officers as she pulled away.
“Sponsler led units down Loop 287 to 69 south, nearly colliding head-on with two Lufkin officers, Constable Chad Wilson and numerous motorists,” Lufkin Police Department Media Specialist Pebsworth stated in a Saturday press release. “Officers saw her continually reaching for/fumbling with the officer’s shotgun, which is mechanically locked inside the vehicle.”
The pursuit began on Loop 287 at Tulane Drive, then continued on Whitehouse, FM 58, Bartmess, Holly, Old Orchard, Fuller Springs, Tower Lane, Denman Avenue, back to Loop 287, Ford Chapel Road, FM 841 and then to U.S. Highway 69 south. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, Wilson, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife and Zavalla Police Department joined the pursuit, with DPS taking the lead.
Sponsler was charged with escape causing serious bodily injury/threat with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault against a public servant, evading arrest with a vehicle with a previous conviction, unauthorized use of a vehicle and possession of a controlled substance, according to county records.
She was being held at Angelina County Jail on a bond of $18,000.
[protected-iframe id=”5dbf08b8141097cc8682731a61e0d371-3508545-91726680″ info=”https://www.nbcnews.com/widget/video-embed/1040241731645″ width=”750″ height=”422″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””]
