A theft at a St. Landry Parish car dealership led to a chase across parish lines Thursday. During that chase, a Grand Coteau police officer even opened fire.
No injuries were reported, but a Baton Rouge woman is facing charges. It was a close call at the dealership, where it all began.
The pursuit started early Thursday morning at Dominique's Auto Sales in Opelousas, when the suspect claimed she was picking up her purchased vehicle.
The pursuit ended along the Judson Walsh exit in Opelousas. No one was hurt, but the damage had already been done.
"Our detail guy went in to get some glass cleaner and all of a sudden this woman jumps in the car. We're like, 'whoa what's going on?' It all happened so quick and so fast. She floored that car and boom she was out of here like a lightning bolt!"
Dominique Auto Sales owner Alcide Dominique has never seen anything like it in his 15 years of business.
"She almost ran over my business partner Sean. I said, 'Sean are you okay?' and he said, 'Yes, did that just happen?!' All of a sudden he jumped in his car. He started chasing her and I said, Oh my God, not today' but yup, it happened."
Once the chase was over, the car was totaled, but Dominique didn't want to leave a customer disappointed.
"He got me into something else so I'm happy,” said Christina Triggs, whose new car was stolen from the lot.
Even though Dominique says he's now out of $17,000, he's thankful no one was severely hurt.
"These are the types of situations where a tragedy could take place. I'm just so thankful that nobody got hurt, the customer was very understanding, and I really just hope that the lady who stole the car, I really hope she gets some help."
The suspect, Rebekah Amber Ndubusisi of Baton Rouge, is facing a number of charges, including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, aggravated flight from an officer and four counts of aggravated criminal damage to property. This is the second encounter police have had with her in as many days.
"She was in contact with officers yesterday morning because they responded to a call of a person that appeared to be sleeping in a car. She was located in that vehicle with three small children. At that point, she may have been having a mental health issue. She was transported to a local medical facility and the children were released to a concerned parent,” said Opelousas Police Department public information officer Major Mark Guidry.
This investigation is ongoing.
READ MORE: New details on St. Landry Parish high speed chase, multiple police vehicles damaged in crash
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