Handcuffed woman who stole patrol car ID’d

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – A woman who was handcuffed in the backseat of a patrol car in the Mission Bay area when she somehow managed to crawl into the driver’s seat and speed away — setting off a wild police chase that included several crashes and gunfire but miraculously no injuries — was identified Friday, police said.

Cassandra Rose Lane, 27, of San Diego, was jailed on suspicion of felony assault, theft and other crimes in connection with Thursday’s incident that began about 2:45 p.m. in the 2800 block of North Mission Bay Drive, according to online jail records and San Diego police Lt. Paul Rorrison.

California Highway Patrol officers first took Lane into custody in connection with a hit-and-run crash reported at that address, the lieutenant said in a statement.

Lane, who was driving a stolen vehicle, was handcuffed with her arms behind her back and placed in the backseat of a running CHP vehicle, Rorrison said, adding that somehow she moved her handcuffed arms in front of her body and got into the driver’s seat.

She then allegedly attempted to run down a CHP officer while also allegedly trying to remove a rifle from the cruiser’s console.

“Fearing for his life, the officer fired several rounds at the suspect from his service weapon,” Rorrison said. “The suspect then sped off in the marked patrol vehicle. The CHP officer was not injured.”

Several minutes later, San Diego police began pursing the stolen CHP car westbound from Friars Road to Qualcomm Way. The fleeing suspect struck three civilian vehicles before stopping at the bottom of the Qualcomm Way offramp, Rorrison said, adding that at that time, Lane got out of the CHP car.

“Believing the suspect was armed and a danger to the officers and the numerous citizens at the scene, one officer fired one shot at the suspect from his service weapon,” Rorrison said. “The suspect was taken into custody and was not injured.”