Los Angeles U-Haul Chase Suspect Faces Multiple Charges

A woman who faces multiple charges, including driving under the influence of narcotics, was named by law enforcement authorities recently, according to this article in the Los Angeles Times. Law enforcement officials named Alisha Nichole Mankin as the person responsible for a televised chase which caused three different traffic accidents and involved pursuit from numerous law enforcement agencies. According to authorities, Mankin, of the Antelope Valley of Littlerock, and a friend left a storage facility in a rented U-Haul truck around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, February 4, 2009.

Sometime later, Mankin and her passenger were spotted by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Deputy engaging in suspicious activity after they stopped their rented truck by a car on the side of the road. The deputy approached the two and discovered the passenger had narcotics in his possession, so they were arrested for California drug possession. But according to California Highway Patrol Officer Matt Winter, Mankin attempted to flee the scene rather than be arrested. Winter said, “The guy is in possession of narcotics, and he’s arrested. As the deputy is putting him into his cruiser, she decides to take off running. She gets into the U-Haul because the keys are in it and takes off.”

The subsequent chase started in Palmdale and continued through downtown Los Angeles, the Westside, and Malibu before it ended in Ventura County. After the U-Haul ran out of gas, Mankin was arrested and has been charged with being under the influence of a narcotic, possession of a stolen vehicle, felony evading, and three counts of hit-and-run. Any of these charges can result in steep fines, community service, revocation of driving privileges and lengthy prison sentences.

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