Stolen Car Crashes and Flees on Foot, While a Second Chase Ends With an Arrest
One driver fled a crashed stolen car near Knollwood; another chase ended when Ytesha English's tire came off on Highway 45, police say.
Two police chases in Mobile over the weekend ended two very different ways: one with a stolen car wrapped up in a crash and a driver still on the loose, the other with a woman in jail after her car lost a tire mid-pursuit.
A Stolen Car, a Crash and a Runner
The first chase began around 4 a.m. Saturday near University Boulevard and Airport Boulevard, where officers tried to stop a car that turned out to be stolen. The driver took off instead, and the pursuit ended a short time later when he lost control on Knollwood Drive near Grelot Road and crashed. He then bailed out of the wrecked car and ran, and officers lost sight of him in the dark.
Detectives later confirmed the car had been stolen earlier that morning from the Knollwood Apartments. The driver had not been located as of Monday morning, but police said he could face first-degree theft of property, attempt-to-elude and property damage charges once he is identified and caught.
The Mobile Police Department asked anyone who was in the area early Saturday, or who has home security video from the Knollwood Drive and Grelot Road corridors, to review their footage and call investigators at 251-208-7211.
Tire Comes Off at Highway 45
The weekend’s second chase started around 10:27 a.m. Saturday, when officers saw a car speeding down the Airport Boulevard service road near Bel Air Boulevard. The driver, identified as Ytesha English, 47, of Mobile, refused to stop and led officers on a pursuit that ended on Highway 45 near Thomas Avenue — when a tire came off the rim of her car.
English got out and tried to leave on foot, but officers caught her a short time later. She was booked into Mobile County Metro Jail on a charge of attempting to elude, and police said she was also charged with violating probation from a prior Daphne case involving speeding and driving on a revoked license.
Why Pursuits End Badly So Often
Police pursuits carry obvious risks to everyone on the road, and both of the weekend’s chases ended in exactly the kind of outcomes officers train to avoid — a wrecked car in a residential corridor and a driver who chose to run. MPD urged drivers who see emergency lights behind them to slow down, turn on hazards, and pull over safely rather than flee, noting that the list of charges grows with every block of a pursuit and that modern license-plate readers and camera networks mean drivers who run are increasingly identified anyway.
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- Suspect Still at Large After Stolen Car Chase Ends in Crash Near Knollwood Drive
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