Police identify woman accused of leading officers on 20-mile chase

HOUSTON – Houston police have released the identity of the alleged female car thief who is accused of leading officers on a 20-mile chase Monday that ended with a pileup that forced them to close the northbound lanes of the North Freeway for about an hour and sent two people to the hospital. 

Police said Rachael Thompson, 26, allegedly stole a Nissan SUV from the parking lot of the Victoria Park apartments, 8600 S. Course St., around 12:30 p.m. The owner left the car running while she ran into her apartment.

A security guard saw what was happening and, along with other residents, positioned his car to block the thief. But that didn't stop her.

Security guard Imeh Umanah told Local 2 News, "The owner of the vehicle came out of the house, and she was shouting, 'My car, My car!' And I used my car to block her. She hit my car, I turned back I tried to block her, she hit my car again. And then, finally she took the gate out."

Thompson reportedly drove the stolen car through the apartments entry gate, leaving part of the bumper behind. She managed to elude a police cruiser that was responding to the theft, and led police on a high-speed chase that lasted 30 minutes and spanned 20 miles.

Thompson reportedly headed north on the Southwest Freeway, sideswiping vehicles at the intersection with the Westpark Tollway. Police say other cars may have been hit, but they are still investigating.

Thompson finally exited onto Interstate 45, speeding through downtown Houston. Near the intersection of the North Freeway and Cavalcade Street she swerved into another car, causing a pileup that shut down the northbound lanes for about an hour.

Motorist Christopher Flores saw the chase coming down the freeway and heard the crash.

"When they banged, I seen one car go that way and the other car crashed into the wall and that was the end of that," Flores said.

Thompson was handcuffed and held in a police car before being taken to Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital by ambulance. The driver of the car she hit, an unidentified woman, was also hospitalized.

The conditions of both women have not been released. Police have not yet released the victim's name.