Woman arrested in Redwood City after police chase stolen tow truck

The saga began Friday at 6:03 p.m. when Redwood City police officers responded to a Enterprise Rent-a-Car business on a report of a tow truck that had allegedly just been stolen by a woman later identified as Kettell.

Police found the truck unoccupied at a Jack in the Box in San Carlos. The suspect got back into the truck and the officers tried to make a traffic stop, but police allege that she repeatedly rammed the two police officers’ vehicles.

The suspect fled to U.S. Highway 101 and drove south with a Redwood City officer in pursuit, reaching 80-90 mph, according to police. California Highway Patrol officers and Menlo Park police took over the pursuit, catching up with the truck at the intersection of state Highway 85 and Highway 101, police said.

The truck veered across the road, allegedly hitting another motorist and driving away, and the officers stopped chasing the truck. The other motorist survived the crash uninjured, police said.

The California Highway Patrol located the tow truck shortly after Redwood City and Menlo Park police terminated the pursuit on Highway 85, according to police. When the CHP officer came upon the tow truck, the driver immediately braked and the CHP unit ran into it, disabling the patrol vehicle, police said.

Police learned that there was a GPS tracker on the tow truck and Redwood City police used it to track the suspect’s movements, according to police. The GPS showed the tow truck returning to Redwood City on Farm Hill Boulevard from Interstate Highway 280, police said.

The suspect parked the tow truck in the 1000 block of Silver Hill Road and allegedly burglarized a home with a nanny and children inside, police said.

Police requested spike strips from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office as well as a drone from the Redwood City Fire Department while the suspect again fled in the tow truck, according to police.

San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies pursued the truck onto Woodside Road and into downtown Redwood City, police said. They terminated the pursuit a short time later, instead depending on the GPS tracker to update locations.   

The GPS updated to an area near Sports Basement in Redwood City and stopped. Redwood City police dispatchers received 911 calls from Planet Fitness sometime later, according to police.

The suspect entered Planet Fitness and allegedly assaulted and injured her boyfriend, an employee at the gym, police said.

Officers converged on the tow truck and attempted to detain the suspect, who police described as uncooperative, and the officers deployed a K-9 that bit Kettell on her hip, according to police. Kettell stopped resisting and was taken into custody.

According to police, Kettell was determined to be out on bail from a domestic violence case. Police said she was arrested for another residential burglary four days ago in Redwood City.

The suspect was treated at a hospital for injuries to her hip and leg, police said. After being treated, she was booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility.

According to police, a Redwood City officer was injured when Kettell struck his vehicle in the San Carlos Jack in the Box parking lot. He was treated at a hospital and released.

Police are asking anyone with information regarding the case to contact the department at (650) 780-7100.