Suspect In Stolen U-Haul Chase, Downtown Market Crash Faces Judge

LOS ANGELES, CA — A 35-year-old Hawthorne woman accused of leading police on a wild pursuit in a stolen U-Haul truck and slamming the vehicle into a patrol car is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

Shante Johnson faces will be asked to enter a plea in response to two counts of assault on a peace officer and one count each of fleeing a pursuing peace officer's motor vehicle while driving recklessly and driving or taking a vehicle without consent -- all felonies.

She is also charged with three misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run driving resulting in property damage and faces an allegation that she was convicted of petty theft in 2014, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The defendant was spotted by police on Nov. 9 driving the stolen truck near 61st Street and Broadway Avenue, triggering a pursuit in which she was allegedly involved in three hit-and-run crashes. The chase ended shortly after she allegedly rammed the patrol car and fled on fled into a downtown produce market, where she was quickly collared.

If convicted as charged, Johnson faces a possible maximum of more than 10 years in state prison. Bail is requested at $195,000.

City News Service; Photo: (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergal, file)