East Bay female burglary suspects lead Hollister police on 72-mile chase

Image 1 of 4

Three young women led law enforcement officers on a 72-mile car chase across the San Francisco Bay Area that left a police officer seriously injured.

Twenty-year-old Chartanae Lovely of Antioch, 21-year-old Davida Fortenberry of Oakland, and 22-year-old Laje Ford of Oakland, ran from police from Hollister to Hayward, where the California Highway Patrol arrested them on Wednesday afternoon. 

Hollister police first tried to pull the women over when they fled. Police Sgt. Mike Patty was one of the pursuers until his patrol car crashed into a civilian car in Hollister.

Hollister police Chief David Westrick said in a news release that the vehicles were badly mangled and it was a scary scene. Patty was in serious condition and the woman driving the other car was treated at a hospital.

The women are suspected of stealing thousands of dollars from a store in Hollister before they fled.

It's not clear whether they have attorneys who can comment.  

All suspects were returned to San Benito County where they were booked on the charges of, conspiracy to commit a crime, burglary, grand theft, possession of stolen property and destruction of evidence.  The driver, Fortenberry, was also charged with felony evasion resulting in injury.