Thirty nine year old Rebecca Estrada of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was arrested after leading law enforcement officers on a four county chase, before ending up at Loves Travel Stop, barricading herself in a tractor trailer rig.
Estrada was initially pulled over by Lyon County Sheriff’s officers for a traffic infraction on I-35 in Lyon County about 6:20 Saturday morning, June 25th. Deputies were attempting to arrest Estrada when she took off and led the deputies on a pursuit. Franklin County Sheriff’s officers used stop sticks at the Eisenhower exit to slow the vehicle down, but the vehicle made it to the Loves Travel Stop parking lot off the 59 highway exit, where she intentionally struck a Franklin County Sheriff’s office patrol car. The Deputy suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from Advent Health Ottawa. Ottawa Police Chief, Adam Weingartner says Estrada then traveled to Loves Travel Stop:
Estrada, armed with a knife, entered an occupied tractor trailer parked next to her vehicle. The driver of the tractor trailer, was able to exit safely and quickly. After about a three and a half hour standoff, a less lethal munitions device was deployed into the tractor trailer, which forced Estrada to exit. She was then taken into custody.
She was charged for aggravated robbery, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, possession of methamphetamine and felony interference with law enforcement locally. Further charges are pending from Lyon County.
Based on the initial investigation, Estrada was smuggling several citizens from countries south of the United States border, to various states east of Kansas. Those subjects have been identified and the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency has bee notified.
