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Woman arrested after leading Cape Coral officers on chase in stolen car

Reporter: Haley Zarcone Writer: Carolina Guzman
Published: Updated:
Evelyn Espino Galvez Credit: The Lee County Sheriff’s Office

A Lehigh Acres woman has been arrested after allegedly stealing a car and then leading Cape Coral police on a chase.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, on Thursday at approximately 5:45 p.m., officers responded to a motor vehicle theft.

The victim told officers that while visiting a friend for a few minutes and leaving her car running in the driveway, she had caught a woman stealing and driving away with it.

Officers tried to pull the stolen car over, but the driver, 45-year-old Evelyn Espino Galvez, refused to stop, police said.

As officers followed the car, another Cape Coral police officer deployed stopsticks and deflated the tires, but Galvez continued driving.

Galvez began driving on the opposite side of the road and continued driving into Lee County. A Lee County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit assisted officers in tracking its location.

Police said she had attempted to stop and change her clothes to flee, but an LCSO deputy stopped her.

Galvez was arrested and taken to the Lee County Jail.

She’s being charged with motor vehicle grand theft, burglary of a conveyance, fleeing and eluding police with disregard for the safety of persons or property and driving without a valid license.

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