Woman faces 16 charges in chase that ended in wrong-way crash on 405 Freeway

BRENTWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- The driver accused of leading police on a wild chase that ended in a wrong-way crash on the 405 Freeway in the Brentwood area last week is facing 16 charges, prosecutors announced.

Lisa Ann Heflin, 41, was charged Wednesday with 10 counts of assault upon a police officer, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count each of fleeing a pursuing officer while driving recklessly and hit-and-run resulting in property damage, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Heflin pleaded not guilty to all charges on Wednesday.

She is due back at the Airport Branch Courthouse on June 20, when a date will be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for her to stand trial. She remains jailed in lieu of $695,000.

A chase suspect was taken into custody Friday morning after driving into oncoming traffic and crashing into several cars on the 405 Freeway in the Brentwood area.

The charges stem from a chase that began early Friday morning when officers responded to a disturbance call in the area of Fourth and Rose avenues in Venice. When police responded, the suspect drove off in a white van, striking an LAPD patrol car along the way.

Officers then initiated the pursuit, which eventually made its way onto the 405 Freeway. AIR7 HD followed the chase on the freeway as officers tried to perform multiple PIT maneuvers at high speeds without success.

At one point, the driver turned around and started driving the wrong-way on northbound lanes of the freeway with several patrol vehicles close behind.

A chase suspect was taken into custody Friday morning after driving into oncoming traffic and crashing into several cars on the 405 Freeway in the Brentwood area.

The suspect drove erratically and swerved past oncoming traffic. The chase ended when the driver violently collided head-on into a group of cars and a big rig that had been stopped by police near Wilshire Boulevard.

The woman, wearing a white tank top and appearing to have blood on her face, scrambled out of the van and climbed onto the roof of the vehicle. She then crawled onto the hood of the big rig, where she was eventually taken into custody.

In total, five police vehicles, two civilian cars and a semi-truck were damaged during the pursuit, according to prosecutors. Nobody was seriously injured.

If convicted as charged, Heflin could face a maximum sentence of 22 years and eight months in prison.

City News Service contributed to this report.