Like numerous others earlier than her, Lisa Ann Heflin of Oakview, Mo., headed to Los Angeles earlier this yr chasing a dream of fame and fortune.
What she discovered as a substitute was notoriety.
The Los Angeles County district lawyer’s workplace has recognized Heflin, 41, as the motive force of a white van that plowed into oncoming visitors on the 405 Freeway final week after crashing into a number of police cruisers and main police on a wild pursuit.
The workplace on Wednesday charged Heflin with 10 counts of assault upon a peace officer, 4 counts of assault with a lethal weapon, one depend of fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motorcar whereas driving recklessly and one depend of hit-and-run driving leading to property harm.
“It was exceptional,” Los Angeles Police Deputy Assistant Chief Daniel Randolph mentioned of the pursuit throughout Tuesday’s Police Fee assembly. 9 LAPD officers had been injured, and the motive force brought about greater than $150,000 in harm to 5 police automobiles, he mentioned.
The motive force who led police on a pursuit on the 405 Freeway on Might 17 lived in her van for a few month close to this intersection at Rose and third Avenues in Venice.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Instances)
A mom of 4, Heflin documented a lot of her journey west on Fb, X and TikTok. She apparently made it to Los Angeles with out her children, who vary in age from elementary college to a teen; based on family, Heflin didn’t have full custody of them.
In her posts, Heflin wears her hair lengthy and darkish. She smiles in her images, showing composed — a far cry from the bloodied one that was photographed after crashing on the 405 Freeway.
“Chasin my desires as a ‘California Daydreamer,’” she wrote in herTikTok bio.
Heflin additionally posted images of her kids on social media. In current weeks, family and friends in Missouri commented on her posts, involved about her well-being.
Somebody wrote below her most up-to-date publish: “Haven’t heard from you in virtually per week. Critically getting anxious. Hope your okay.”
Heflin wrote dozens of messages a day within the weeks main as much as the pursuit. A few of her earlier Fb posts included hyperlinks to music movies for artists like Eminem, Tupac Shakur, Ice Dice, Snoop Dogg and Nickelback. However her later messages turned frantic in tone, interspersed with images in and round Los Angeles.
“I GOT NEWS FOR YA. THAT ROAD YOU DON’T FOLLOW THE LAWS OF JAY-WALKING (ILLEGAL) MIGHT BE THE DEATH OF YOU,” Heflin wrote.
“DO NOT COME SPEAK TO ME FOR ANY REASON,” she wrote in one other publish.
In a Fb message posted Might 9, she in contrast herself to rappers Tupac Shakur and Eminem and spoke of being persecuted. In that message, first reported by LA Journal, Heflin argued about music on the radio, made a number of feedback about “tried homicide” on the highway and different veiled threats, and accused unnamed folks of doing horrible issues to get nearer cozying as much as celebrities. She ended with the query, “Do you want my van?” — which relations imagine was the place she was dwelling.
One particular person dwelling in a van close to the place Heflin parked in Venice, who recognized himself solely as Greg, mentioned he spoke to her on just a few events, however she seemed to be below the affect of medication and was incoherent at instances. “You possibly can’t assist however communicate to somebody like that while you’re all parked shut collectively,” Greg mentioned.
Los Angeles Metropolis Councilmember Traci Park‘s workplace mentioned a member with a homeless outreach group contracted with town provided Heflin “companies and housing answer.” A spokesperson for her workplace mentioned they may not disclose particular particulars about the companies however mentioned Park’s workplace stays “dedicated to addressing the wants of our group by means of steady help and outreach.”
Hours after the pursuit, Park wrote in a Fb publish: “That is the failed social experiment unfolding in actual time. This isn’t a housing disaster, it’s a habits disaster. We’d like the assets and authorized instruments to get unstable, harmful folks out of our neighborhoods. Those that refuse companies frequently can not select to stay on the streets, terrorizing neighborhoods, and on this case, endangering lives.”
The occasions that led to the crash, which destroyed two personal automobiles and a number of other LAPD cruisers, started simply after 4:30 a.m. Friday.
The LAPD responded to third and Rose avenues in Venice amid studies of a girl performing erratically. When officers arrived, the girl argued with police whereas standing subsequent to a white van that was parked diagonally towards the curb, based on residents.
“She woke me up from a useless sleep yelling in the course of the road,” mentioned Greg, who was parked in his van just a few yards from Heflin’s. The parking spots alongside Rose Avenue between third and 4th avenues really feel safer than different components of the beach-side communities, he mentioned, as a result of the road is effectively lighted subsequent to a storage-unit enterprise.
Police tried to calm her, Greg mentioned, however she continued to argue.
Janice James, 58, a musician dwelling in her automobile across the nook from the place the white van had been parked, mentioned she noticed the girl bounce into the van that morning and rev the engine a number of instances earlier than pulling out of the parking spot.
Janet James, 58, who didn’t need her face photographed, mentioned Wednesday that she was anxious on the day of the incident about her automobile getting hit, with all of the commotion going down behind her on the intersection of Rose and third Avenues in Venice.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Instances)
“That’s when she floored it in reverse and simply rammed that police SUV,” James mentioned. “That shook them up as a result of the SUV moved about two or three toes.”
James was afraid the girl within the van would hit different vehicles as she sped down the slim avenue about 50 mph.
“I wouldn’t need to lose my automobile,” James mentioned Wednesday morning.
James mentioned she noticed video of the police chase as the girl drove erratically earlier than crashing into police automobiles. Authorities tried to get the van off the highway with a number of maneuvers that had been ineffective.
“She may have made a fantastic stuntwoman driver,” James mentioned.
Police say Heflin obtained onto the 405 Freeway and started driving within the improper route. She finally crashed into two vehicles and a tractor-trailer that had stalled on the freeway.
Motorist David Hill jumped out of his automobile after the white van crashed into him.
“When that van got here to a cease, I wasn’t positive who was inside, what they had been going to do, in the event that they had been going to come back out and attempt to steal my automobile,” Hill advised KTTV-TV. “So I instantly obtained out of my automobile and got here to the shoulder and simply waited whereas police apprehended that suspect.”
Authorities say Heflin jumped out and climbed onto the hood of the semi as police swarmed her and took her into custody.
Throughout a courtroom listening to Wednesday, Heflin pleaded not responsible to all prices. She’s due again in courtroom on June 20 and is being held in lieu of $695,000 bail.
