Hanford woman, possibly high on marijuana, arrested after pursuit, crash near Selma

Deputies witnessed a woman speeding and weaving out of traffic on Highway 43 on Friday afternoon, but by the time they caught up to her, she had crashed her car under an overpass, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman, identified as Laura Walls, 49, of Hanford, was treated at a hospital for minor to moderate injuries then booked into jail on charges of evading, reckless driving and DUI.

Botti said deputies smelled the odor of marijuana as they went to check on Walls after the crash.

She was first spotted speeding down Highway 43 around 2:30 p.m. by a deputy in an unmarked car, according to sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti.

Walls was allegedly passing cars while traveling at speeds of 100 mph to 120 mph and forcing drivers off the road as she crossed the double yellow lines near Elkhorn Avenue.

As the deputy radioed a marked car that was farther ahead on Highway 43, Walls passed that deputy in the marked car, Botti said. The deputy turned on his emergency lights and siren and pursued Walls, but Botti said he was unsure if Walls realized she was being pursued because of her speed.

She blew through a red light near Highway 99 in Selma and clipped a car that was making a left-hand turn onto the highway. Her car slammed into a pillar under the overpass, Botti said.

The man in the clipped car was not hurt.

The California Highway Patrol and Selma Police Department handled the investigation.

The area of Highland and Floral avenues was closed while officials cleared the area.

This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 6:05 PM.