An unpaid drink refill led to a high-speed chase Monday, forcing police to use a spike strip to flatten the tires of a disgruntled fast food patron.
Jodi Silva with the Houston Police Department tells CultureMap that Karen Kay Kristopher walked into the McDonald's at Westheimer and Voss around 2:45 a.m. carrying her own Micky D's cup. She proceeded to fix herself a drink at the refill station.
When employees asked her to stop, the 67-year-old woman exploded with a barrage of insults and refused to leave the restaurant. Workers called police, who eventually coaxed her into the parking lot . . . where she was double-parked across two handicapped spaces.
Police coaxed her into the parking lot . . . where she was double-parked across two handicapped spaces.
Officers wrote a parking citation and suggested that Kristopher leave the premises or risk a charge of criminal trespassing. She eventually got into her car, a vintage blue-gray Mercedes station wagon, and slowly made her way out of the lot.
"At that point, police see that her inspection sticker is expired and they motion for her to stop," Silva says. "The suspect refuses and tries to run over the officers before driving away."
Sirens, flashing lights and even verbal commands couldn't stop Kristopher on her wild ride from the law. Another police unit managed to lay a spike strip in her path, ending the chase on Hillcroft near Richmond at 3:20 a.m.
In one final act of defiance, Kristopher locked her doors and refused to leave the Mercedes. Police broke a back window to pull her out of the vehicle. Charges for evading arrest are pending.
Ronald McDonald's message of love and happiness was no match for Karen Kay Kristopher, who's botched attempt led to quite the HPD incident.
