Leading police on a high-speed chase is one thing. Taking a 5-year-old child along for the 100 mph ride — that ended at a roadblock in another county with the tires blown out — is another thing.

The high-speed chase through most of Bee County and into Karnes County last week was like something out of one of those television reality video programs, one peace officer said.

Bee County Sheriff’s Office investigator Lt. Jason Hinds said the incident began in Skidmore on U.S. Highway 181 at about 11:21 p.m. when Sgt. Craig Gisler was patrolling in a marked deputy unit right in front of Papa’s Market. He looked up to see a black, 2009 Mitsubishi sedan coming north through the community at what must have been 100 mph.

Hinds said the deputy immediately turned around and got behind the vehicle. Then, at a location between Aransas Creek and CR 602, south of Beeville, the Mitsubishi stopped.

Gisler radioed the sheriff’s office dispatcher to say he had the car stopped but as he stepped out of his patrol unit the sedan sped away, again hitting high rates of speed.

Gisler called Deputies Jason Alvarez and Cecil Daniels immediately and asked them to help get the car stopped. Still, Gisler reported that the car was traveling at speeds of between 80 and 100 mph.

Daniels managed to position himself at the U.S. Highway 181 Business Route crossover as the car raced by and he was able to get the car to hit his spike strip with the left front tire.

The rubber deflated quickly but Hinds said the deputies reported that the car never slowed. The vehicle continued racing north with deputies trying to stay with it.

Hinds pointed out that Gisler, a seasoned veteran of the BCSO, kept a patrol car in front of the runaway Mitsubishi clearing the highway of traffic. And the four cars continued speeding north.

When the chase got to the north end of Beeville, BCSO Deputy Commander Karl Brune joined the procession.

The deputies reported that the car, with one tire flat and sparks flying from the rim, was weaving from lane to lane as the driver tried to keep it on the pavement. As the vehicle reached Normanna, Daniels tried again to take out more tires with his spikes. But the driver evaded them and kept going.

Then, as the chase entered Karnes County, Highway Patrol Trooper Oscar Garcia managed to get his spike strip underneath the right side of the runaway vehicle and flatten both tires on that side.

Hinds said the vehicle still raced north at high rates of speed, sometimes weaving completely off the pavement as the driver tried to stay on the road. Garcia and Karnes County deputies had joined the chase by that time and the group finally managed to form a rolling roadblock, surrounding the Mitsubishi and slowing down to get it to stop. Hinds said he was told the attempt failed more than once before officers finally did get the car stopped.

But even then, the driver continued ramming the patrol vehicles in an attempt to get away from them.

Deputies and troopers finally broke out the driver’s side window of the vehicle after the driver refused to open it and they pulled the driver from the seat.

To their astonishment, the driver turned out to be a woman, 29-year-old Chiara Luera of Converse. And beside her in the vehicle was her 5-year-old son.

“They did not know that at the time,” Hinds said of the presence of the child.

Hinds said that even as the deputies and troopers took the woman from the vehicle, she continued to fight and tried to bite the officers.

The child was turned over to Child Protective Service personnel and later released to his father.

It turned out that Luera had several misdemeanor warrants for her arrest in Brazoria County.

She was charged with resisting arrest, a third degree felony, endangering a child, a second degree felony, evading arrest with a vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor, and aggravated assault on a public servant, a second degree felony.

If convicted on any of the second degree felonies, the woman could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of as much as $10,000.Third degree felonies are punishable prison term of as much as 10 years and a fine of as much as $10,000, and a Class A misdemeanor could get her up to a year in the county jail and a fine of as much as $4,000.

However, Hinds said the woman was later transferred to a state mental hospital for observation.

Hinds said the decision to prosecute Luera on the charges will be left up to Bee County District Attorney Martha Warner.

Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Intelligence Service Sgt. Drew Pilkington was sent to the scene to investigate because a DPS trooper had used spike strips to help end the chase.

Hinds said he later spoke to a family member who thanked them for stopping Luera before she got to San Antonio.

“It just goes to show you that our guys are patient and well trained,” Hinds said.

“Gisler took control of the whole situation, I believe perfectly,” Hinds said.