Crazy Woman Steals Bus, Crashes Into Police Car, Tries to Swim to Canada

A woman from Blaine, Washington, was arrested after a bizarre crime spree, which involved stealing a school bus, crashing it into a police car, and trying to swim to Canada.

Elizabeth Winter’s crime spree started when a bystander noticed a yellow school bus drive by her vehicle at speeds over 60 mph. Katherine McCall, 72, of Blaine, saw the bus drive by at an excessively fast speed. She immediately called the police.

“Boy, that school bus sure is driving fast,” McCall recalled. “I hope there aren’t any kids aboard.”

Shortly after, the bus drove into a parking lot at a gas station, where the woman smashed into a police patrol car and sped off to the local harbor. At the harbor, she crashed into a parking-lot barrier, dragging the log, and came to a stop. She proceeded to jump into the water and swim for Canada.

According to the police, she was shouting, “God will save me,” as she helplessly swam away.

Police used the Blaine harbormaster’s powerboat and tried to convince the woman to return to shore. She refused and kept swimming. Around 20 minutes later, they were forced to bring her on board as she was showing signs of hypothermia. It is estimated that she swam about half the distance towards the 49th parallel that marks Canadian waters.

Blaine Police Chief Mike Haslip described the incident, saying that the woman was very cold when rescued.

“She’s wet and very cold,” Haslip said.

The woman stands accused of vehicle theft, felony assault on an officer, and felony eluding of law enforcement. She was booked into Whatcom County Jail and she will be expected to undergo a mental health evaluation.