A woman from St. Petersburg says that the kidnapper was driving in reverse and “gave the gas with the door open”

PETERSBURG, Virginia. A St. Petersburg woman said she’s thankful she was unharmed after she was mugged on her driveway Thursday night. The crime led to a police chase along Interstate 95 from Petersburg to Richmond.

Fourteen hours after the ordeal began, Michelle Murrills got her car back and she was surprised it wasn’t more damaged.

“I thought if she had been going 120 miles an hour and hit the spiked lanes, my car would have flipped over and it would have been in a lot worse shape than it is now,” Murrills said.

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The car will remain in the repair shop for some time before it can be driven again.

Merrills said she pulled into a driveway on South Market Street around 8:30 p.m. when it was “totally dark.”

But before she got out of the car, Murills said she saw something strange.

“I saw her … and she came and drove around my car and got in my passenger seat,” Murrills recalled.

Then the stranger made one demand.

“She said, ‘You need to give me a ride,'” Murrills said. – And I answered: “I will not drive you anywhere. I’m not doing anything, you need to go.”

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As the argument continued, the stranger eventually got out of the car and walked back down the driveway.

When Murrils got out of her car, she said the woman ran back into the driveway.

“All of a sudden she … just comes up to me and I have the keys on a lanyard around my neck and she just starts reaching for them,” Murrills recalled.

Murrils, who was on the ground, said a stranger, 37-year-old Francesca Quesada, jumped into her car and started the engine.

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“She put the car in reverse and hit the gas with the door open,” Murrills said.

As the car drove down the street, Murills said she called 911.

“Running down my driveway, running down the street trying to see where she’s going,” Murrills said.

Petersburg police spotted the vehicle and a cross-town chase ensued, eventually continuing along northbound I-95.

“My car was going about 120 mph,” Murrills said.

Quesada was taken into custody after the crash in Richmond. She was charged with 13 charges:

• Assault and beating
• Looting
• Destruction of property
• Theft of a car in particularly large sizes
• Hit and run
• Stupid driving
• Theft of a car
• Failure to comply with the orders of law enforcement agencies
• Obstruction of justice
• Attack on law enforcement officers (x2)
• Lack of driver’s license
• Lack of vehicle registration

Quesada was also wanted on unrelated charges in Colonial Heights, Henrico County and Petersburg.
Thanks to a friend, changes have already taken place outside the Murrils’ home.

“He changed all the light bulbs,” she said. “He replaced them with LEDs, made them extremely bright.”

Looking back on everything that happened, Murills said she feels “happy.”

“It could have been a lot worse,” Murrills said.

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