PETERSBURG, Va. — A Petersburg woman said she feels grateful she was not hurt after she was carjacked in her driveway Thursday night. The crime led to a police pursuit along Interstate 95 from Petersburg to Richmond.
Fourteen hours after her ordeal began, Michelle Murrills had her car back and was surprised it was not more badly damaged.
“I figured that if she was doing 120 mph and hit spike strips my car would have been flipped over and in a lot worse shape than it’s in," Murrills said.
The car will end up in a repair shop for quite some time before it’s drivable again.
Murrills said it was “completely dark” when she pulled into her driveway on South Market Street around 8:30 p.m.
But before she got out of her car, Murrills said she saw something strange.
“I saw her… and she came up and all the way around my car and got into my passenger seat,” Murrills recalled.
Then the stranger made one demand.
"She said, ‘You need to give me a ride,’” Murrills said. “And I said, ‘I’m not giving you a ride anywhere. I’m not doing anything, you need to leave.’”
While the arguing went on, the stranger eventually got out of the car and walked back down the driveway.
When Murrills got out of her car, said the woman came running back up the driveway.
“All of a sudden she… just comes towards me and I had my keys on a lanyard around my neck and she just starts reaching for them,” Murrills recalled.
Murrills, who ended up on the ground, said the stranger, 37-year-old Francesca Quesada, jumped into her car and started the engine.
“She threw the car in reverse and hit the gas with the door open,” Murrills said.
As the car took off down the street, Murrills said she dialed 911.
“Running down my driveway, running down the street trying to see where she’s going,” Murrills said.
Petersburg Police spotted the car and a pursuit through the City began and eventually continued along I-95 north.
“My car was doing 120 some mph,” Murrills said.
Quesada was taken into custody after crashing in Richmond. She is facing 13 charges:
- Assault and battery
- Robbery
- Destruction of property
- Grand larceny of a motor vehicle
- Hit and run
- Reckless driving
- Carjacking
- Failure to comply with law enforcement commands
- Obstruction of justice
- Assault on law enforcement (x2)
- Failure to possess a driver’s license
- Failure to possess vehicle registration
Quesada was also wanted on unrelated charges in Colonial Heights, Henrico County and Petersburg.
Thanks to a friend, changes have already been made outside Murrills’ home.
“He replaced all the light bulbs,” she said. “He replaced them with LEDs, made them super bright.”
Looking back on everything that happened, Murrills said she feels "lucky."
“It could have been much worse,” Murrills said.
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