It’s tough being young and wild, especially if you live in a small Colorado mountain town. Sometimes kids just have to invent their own kind of fun. Perhaps 18-year-old Shelby Figueroa was thinking just that when she slammed her car into the back of an unmarked police SUV in Clear Creek, Colorado. The five-foot-tall suspect was subsequently detained and placed into the back of another police SUV. And then the real excitement began.

Shelby, thanks to her small frame, managed to slip out of her handcuffs and somehow wiggle through the custody cage into the driver’s seat. Then she started the vehicle up (note to cops: don't leave the keys in the ignition) and sped off. Police immediately gave chase, and followed the daring teenager in a high-speed pursuit that lasted half an hour, and topped out at around 100 mph.

This pint-sized fugitive proved difficult for authorities to stop. The police finally had to ram her off the road, which caused the SUV to the careen off to the side, flip over several times and throw its passenger clear of the vehicle. The police cruiser was completely totaled in the crash. The fleeing teenager got pretty banged up as well.

Despite her injuries, the fact that Shelby survived the chase and the crash with only some minor physical damage shows just how fortunate she was. Things could've been a lot worse. Of course, now that she faces a whole slew of charges, including aggravated motor vehicle theft, driving under the influence, resisting arrest and reckless driving, Ms. Figueroa might not count herself that lucky at all. She probably thought she could have gotten out of there as free as a bird, as unrealistic as that may sound.

Our guess is that she's probably a fan of the movie 'Thelma and Louise.' If not, she should check it out -- as soon as she gets out of jail, that is.

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