A high-speed, multicounty car chase ended abruptly with a head-on collision that killed two people on Highway 218 in Washington County Sunday afternoon.
According to a crash report from the Iowa State Patrol, Brittany Miles, 35, of Cedar Rapids, was fleeing police as she drove north in the southbound lane of Highway 218. Her vehicle ran head-on into the car driven by Olivia Alvarez, 27, of Cedar Rapids, who was driving south just before 4 p.m.
Miles died on impact, according to the report, while Alvarez died after emergency medical responders arrived on the scene.
The chase began in Muscatine after police there received reports of a woman driving around shooting at people at 3:15 p.m. According to a news release from the police department, the suspected driver refused to stop for police. Instead, she left town along 231st Street and traveled through Louisa County before entering Washington County.
The crash happened close to mile marker 78, just south of Riverside near 135th Street. Emergency response vehicles could be seen lining the median in the area, where traffic was backed up in both directions.
The Muscatine Police Department reported no one was hurt by the gunfire, but it is “continuing to investigate those reports.” The chase did wreck a Muscatine squad car and injure an officer.
“A Muscatine Police Officer, involved in the pursuit, lost control of his car and crashed near the Cedar River,” the news release states. “The Officer sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment.”
Assistant Police Chief Steve Snider said the crash totaled the police vehicle. The officer driving it was released from the hospital Monday morning.
Miles had previously been charged with eluding officers at least twice in Iowa. One of those charges was in June, and followed another high-speed chase in Cedar Rapids, which reached 100 mph, according to court records, which report her license was barred at the time. She was convicted of eluding officers in 2021, and was convicted of theft and numerous traffic violations in recent years.
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According to a crash report from the Iowa State Patrol, Brittany Miles, 35, of Cedar Rapids, was fleeing police as she drove north in the southbound lane of Highway 218. Her vehicle ran head-on into the car driven by Olivia Alvarez, 27, of Cedar Rapids, who was driving south just before 4 p.m.
Miles died on impact, according to the report, while Alvarez died after emergency medical responders arrived on the scene.
The chase began in Muscatine after police there received reports of a woman driving around shooting at people at 3:15 p.m. According to a news release from the police department, the suspected driver refused to stop for police. Instead, she left town along 231st Street and traveled through Louisa County before entering Washington County.
The crash happened close to mile marker 78, just south of Riverside near 135th Street. Emergency response vehicles could be seen lining the median in the area, where traffic was backed up in both directions.
The Muscatine Police Department reported no one was hurt by the gunfire, but it is “continuing to investigate those reports.” The chase did wreck a Muscatine squad car and injure an officer.
“A Muscatine Police Officer, involved in the pursuit, lost control of his car and crashed near the Cedar River,” the news release states. “The Officer sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment.”
Assistant Police Chief Steve Snider said the crash totaled the police vehicle. The officer driving it was released from the hospital Monday morning.
Miles had previously been charged with eluding officers at least twice in Iowa. One of those charges was in June, and followed another high-speed chase in Cedar Rapids, which reached 100 mph, according to court records, which report her license was barred at the time. She was convicted of eluding officers in 2021, and was convicted of theft and numerous traffic violations in recent years.
Two killed in crash near Riverside during high-speed chase Sunday
The multicounty chase began in Muscatine after police received reports of a woman shooting at people from a vehicle.
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