High-speed chase ends in two deaths on Hwy 218

RIVERSIDE — A high-speed, multicounty car chase ended abruptly with a head-on collision that killed two people on Highway 218 Sunday afternoon, lengthening a list of unusually deadly recent crashes in Washington County.

A preliminary accident report from the Iowa State Patrol said Brittany Miles of Cedar Rapids (36) was fleeing police as she drove north in the southbound lane of Highway 218, running head-on into the car of Olivia Alvarez (27), driving south on the same road just before 4 p.m. on Dec. 8. Miles died on impact, according to the report, while Alvarez died after emergency medical responders arrived on the scene. Both drivers were from Cedar Rapids.

The chase left a trail of destruction in its wake.

A press release from Muscatine’s city police department Sunday night said officers heard reports of a woman driving through town and shooting at people around 3:15 p.m., and said the suspected driver refused to yield when police sirens flipped on, instead leaving town along 231st Street. The department said nobody was hurt by the gunfire, and added that police were “continuing to investigate those reports.”

The chase did wreck a squad car, however.

“A Muscatine Police Officer, involved in the pursuit, lost control of his car and crashed near the Cedar River,” the press release said. “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, but said the officer driving it was released from the hospital Monday morning.

Administrators of the first responder Facebook group Eastern Iowa Fireground Photos said Miles’ car was clocked at over 100 mph by the time it entered Louisa County, and kept moving fast as it barreled west through Columbus Junction and through a construction zone on Highway 92, which has been closed for months.

The car eventually crossed into Washington County, where it turned north onto Highway 218 in the southbound lane. It clipped the side of one car near 140th street, taking out its mirror but leaving the juvenile driver uninjured, according to a Washington County Call For Service log.

The final collision happened close to mile marker 78, just south of Riverside near 135th street. Those on the scene said in social media posts that at least one of the cars involved was on fire. Emergency response vehicles could be seen lining the median in the area, where traffic was backed up in both directions.

Miles had a lengthy rap sheet before Sunday. She was charged with eluding officers at least twice before in Iowa, including after an incident in June following another high-speed chase in Cedar Rapids, which also reached 100 miles per hour according to court records which said her license was barred at the time. She was convicted of eluding officers in 2021 as well, and was convicted of theft and numerous traffic infractions in recent years.

Sunday’s accident continued a shocking trend of fatal collisions in Washington County in recent weeks. Another head-on crash killed three and injured a passenger south of Kalona on Dec. 2, and a 21-year-old woman died east of Brighton in a rollover accident Nov. 30, according to the Iowa State Patrol.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com