LISTEN: Driver ‘did doughnuts’ in Davenport, led 140

by: Linda Cook

Posted: Aug 4, 2023 / 04:59 PM CDT

Updated: Aug 4, 2023 / 07:19 PM CDT

A 21-year-old Silvis man faces a felony charge of eluding after Iowa State Police allege he led a chase of more than 140 miles per hour after he “did doughnuts” in a crowded Davenport intersection.

Emilio Soliz faces a felony charge of eluding – 25 mph over the speed limit, court records show.

Shortly before 1 a.m. July 2, an Iowa State Trooper saw a light-colored Dodge Charger blocking the intersection of Brady Street and 3rd Street “by doing extremely unsafe doughnuts,” police allege in arrest affidavits. (A doughnut means a driver rotates the rear or front of a vehicle continuously around the opposite set of wheels to create circular rubber skid-marks.)

“The Charger made enough smoke from his tires to cause a visual issue for the other motorists traveling on 3rd Street. This intersection was also located near the downtown bar area with extremely large crowds only feet from his reckless driving,” the officer alleges in affidavits.

The officer activated the emergency lights and siren in a fully marked ISP cruiser for a traffic stop, but “the driver began to actively elude me heading eastbound on 3rd Street at extremely high speed,” the officer alleges in affidavits.

Affidavits say the Charger then entered River Drive, failed to obey the red light, and accelerated to speeds in excess of 100 mph while in posted 35- and 45-mph zones. The driver continued driving at extremely high speeds through traffic making unsafe passes and cutting in and around traffic, the officer alleges.

Bettendorf Police successfully deployed stop sticks on the two passenger-side tires, affidavits say. The Charger continued onto Interstate 74 toward Illinois, reaching speeds of more than 140 mph. “I continued chasing the car until it became disabled in Moline and the driver fled on foot but was quickly apprehended,” the officer writes in affidavits.

Because of the damage the car sustained, “it became fully engulfed and was destroyed before it could be safely put out,” the officer says in affidavits.

“Soliz admitted to being the driver and claimed he ran because he knew he would be in trouble from doing the doughnuts and believed it was the better choice,” the officer alleges in affidavits.

He later pleaded not guilty, court records say.

Court records say Soliz, who was released on bond, is set to appear Aug. 24 in Scott County Court.

Click on the video to hear the chase on Broadcastify.

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