‘Belltown Hellcat’ convicted of reckless driving
The man behind the infamous “Belltown Hellcat” moniker, who gained notoriety — and Instagram followers — for revving and racing his tiger-striped car through Seattle late at night, has been convicted of reckless driving.
A Seattle Municipal Court jury on Thursday found Miles Hudson, 22, guilty of two reckless driving counts, one for driving a vehicle “in willful or wanton disregard” for safety of people or property, and the other for racing on a public street. The jury deliberated for less than three hours to reach the verdict after a three-day trial this week.
The Hellcat, a Dodge Charger SRT, appeared on Seattle streets soon after Hudson bought it with his mother in October 2023 and quickly drew the ire of Belltown residents and beyond who identified the car as the source of the loud booms that woke them up overnight. Thousands saw videos of him in his car on Instagram, with many of his videos generating more than 1 million views.
Hudson was charged because of one video, viewed more than 1 million times, that showed him speeding through downtown Seattle at 107 mph after challenging friends to a race. They drove on Fourth Avenue near Lumen Field, where the speed limit is 25 mph.
In closing arguments Thursday, the prosecution stressed to the jury that they should believe what they saw in the Instagram video, while the defense tried to sow doubt about the video’s authenticity.
The video, Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Christopher Karr said, clearly shows Hudson challenging friends to a race, setting the parameters, then taking off at high speeds against the other cars.
“You can hear the distinctive sound of the Belltown Hellcat,” Karr said. “You heard it on that video, you heard that rumble, you could see that acceleration. We know that he was driving at 107 mph because he filmed it. And he posted it to Instagram. We all watched it together. You do not get to that speed accidentally.”
Defense attorney Sheley Davis pointed out there were no eyewitnesses to the alleged racing in the video and that Hudson maintained it was edited to show the speedometer surpassing 100 mph.
“He states, ‘I love this car. Everyone knows that a Dodge Charger is a real-wheel drive. Everyone knows that if you’re going to do speeds to 107 mph, you need two hands on that bad boy. This is my baby. I’m not going to mess up my car,’ ” Davis said.
On Wednesday, Hudson testified that nothing in the video was real: The dialogue was a skit and the rumbles were from sound effects.
He and his lawyer emphasized that he sees himself as an entertainer and presents a persona through social media. He’s barred from posting on his Instagram and the streaming site Twitch as part of the conditions of his release, so it’s unclear what sites, if any, he’s continued to use.
But it was clear he still sees himself as a content creator — even at his trial.
Soon after the jury began deliberations, Judge Melanie Tratnik brought back the lawyers and Hudson and said there had been concerns Hudson was livestreaming or recording the proceedings.
Hudson said he was wearing Meta glasses — glasses with black frames containing a tiny camera — but he wasn’t recording anything. Originally, he was going to ask to record in court, he told Tratnik, but his attorney told him not to.
Tratnik ordered him to take off the Meta glasses and turn off his phone in the courtroom, and modified his release conditions to add that he can’t livestream or post anything from the court proceedings.
Hudson said he had one follow-up question:
“Am I allowed to record out in the hallway?”
Tratnik said no.
In addition to the municipal court convictions, he’s racked up a list of infractions related to the car’s noise and appearance and was fined $83,000 for not bringing the car into compliance with Seattle regulations. He has also been accused of crimes unrelated to the car, such as misdemeanor charges of stalking and disclosing images without consent.
Hudson’s sentencing hearing is set for July 7. He faces a penalty of up to 364 days imprisonment and a fine of up to $5,000, as well as a license suspension of at least 30 days. He remains on electronic home monitoring, which he’s been under since last year.