- Miles Hudson, who drives the infamous “Belltown Hellcat,” has been sued by the city of Seattle.
- The municipality accuses the driver of tuning his vehicle to break noise bylaws.
- If the city wins, Hudson will be fined $1,300 per day that his vehicle violated the rules after April 15.
Part of the appeal of muscle cars is their roar, but sometimes, that can cross the line. One Washington resident, Miles Hudson, is now facing legal action from the city of Seattle due to the excessive noise produced by his Dodge Charger Hellcat, which has left many of his neighbors infuriated.
Hudson’s Charger Hellcat has become infamous in the area, with residents complaining that the sound of the engine can be heard all through the night. Fortunately, the owner wasn’t too hard to find, because he posts about his exploits on social media, and has also shown himself driving through the city at many times the posted limit.
More: Judge Bans Belltown Hellcat From Driving His Dodge Charger, But Can Drive Anything Else
As a result, Hudson was charged with multiple counts of reckless driving last month and received a court order prohibiting him from driving the Charger, though he retained the privilege to drive any other vehicle. Now, he may also face large fines for the sound the car makes, as a result of a lawsuit filed in Seattle municipal court.
Hudson is accused of modifying his Charger to make it louder, and tuning the engine to “backfire when the throttle is transitioned,” per Komonews. The suit claims that the vehicle is not in compliance with city code, and seeks to fine him $1,300 for every day after April 15 that his vehicle violated Seattle’s sound bylaws.
Although the Charger was supposed to be grounded, the complaint lists a number of calls cops received from community members relating to the specific vehicle, as well as Instagram posts made by Hudson. So far, the driver has come off as unrepentant about the nuisance and danger his antics have caused.
“I asked Hudson why he didn’t just go to a racetrack to utilize his vehicle there,” an officer wrote in a police report in March. “He stated that he had ‘almost 700,000 followers’ on his social media, and that the amount of money he makes on filming his videos of him in his vehicle on the street has paid for the car. Hudson stated, ‘I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m going to make a career out of this’. Hudson then showed me his social media page.”
Police were able to find Hudson thanks to a Reddit page “exclusively dedicated to logging the citizens'” complaints against the infamous “Belltown Hellcat.” Their investigation reports that the vehicle was purchased by Hudson and his mother, and that she is listed as the registered owner, and he is an additional-registered owner.