Arrests made after police say shots fired call in Rock Island turned into pursuit with speeds up to 100 mph

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY., Ill. – Two are in custody after police say a shots fired call in Rock Island Wednesday night turned into a pursuit involving multiple agencies with speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Court docs reveal new details about police pursuit of man in stolen vehicle with guns

Rock Island Police said Thursday Daniel Niyonyishu, 18, is charged with the following:

• Aggravated Unlawful Use of Weapon
• Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle
• Aggravated Assault to Police Officer
• Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding
• Possession of Controlled Substance

UPDATE: An additional charge of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, a Class 1 Felony, was added to Niyonyishu’s case.

A 15-year-old boy was also arrested for Aggravated Unlawful Use of Weapon, and Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle, according to Rock Island police.

At around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to the 1000 block of 12th Street in Rock Island for a report of shots fired where a home and two parked vehicles had been struck but no injuries were reported, according to Rock Island Police.

During the investigation, a stolen black 2022 Kia Sportage out of Moline was identified as the suspect vehicle and surrounding law enforcement agencies were notified, according to Rock Island Police.

At around 12:20 a.m. that night, the Flock License Plate Reader system caught the suspect vehicle heading into Moline. An officer in the area initiated a pursuit and chased it into Rock Island along 18th Avenue, according to Rock Island Police.

Rock Island joined the more than half-hour long pursuit with Milan Police, East Moline Police, and the Sheriff’s Office, through ‘several’ jurisdictions at speed up to 100+ mph, according to Rock Island Police.

Officers made several attempts to use tire deflation devices to try to stop the suspect vehicle, according to Rock Island Police.

The driver of the Kia Sportage ‘intentionally swerved’ towards a Rock Island officer who was trying to deploy a tire deflation device, but the officer was not hurt, according to Rock Island Police.

The Kia Sportage struck a tire deflation device as it travelled northbound on the Rock Island-Milan Parkway in Milan, according to Rock Island Police.

Shortly after 1 a.m., the driver of the Kia Sportage lost control of the vehicle and struck a telephone pole in the 500 block of 16th Avenue in Rock Island. The driver and three passengers ran from the scene, according to Rock Island Police.

A second suspect vehicle identified as a blue 2011 Mazda MZ6 tried to interfere with officers trying to stop the Kia Sportage, according to Rock Island Police.

The driver of the Mazda intentionally struck one of the Moline squad cars before the driver abandoned the vehicle in the 2100 block of 10th Avenue and has not been found, according to Rock Island Police.

Both Niyonyishu, the driver of the Kia Sportage, and the 15-year-old front seat passenger were arrested after a foot pursuit, but the backseat passengers got away, according to Rock Island Police.

While on foot, the 15-year-old boy was seen tossing a loaded handgun with an extended magazine. While in custody, officers found a second loaded handgun with an extended magazine. An AR-style rifle was also found near the stolen Kia Sportage, according to Rock Island Police.

UPDATE: On Nov. 18, Niyonyishu pled Not Guilty to all charges. He remains in custody at the Rock Island County Jail

A pretrial conference is set for Dec. 19 at 8:30 a.m. in Rock Island County.