A motorist who previously spent time in prison for DUI has been charged with DUI again after authorities said he drove a vehicle into a man pushing a wheelchair on the side of the road, then fled the scene.
Emilio Archila, 26, appeared in the courtroom of Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure early Tuesday where the judge reaffirmed a previously set bail of $500,000 in the case.
Court records show Archila has three prior DUI arrests and convictions in the Las Vegas Valley. He was sent to prison in August 2024 for 14 to 48 months for DUI, according to District Court and Nevada Department of Corrections online records.
Archila is now charged with two counts of DUI causing substantial bodily harm with a prior DUI conviction, reckless driving and failure to stop at the scene of crash in a Thursday night collision on South Rancho Drive near Sahara Avenue.
The Metropolitan Police Department said in a press release that at 9:56 p.m., a 61-year-old man was pushing a wheelchair northbound along Rancho Drive, near the east curb line of the street, when a 2016 Audi A3 headed north on Rancho drifted to the right and struck the man.
The victim’s identity has not been released. He was taken to University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
Police said the driver of the Audi sped off after the collision and then was involved in another traffic crash at Teddy Drive. The motorist drove off from that collision as well.
Police said they eventually located the Audi and arrested Archila. Details of a blood-alcohol content or what authorities suspected Archila of being under the influence of were not immediately available.
In a brief court appearance Tuesday, Archila was asked if he’d received a copy of the criminal complaint charging him with four felonies stemming from the crashes.
“Yes, your honor,” Archila said.
The Clark County public defender’s office was appointed to represent Archila. Bonaventure ordered that if Archila does post bond, that he be subject to alcohol and drug monitoring. The judge said Archila is also prevented from driving if released.
Las Vegas Justice Court records show Archila was first arrested on a charge of DUI first offense in 2020. He was convicted of misdemeanor DUI and received a 30-day suspended jail sentence and ordered to complete DUI school, a victim impact panel, 40 hours of community service and have a breath interlock device placed on a vehicle. The case was closed when Archila completed all the requirements in March of 2021.
Four months after his first DUI arrest, Archila was charged with another count of DUI, failure to possess a driver’s license, failure to decrease speed or use due care, failure to obey traffic control devices and overtaking on left side or making left turn in a prohibited zone. All of the charges were misdemeanors. Archila pleaded no contest to DUI and received a nearly identical sentence as the one doled out in his first case.
In 2022 he received a misdemeanor citation for failure to maintain a travel lane prompting a no contest plea to stop, standing or parking vehicle in a prohibited place. He was fined $250.
In August of 2022 Archila was charged with DUI third offense. He pleaded guilty to a felony count of DUI in District Court. Archila was initially sentenced to a program known as Felony DUI Court but in 2024 he was terminated from the program. He was then sent to prison for 14 to 48 months.
He had a parole hearing in March of 2025 but his release date from prison and the circumstances of that release weren’t immediately clear on Tuesday.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
