A Houston Uber driver encountered an unexpected situation when two police officers jumped into his car, requesting his help in pursuing a suspect on foot. This incident, captured in a dramatic dashcam video, occurred around 12:20 a.m. on August 8 in a Houston Heights neighborhood.
Anthony Baines was on duty as an Uber driver when a shirtless man dashed across the street, followed closely by two Houston Police Department officers. Baines stopped his car as an officer signaled him, entered the front passenger seat, and directed him to follow the fleeing suspect.
“Hey, give me a ride over there please,” the officer instructed. “Go, go that way … go, go, go, go, go!”
Baines cooperated, seeking guidance on the direction to drive. After a short drive, the officer beckoned her partner, who wielded a flashlight, to join them in the vehicle. The partner quickly jumped into the back seat.
Dashcam video shows Baines driving with both officers as they searched for the suspect. After a few minutes, one officer spotted the suspect, prompting both officers to leap out of the car and resume the chase on foot.
A surprised Baines uttered, “What the f—?!” as the officers exited his vehicle. Reflecting on the incident, he remarked to Storyful, “It caught me completely off guard. I’ve never had anything like that happen while driving. I was surprised but just did what the officer asked in the moment.”
The Houston Police Department confirmed the video’s authenticity to KPRC 2. Officers were initially responding to a terroristic threat involving a suspect accused of threatening a woman and her children with a firearm, claiming theft.
Officers had attempted to detain the man as he exited an apartment, but he resisted and fled. After Baines’s assistance, officers returned to their patrol vehicle but were unable to apprehend the suspect. His identity remains undisclosed, and the investigation is ongoing.
In a social media post, Baines acknowledged his role in the incident, saying, “Yep, that was me. The Uber driver whose dashcam caught two HPD officers jumping in my car to chase a suspect.”
Baines, an Army veteran, husband, and father of two, drives for Uber to save for his first home with his wife.
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