A Houston Uber driver, Anthony Baines, found himself in an unexpected situation when two police officers jumped into his vehicle. They directed him to pursue a suspect fleeing on foot, and the dashcam footage captured the unusual event.
Baines was operating his Uber around 12:20 a.m. on August 8, in the Houston Heights area. He noticed a shirtless man running across the street, pursued by Houston Police Department officers. One officer waved him down, and Baines stopped his car as she entered the front passenger seat.
‘Hey, give me a ride over there please,’ the officer instructed. ‘Go, go that way … go, go, go, go, go!’
Baines asked for directions, following the guidance given by the officers to pursue the suspect. Along the way, the officer signaled her partner, who was carrying a flashlight, to join them in the vehicle. Both officers searched the area before exiting the Uber to continue the chase on foot.
Baines expressed his shock in the moment, saying, ‘What the f—?!’ after the officers abruptly left his car.
He later told Storyful, ‘It caught me completely off guard. I’ve never had anything like that happen driving. I was surprised but just did what the officer asked in the moment.’
Houston Police confirmed the authenticity of the footage and the incident. They had been responding to a terroristic threat call after a suspect allegedly threatened to shoot a woman and her children, believing someone had stolen from him. Officers attempted to detain the man as he left an apartment, but he fled.
Despite the assistance from Baines, police did not apprehend the suspect. His identity remains unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.
Baines shared the experience on social media, confirming he was the Uber driver featured in the dashcam video. He described himself as an Army veteran, husband, father of two, and is driving for Uber to save for a home.
Fox News Digital has reached out to HPD and Uber for further comment.