Houston Uber Driver Assists Police in Pursuit of Suspect

In Houston, an Uber driver experienced an unexpected moment when two police officers jumped into his vehicle, directing him to chase a fleeing suspect. Dashcam video captured the event, showing how Anthony Baines, the driver, maintained his composure throughout the incident.

Baines was driving in the Houston Heights neighborhood around 12:20 a.m. on August 8. A shirtless man suddenly crossed the street in front of his vehicle, pursued by two officers from the Houston Police Department, as reported by Storyful.

The video footage shows an officer motioning Baines to stop. She approaches and enters the front passenger seat.

“Hey, give me a ride over there please,” the officer insists. “Go, go that way … go, go, go, go, go!”

Baines asks which direction to head as officers point towards the suspect. After a short drive, the officer signals her partner, who is carrying a flashlight, to enter the vehicle. The partner jumps into the backseat.

The officers accompany Baines for several minutes while scanning the area. They eventually spot the suspect, leap from the vehicle, and continue the chase on foot.

“What the f—?!” Baines exclaims as the officers exit his car.

Baines shared with Storyful that the incident took him by surprise. “I’ve never experienced anything like that while driving,” he expressed. “I was caught off guard but complied with the officer’s request.”

The Houston police verified the video’s authenticity. Officers were responding to a terroristic threat claim. The suspect allegedly threatened to shoot a woman and her children over a stolen item. Police attempted to detain the man as he left an apartment, but he fled. An officer asked Baines to drive them to an apartment complex before they returned to their vehicle, according to KPRC.

Despite their efforts, the police did not capture the suspect. His identity remains undisclosed, and the investigation continues.

Baines later confirmed on social media that he was the driver involved in the dashcam incident.

“Yep, that was me,” he wrote. “The Uber driver whose dashcam captured two HPD officers jumping into my car to chase a suspect.”

Baines is an Army veteran, a husband, and a father of two. He started driving for Uber to save for his first home with his wife. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Houston Police Department and Uber for comments.