Houston Uber Driver Assists Police in Unexpected Chase

A Houston Uber driver found himself in a surprising situation when two police officers jumped into his vehicle, instructing him to follow a suspect fleeing on foot. The incident happened around 12:20 a.m. on August 8 in the Houston Heights neighborhood. Dashcam footage captured the unexpected event.

Anthony Baines was driving for Uber when a shirtless man crossed in front of his car. Two officers from the Houston Police Department were closely pursuing him. The video shows an officer approaching Baines’s car, asking for assistance in chasing the suspect. She quickly entered the front passenger seat.

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

Baines followed the officers’ directions, and shortly after, a second officer with a flashlight joined them in the backseat. The officers rode with Baines for several minutes, searching for the suspect. They eventually spotted him, exited the car, and continued their pursuit on foot.

Baines later expressed his surprise at the event. “It caught me completely off guard,” Baines told Storyful. “I’ve never had anything like that happen while driving. I was surprised but just did what the officer asked in that moment.”

The police confirmed the video’s authenticity and stated that the officers were responding to a terroristic threat call. The suspect allegedly threatened to shoot a woman and her children, believing someone had stolen from him. Officers attempted to detain the man at his apartment complex, but he ran away.

Baines later identified himself as the Uber driver in a social media post, saying, “Yep, that was me. The Uber driver whose dashcam caught two HPD officers jumping in my car to chase a suspect.” He mentioned that he is an Army veteran, husband, and father of two. Baines began driving for Uber to save for a home with his wife.

Despite the unexpected assistance, the police did not locate the suspect. The investigation is ongoing, and the suspect’s identity has not been disclosed.