Houston Uber Driver Engages in Unusual Police Chase

A Houston Uber driver was taken by surprise but managed to stay composed when two police officers jumped into his car and instructed him to pursue a suspect fleeing on foot. This dramatic event was captured on dashcam video.

Anthony Baines was on his regular Uber shift around 12:20 a.m. on August 8 in the Houston Heights area when a shirtless man suddenly dashed across the street in front of his vehicle, with two Houston Police Department officers in close pursuit.

In the video, Baines can be seen stopping his car after an officer waves him down. The officer quickly hops into the front passenger seat.

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

Baines, understandably a bit confused, asks where he should go as the officers point in the direction of the fleeing suspect. After driving a short distance, one of the officers signals to her partner to join them, and he climbs into the backseat.

The officers rode with Baines for several minutes while scanning the area for the suspect, before one officer seemed to spot him. Both officers then jumped out of the Uber to continue their pursuit on foot.

Baines is heard exclaiming, “What the f—?!” as the officers sprint away from his vehicle.

“It caught me completely off guard,” Baines explained afterward. “I’ve never had anything like that happen driving. I was surprised but just did what the officer asked in the moment.”

The Houston Police Department has confirmed the incident and the authenticity of the video. They stated that the officers were responding to a report of a terroristic threat, in which the suspect allegedly threatened to shoot a woman and her children over a perceived theft.

Authorities indicated that they tried to detain the man as he exited an apartment, but he refused to cooperate and fled. An officer asked Baines to drive them around the block to reapproach the scene, after which the officers returned to their own vehicle.

Despite the unusual collaboration, the police were unable to locate the suspect, whose identity has not yet been made public. The investigation is still ongoing.

Baines confirmed his involvement in this unexpected chase via a social media post, sharing that he was indeed the Uber driver featured in the dashcam footage. He described himself as an Army veteran, a husband, and a father of two, adding that he took up driving for Uber to help save for their first home.

Authorities from both the Houston Police Department and Uber were contacted for comments regarding the incident.