Houston police officers chasing a man accused of threatening to shoot a woman and her two children found another set of wheels when an Uber happened to be stopped nearby.
HPD told KPRC that officers were taking statements about the alleged threats in Houston’s Heights when the man came out of an apartment. They tried to detain him, but he ran.
Uber driver Anthony Baines was stopped near East 7 1/2 Street and Oxford Street around 12:20 a.m. on Aug. 8 when the suspect ran across the street in front of his car. Two officers followed behind him, with enough distance opening between them that Baines did not think they would catch the man on foot.
Baines was about a block from his next Uber pickup when one of those officers reached his car and asked for a ride.
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“Hey, give me a ride over there, please,” the officer can be heard saying in dashcam footage recorded by Baines.
The officer got into the car and directed Baines toward the fleeing man. A short distance later, Baines stopped for the second officer, who climbed in too. For the next few minutes, the Uber became transportation for the pursuit as the officers directed him around the neighborhood.
The footage shows both officers eventually getting out of the car. The officer’s request had caught Baines by surprise.
“I didn’t know what my rights were at the moment, but I’m glad I was able to help,” Baines said.
Houston Police Officers’ Union President Doug Griffith told FOX 26 that nothing prohibited Baines from helping the officers, but nothing required him to provide the ride either.
“There is also nothing that prohibits them from going, ‘No, I’m not going to do that, I don’t want to be involved,'” Griffith said. “There’s nothing that forces or compels anyone to help out.”
Baines said his wife was more concerned about his unexpected role in the pursuit, pointing out that the officers had signed up and were being paid to encounter potentially dangerous situations while her husband had not. Baines, however, said he was glad he helped.
On Foot
HPD’s foot-pursuit policy tells officers to weigh the need to immediately apprehend a suspect against the risks of continuing the pursuit.
Officers are also told to consider alternatives, including containing the area, bringing in additional patrol personnel, using canine or air support, or apprehending a known suspect later. An initiating officer generally should not try to overtake a fleeing suspect, but should keep the person in sight until enough backup is available.
Should they lose sight of the suspect, the pursuit can shift to an active search, which can include establishing a perimeter.
The policy does not specifically address using a civilian vehicle during a foot pursuit.
HPD’s separate motor vehicle pursuit policy defines a pursuit as an officer in an emergency vehicle chasing a suspect driving a motor vehicle who is fleeing and has been directed to stop with emergency lights and sirens.
HPD said the officers returned to their patrol vehicle and continued searching, but they were unable to find the man.