HOUSTON – Uber driver Anthony Baines says it is one of the craziest things that has ever happened to him.
He says he was stopping at a stop sign at E. 7 1/2 Street and Oxford Street in The Heights neighborhood, adding he was about a block away from picking up someone who requested a ride.
That’s when he saw a man running with no shirt on with two Houston police officers trailing behind. And it was all caught on his car’s dash cam. The second officer is seen with a flashlight approaching Baines’ car.
“Hey, give me a ride over there please,” the officer says. “Go, go that way....go go go go go.”
Baines says after picking up both officers, the only conversation he had with them was this:
“Alright, which way am I going,” Baines asked.
“Go that way,” the officers respond, pointing in a certain direction.
Houston police have confirmed the authenticity of the video and incident. They tell KPRC 2 they received a call reporting the man running in the video had threatened to shoot a mom and her two kids. HPD said the man was upset because he thought someone had stolen from him.
HPD says when officers tried to detain the man as he was leaving an apartment, he refused to cooperate and took off running.
Despite Baines’ help, HPD says they weren’t able to find the man.
KPRC 2 has reached out to the Houston Police department asking about what their policy is for officers using a person’s car, to chase a suspect on foot.