Slow-Running Houston Cops Flag Down Uber To Help Chase Suspect They Lost, And He Still Got Away

Half an hour after midnight on Saturday, August 8, Uber driver and U.S. Army veteran Anthony Baines found himself helping Houston Police who were trying to apprehend a runaway suspect. He did so by giving the officers a ride.

According to HPD, speaking to the New York Times, the suspect was accused of threatening to shoot a woman and her two children at an apartment complex pool. The threat allegedly occurred during a verbal altercation in which the man believed something was stolen from him. What makes this even more comical (or not, depending on your views on alleged death threats) is that the shoeless, shirtless suspect was originally already detained but managed to slip away, leading to the foot chase in question.

The suspect was apparently too fast for the officers, which led to both of them jumping into and commandeering Baines's nearby Uber. They directed the ride-share driver in the direction of the fleeing suspect. "I just did what I was told," said Baines. A couple of minutes later, the officers got out of the car to continue their investigation on foot.

For the record, what happened here was apparently not a violation of HPD policy. Baines also notes that he was not paid for the impromptu ride. What makes this whole charade a little less humorous and more embarrassing is the fact that, despite the unpaid rideshare assist, the suspect remains at large. Yep, even with the assist, they didn't catch him.

A lot of the media coverage around this incident, and even Baines' own interview about it, feels light in nature — big "the cops, they're just like us, haha" energy. But stacking the facts (the suspect getting loose after initially being detained, him literally outrunning two HPD officers, and remaining on the loose despite the pursuers having access to a car), you just know the two officers involved are getting clowned for this heavily back at the station.

And for the sake of HPD's PR department (and, y'know, that lady and her kids), let's just pray the suspect doesn't actually follow through on those alleged threats.