Released body camera video from Antioch, California shows a chaotic robbery response that turned into something far more dangerous when a police officer was knocked into a suspect’s getaway vehicle and driven away while trapped in the passenger seat.
According to an ABC7 report, the incident began on February 20 after Antioch police responded to a reported armed robbery at a grocery store. Surveillance video showed an SUV backing into the store’s front doors, shattering the glass, before two people ran inside.
Just minutes later, officers arrived and tried to stop the SUV from leaving, but the confrontation quickly escalated when one officer opened the passenger-side door and confronted the driver.
The driver suddenly reversed, knocking the officer into the SUV, then shifted into drive and sped away with the officer still inside.
Robbery Call Turns Into A Moving Confrontation
ABC7 reported that surveillance footage captured the beginning of the incident, with a crew of thieves using the SUV to smash through the grocery store’s doors. The break-in itself was already serious, but the danger grew once officers arrived and tried to block the vehicle from escaping.
One dash camera angle showed a police vehicle being hit and shoved out of the way as the suspect drove off. Inside the SUV, the officer’s body camera captured the frightening moments that followed as he tried to regain control of a situation unfolding inside a moving vehicle.
“Stop the car! Stop the car!” the officer shouted in the footage.
The officer repeatedly warned the driver that he would shoot if the vehicle did not stop. At one point, the suspect could be heard saying he was going to drive “like 10 miles an hour” and telling the officer to put the gun down because he did not trust him.
That exchange shows how strange and dangerous the situation had become. The officer was not standing outside the car during a normal traffic stop or chasing the suspect from behind. He was physically trapped inside the fleeing vehicle with the person he was trying to arrest.
Officer Warns Driver Before Opening Fire
According to ABC7, the officer warned the driver several times before firing.
“I’m warning you,” the officer said in the bodycam footage. “I will shoot your leg.”
The officer then continued ordering the driver to stop the car, yelling that he would shoot if the suspect kept going. Police later said the officer intentionally shot the suspect in the leg.
The decision to fire inside a moving vehicle is the kind of moment that investigators will examine closely, because it carries risk for everyone nearby. A wounded driver can lose control, a moving vehicle can become a weapon, and any shot fired in such a tight space can create added danger.
At the same time, the bodycam video also shows how little room the officer had to work with. He was inside the suspect’s SUV, being carried away from the original scene, while the driver refused to stop.
That is what makes the footage so intense. It is not a distant chase captured from a helicopter or a patrol car; it is a close, unstable confrontation where the officer is only a few feet from the suspect and has no clear way out until the vehicle stops.
Crash, Foot Chase, And Arrest
Moments after the shooting, ABC7 reported that the driver crashed into a parked car, then jumped out of the SUV and ran away on foot.
The officer was finally able to get out of the vehicle and began searching the neighborhood for the suspect. More officers quickly flooded the area and eventually found the driver hiding in bushes nearby.
Bodycam audio captured officers ordering the suspect to keep his hands up and not move as they took him into custody.
“Hands up! Keep your hands up,” officers shouted during the arrest.
The suspect, identified by ABC7 as 23-year-old Dominic D’Souza, could be heard yelling that he had been shot. Paramedics took him to a local hospital for treatment of a bullet wound to the leg.
The officer was not injured, according to the report.
That outcome is fortunate given how many things could have gone wrong. A robbery suspect fleeing in a vehicle, an officer trapped inside, a gunshot fired, a crash into a parked car, and a foot pursuit through a neighborhood all created risks beyond the original crime scene.
Charges Filed Against The Suspect
ABC7 reported that D’Souza is now facing charges including kidnapping, robbery, grand theft, and assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
The kidnapping charge appears tied to the officer being taken away inside the SUV after the suspect drove off with him still in the passenger seat. The assault charge reflects the danger created when the driver allegedly used the vehicle in a way that put the officer and others at risk.
The case is unusual because the officer was not merely chasing the suspect; he became part of the getaway. That distinction changes the nature of the event, because the officer’s bodycam captured the fear and urgency from inside the suspect’s vehicle rather than from a patrol car behind it.
In many police chase cases, the public sees the pursuit from a distance. Here, the footage puts viewers right inside the small space where the officer had to make decisions while the car was still moving.
Multiple Reviews Are Underway
According to ABC7, multiple investigations have been launched to determine whether Antioch Police Department policies and procedures were followed.
That review process is expected in any officer-involved shooting, especially one involving a moving vehicle. Investigators will likely look at the officer’s actions, the driver’s behavior, the risks to the public, the warnings given before the shot, and whether department policy allowed the use of force under those conditions.
The released footage will be central to that review because it captures the officer’s repeated commands and warnings, the driver’s refusal to stop, and the moment the incident moved from robbery response to a kidnapping allegation.
These reviews are important not only for accountability, but also for understanding how fast a routine police response can become a life-threatening event. Officers responding to a smash-and-grab robbery may expect a fleeing suspect, but being pulled into the getaway car creates a different level of danger.
A Violent Escape Attempt Caught On Camera
The ABC7 report shows how quickly the situation changed once officers reached the grocery store.
One moment, police were responding to a robbery involving a vehicle used to ram a storefront. The next, an officer was inside the fleeing SUV, yelling for the driver to stop and warning that he would shoot.
There is no clean or comfortable way to describe a scene like that. It was messy, loud, dangerous, and unpredictable, which is often what real police encounters look like before they become official reports and court filings.
The bodycam footage also shows why vehicle-based incidents can become so dangerous so quickly. A car can be an escape tool, a confined space, and a weapon all at once, especially when a suspect refuses to stop while an officer is partly or fully inside.
For Antioch police, the case will now move through the criminal courts and internal review channels. For the public, the released video offers a rare view of a robbery response that spiraled into a moving confrontation, ending only after an officer fired from inside the suspect’s getaway car and the driver crashed moments later.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
