A California police officer was accidentally trapped inside a getaway vehicle and kidnapped by an armed robbery suspect, forcing him to shoot the driver to escape after a harrowing high-speed ordeal captured on bodycam footage.

Dramatic Robbery Turns Into Kidnapping

The incident unfolded at approximately 5:15 a.m. on February 20 when a vehicle crashed through the entrance of a FoodMaxx grocery store in Antioch, California. Three armed suspects entered the store and threatened employees before police arrived within three minutes. As officers responded to the scene, the getaway driver crashed into an occupied police cruiser while attempting to flee. Officer Travis Donaldson lunged toward the suspect’s vehicle as it reversed back toward the store, but fell inside through the passenger door just as the car sped away with him trapped inside.

Desperate Exchange Inside Speeding Vehicle

Bodycam footage from inside the vehicle captured the terrifying confrontation between Donaldson and the driver, identified as 23-year-old Dominick DeSouza. The video shows a frantic exchange with the officer repeatedly commanding DeSouza to stop the car while the suspect yelled for him to get out. DeSouza drove erratically, refusing all commands and threatening to crash the vehicle, shouting he would not go to jail. When DeSouza told the officer to jump from the moving car without slowing down, Donaldson warned he would use deadly force if the driver did not stop immediately.

Officer Forced to Shoot Suspect

After DeSouza refused repeated commands and continued driving dangerously, Officer Donaldson fired his weapon, striking the suspect in the leg. DeSouza screamed in pain, lost control of the vehicle, and crashed before fleeing on foot. Additional officers arrived and located DeSouza hiding in nearby bushes within ten minutes. He was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged DeSouza with kidnapping, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon upon a peace officer, two counts of burglary, grand theft, and unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle. The incident highlights the split-second dangers officers face during routine calls.