Body Camera Footage Reveals Alleged Kidnapping of Officer by Armed Robbery Suspect in Tense Roadside Encounter

Intense footage from a body camera captures the dramatic moments when a California police officer was reportedly abducted by a suspect in an armed robbery case. During the incident, the officer was compelled to shoot the suspect in the leg as they sped down a local road.

The episode began around 5:16 a.m. on February 20, when Antioch Police Department (APD) officers were called to the FoodMaxx grocery store on Lone Tree Way. They responded to reports of an armed robbery involving several suspects, according to a statement shared by the authorities on social media.

While officers were trying to arrest the suspects, one of them allegedly attempted to escape. The suspect reportedly rammed his car into a police vehicle that had officers inside, sparking a physical confrontation between the suspect and an officer.

“During the struggle, the officer was dragged into the vehicle as the suspect drove forward, colliding with both a police car and a nearby store,” the APD reported.

Surveillance footage from the scene shows a group of alleged robbers crashing a stolen vehicle into the FoodMaxx grocery store in Antioch, California, on February 20, 2026.

The department-released video captures the shocking moment a stolen Infiniti burst through the grocery store’s front doors. Two men then exited the vehicle and entered the store, where they allegedly brandished a handgun to threaten the store clerk, according to police reports.

Within minutes, an Antioch police officer pulled into the parking lot and attempted to block the suspects’ vehicle as another officer approached the passenger side and opened the door. 

“Let me see your hands! Let me see your hands!” an officer is heard shouting.

Body camera video shows Officer Travis Donaldson being pushed into Dominick Desouza’s alleged getaway car in Antioch, Calif., on Feb. 20, 2026. (The Antioch Police Department)

The suspect allegedly subsequently accelerated forward at a high rate of speed, trapping the officer inside the vehicle as he sped away. 

“Stop the car! Stop the car!” the trapped officer, identified as Travis Donaldson, can be heard yelling. 

“Get out of the car, bro,” the suspect, later identified as 23-year-old Dominick Desouza, replied.

Officer Travis Donaldson points a gun at alleged armed robbery suspect Dominick Desouza after being trapped inside his car in Antioch, Calif., on Feb. 20, 2026. (The Antioch Police Department)

Desouza is heard threatening to crash the vehicle as the pair continue to argue. 

“Don’t do it,” Donaldson warns. “It’s not worth it.”

“I got a family, bro” Desouza replied. 

Donaldson then begins pleading with Desouza to pull over while also giving him an ultimatum.

“Stop the car, or I will shoot you in the leg,” Donaldson said. 

Body camera video shows Donaldson firing a single shot into Desouza’s leg.

“Officer Donaldson intentionally shot Desouza in the leg to reduce the likelihood of a fatality to Desouza, himself, and members of the community,” the APD said. 

Despite his injury, Desouza crashed into a parked car inside a residential neighborhood and fled on foot, but was located just minutes later, according to police.

Desouza was subsequently taken into custody and transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the APD added. Donaldson also only sustained minor injuries from the incident. 

Desouza is charged with kidnapping, robbery, burglary and assault on an officer, according to authorities.