Police officers in Sacramento, California, recently put their lives on the line to rescue a suspect from extreme danger.
The incident happened on June 1 when the officers were in pursuit of a driver whose car police said was connected to an armed carjacking, ABC 10 reported on Friday.
Dashcam footage shows part of the brief chase when the car smashed into a chain-link fence and crashed onto airport property.
The suspect’s vehicle goes over a slight hill and seconds later a burst of flames is seen in the dark sky, the clip shared by the Sacramento Police Department shows.
“Vehicle’s on fire,” one officer is heard saying as he approaches the scene. Body camera footage then shows the officers climbing over the damaged chain-link fence to get to the car that was on fire:
Recently, our officers were in a brief pursuit of a suspect vehicle involved in a carjacking. After the pursuit ended in a crash, the suspect’s vehicle caught fire. Without hesitation, our officers ran toward the burning car and quickly pulled the driver to safety. Their calm, focused, and courageous actions reflect the professionalism and dedication our officers bring to every situation.
Posted by Sacramento Police Department on Friday, June 27, 2025
The ABC 10 article named the officers who ran toward the danger: Keegan Hironaka, Nicholas Duncan, and Riley Start.
When they got close to the vehicle, the driver was heard screaming for help. The grass surrounding the car was also on fire and the officers acted quickly to get the driver out of the vehicle. Once an officer broke the window, the suspect reached out and the officers pulled him out of the burning car and helped him get to safety.
“Please, please help me! Please help me!” the suspect is heard saying over and over. The officers made sure no one else was in the car before handcuffing the suspect, whose legs were reportedly broken during the crash.
Officers were concerned about the fire reaching the gas tank and Duncan said, “It became more of a rescue mission, and we really, really wanted to make sure that we could get that person out of there and make sure that everyone was safe.”
The suspect is facing charges in the alleged carjacking and police pursuit.
Meanwhile, the officers said people have been calling them heroes for their actions but Start said, “I just feel like we’re doing our job.”
Duncan expressed how proud he felt in getting to work with his fellow officers who are so selfless, while Hironaka said he hopes the clip is a warning to citizens.
“I just want people to pull over when we turn on our lights,” he commented.
The police department said one of its core values is dedication. Their website states, “Public Safety is not just a job; it’s a calling. It means staying true to our mission despite challenges, judged not just by our actions but by the impact on those we serve.”
In May, President Donald Trump observed national Police Week. His statement read “[W]e honor our brave officers who serve on the front lines to protect our families, safeguard our communities, and shoulder a burden of responsibility that most Americans cannot fathom.”
