Contra Costa Co. Cop Kidnapping Suspect In Court Today

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA —For the second time in two months, prosecutors charged a suspect with kidnapping an on-duty police officer — and this time the officer shot the driver while trapped inside a moving vehicle.

Prosecutors have charged the suspect, Dominick DeSouza, 23, with seven felonies, including kidnapping an officer, assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly using his vehicle against another officer, and robbery connected to the attempted holdup at FoodMaxx.

He also faces charges tied to earlier incidents of burglary, grand theft, and auto theft, according to reports. DeSouza has pleaded not guilty. He remains in custody with bail set at $600,000 and a parole hold and is scheduled to appear in court today, the East Bay Times reported.

Court records show DeSouza had been out of jail only four days before the incident after posting $55,000 bail in a domestic-violence assault case in Solano County, the East Bay Times reported.

The case marks the second alleged kidnapping of a law-enforcement officer in the East Bay in recent weeks — a rare crime that has now occurred twice since New Year’s Eve.

The latest case unfolded Feb. 20 in Antioch, where police say an attempted armed robbery at a FoodMaxx spiraled into a chaotic chase through city streets with an officer inside the suspect’s car.

The confrontation began around 5:16 a.m., when officers responded to the 4500 block of Lone Tree Way after a caller reported an armed robbery in progress. The caller told dispatchers that one suspect had threatened him with a gun.

When Officer Travis Donaldson arrived, police say a suspect rammed a patrol vehicle and attempted to flee. Donaldson tried to pull the driver from the car, but was himself dragged inside as the man stomped on the accelerator.

Donaldson was trapped inside the suspect’s car as it sped away, striking both a patrol vehicle and a nearby store.

For several minutes, Donaldson ordered the driver to stop as they sped through city streets, police said. When the man ignored repeated commands to pull over, the officer drew his service weapon and shot the driver in the leg, according to police reports.

The wounded suspect stopped the vehicle, got out, and tried to run but was quickly captured by other officers. Neither the officer nor the suspect suffered life-threatening injuries, police said.

In the earlier incident, the East Bay Times reported that Jonathan Vaca, 32, is suspected of pulling a California Highway Patrol officer into his vehicle in Hayward during a traffic stop on Dec. 31 and speeding away at nearly 80 mph. The officer later persuaded Vaca to let him out after warning that the chase could kill them both, according to a police report. Vaca was arrested weeks later and charged with kidnapping, according to the report.

The department has been rebuilding its ranks after a wave of departures in 2023 and 2024, the East Bay Times reported, when 13 officers left or were fired amid criminal allegations and a scandal involving racist and homophobic group chats.

Donaldson, who joined the Antioch Police Department in 2024, has been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is reviewed — a routine step whenever an officer fires a weapon, officials said.