A courtesy ride provided by a CHP officer has taken on a life of its own.

Modesto CHP Public Information Officer Tom Olsen said that on Thursday, Sept. 7 at approximately 10:45 a.m., the California Highway Patrol received a call of a pedestrian in the roadway on State Route120, at Orange Blossom Road east of Oakdale.

“An officer from our department arrived on scene at approximately 11:08 a.m. and contacted the individual, a white male adult. During their conversation, the male adult informed the officer he was in the process of walking to Oakdale,” Olsen said in a statement from the local CHP office. “Our officer asked the male if he wanted a ride, knowing the dangers of walking on this stretch of roadway, and the male graciously accepted his offer.”

The officer transported the male adult to a parking lot, just west of Stearns Road. The male adult thanked the officer for the ride. He was dropped off in the shopping complex that includes Tractor Supply and Raley’s, on the east end of Oakdale.

“It has been brought to our attention this incident was videotaped by a concerned citizen,” Olsen said. “The California Highway Patrol’s mission is to provide the highest level of safety, service and security to the people of California. With the recent heat wave, this incident verifies the officer provided a service that went beyond the normal call of duty.”

The incident, posted on social media, shows the officer taking handcuffs off the man as he was let out of the vehicle. Olsen said the officer followed CHP policy in handcuffing the passenger and it was done strictly for officer safety during the transport.

“This seems to be getting the wrong perception,” Olsen said, noting that there appears to be concern that the CHP is “dropping off homeless people” in the area.

Rather, the pedestrian was provided with the courtesy ride into town for his own safety, said Olsen, rather than walking along the heavily traveled highway.