Escalating

What occurs when a police officer:

• Jumps on the hood of a car.
• Points a gun at the driver's head.
• "Gives orders" or "makes threats"?

Panic ensues.  It's rare for a driver to remain in check long enough to give a police officer ample time to "disembark the hood".  The police officer may or may not have gotten things backward.

That took the form of "escalating" the situation instead of the opposite.

Can anyone explain what went wrong?