Considering he was already out of his car, simply observing the direction the suspect went, then yes it was a good idea.
With all that in context lets realize one more thing. A suggestion from a 911 operator is not a command or an order. They suggested to him that he not follow the suspect. So, like a normal person would, he simply stopped trying to see where he went. This can all be verified by the unedited 911 calls.