VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The police chief in Virginia Beach is sending a strong message to a group of suspects behind an overnight shooting targeting one of his officers.
Two local teenagers are already behind bars in connection to the crime. It all happened in the College Park area of the city, just after 2 a.m. on Wednesday.
Some people who live nearby said, in a way, they are not surprised by another act of violence in their community.
"I just heard a lot of gunshots, very rapid, very loud," one woman said.
"This is totally sad," another woman said. "There have been a series of shootings I've heard in the area, as well as some nuisances with some teenagers loitering and some bad behavior in the neighborhood."
Virginia Beach police officers say they responded to the ReNew apartment complex on Craftsman Drive in plain clothes to follow up on reports of people stealing firearms from cars.
One police officer traveling in an unmarked car recalled receiving a hail of bullets up the road near Commonwealth Place and Commonwealth Drive. A group of suspects started firing at him, a news release stated.
"A lot of feelings. One is outrage, one is relief," said Police Chief Paul Neudigate.
The only injuries to the officer involved are cuts from the flying glass. He is doing OK, a police department spokesperson said.
The officer did have to return fire, the spokesperson added. However, detectives believe no one was ultimately struck by any bullets.
The group of suspects took off running, police also said. However, responding officers caught up with a teenaged boy from Norfolk and a teenaged boy from Virginia Beach who now face car tampering and gun charges.
"We have young men in this community, 16 years old running around with firearms willing to shoot at... do they know it's the police, do they not, do they think it's an average citizen? Regardless, it's unacceptable," said Chief Neudigate.
He said they believe more suspects are on the run.
"You shoot at one of our officers, we're going to pull every resource we have to find you and hold you accountable. That's what we're doing right now," the chief added.
Neudigate said investigators are still looking into why the suspects began firing.
The VBPD Homicide Unit is investigating and when completed, will turn over all evidence to the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office who will determine if any more charges will be filed.
An internal affairs investigation is also being conducted into the shooting.
If you have any information about this shooting, you can anonymously contact the Crime Line at 1-888-562-5887 or submit a tip online at P3TIPS.COM, or on their smartphone on the P3TIPS app.