CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) -- It’s been a rough start to the week for one Central Virginia community: suspects flashing weapons at female VSU students walking down Second Avenue in Ettrick Monday, followed by a carjacking 30 minutes later. Then an attempted robbery of a man in his own driveway off Truth Drive Tuesday night.
“I got my mail and went back to my car to grab groceries,” the man said. “Then I walked to my door and heard someone yell at me."
The victim, who wished to remain anonymous, says a higher power told him to yell. “The Lord spoke to me," he said. "I said, ‘Hey, hey, hey!’ and he ran down the street with his boys.”
He said the suspect had pointed a gun at him.
Were those suspects linked to the events a couple of days before on and near the VSU campus? Law enforcement sources say campus police and Chesterfield Police are sharing notes.
Wednesday morning VSU Police announced the arrest of a juvenile they believe was involved in the two crimes near their campus Monday and even suggested that more juvenile arrests are imminent.
Meanwhile, long-time business owners in the area like Rock Bates are noticing a dangerous trend. "I took over this place in 1986,” Bates said. "Things are worse than they've ever been down here."
His auto repair business has been broken into several times in 2013 and he says he's shoring up windows with plywood and steel bars.
He and other crime victims are worried about today's youth.
"These kids are running wild,” he said. “Nobody's working. They do whatever they can to take what's not theirs.”
RELATED: VSU community on edge after campus carjacking, robbery
