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Gunman tried hiding in Petersburg homes to evade police, neighbors say

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PETERSBURG, Va. -- An argument, shots fired, and a police chase are all what made up a wild Wednesday evening in Petersburg.

A man running from police barged into a woman's home, asking her to hide him, even offering drugs in return for her silence.

"He came running into my house and said if you take care of me, I'll take care of you," the woman, who would like to remain anonymous, said.

A bizarre and brazen gesture towards the woman, a grandmother, in Petersburg Wednesday evening.

The woman says she heard a gunman fire off a round of gunshots in a nearby alley. She says she immediately took cover once she heard the shots.

"I heard the gunshots and ran into my house because bullets don't have no name on it," she said.

When the woman ran into her home, she was surprised to see the man run into her home, uninvited, in an attempt to hide from police.

She says the man offered her drugs to stay quiet.

"Some crack. And I said I don't do drugs. I just had open-heart surgery," she said.

The woman said thankfully after she said no, the man ran out the front door. The woman says she was worried since her two grandchildren had just arrived home from school.

Police believe the man ran into her home after he fired multiple shots on Oakdale Avenue in Petersburg.

CBS 6's Jon Burkett says he spoke to a woman who was feeding her child on her front porch when the man walked up with a gun and demanded she unlock her fence.

The woman, who would like to remain anonymous, said she ran inside her home and locked the door instead.

"I saw cop cars in all different directions and didn't know what was going on," said Phillip Smith, a man who flips houses in the area. He says he pulled up to a nearby home just after the shots rang out.

Smith says he knew police found and arrested the man after a short search, but still has concerns after hearing the suspect's gun, a small pink and silver handgun, still had not been found.

"A lot of children in this area, and all it takes is one of them to pick it up and you have an accident," Smith said.

The grandmother expressed the same concerns. "I'm worried that one of the kids will pick it up," she said.

Police have not yet released the suspect's name and what charges he will soon face.

This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.

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