PETERSBURG, Va. β For more than half a century, Westover Avenue in Petersburg's Walnut Hill neighborhood has remained a quiet place. Now some neighbors are scared because of a two-month crime spree on their street.
Home security video captured the moment a Westover Avenue homeowner confronted someone in his driveway.
The flashlight pointed at the homeowner was attached to a handgun, according to the resident.
The suspect dropped the gun as he climbed an eight-foot fence to get away.
"That's very scary, I never want to hear about something like that here. And we don't hear about that here and that's what's the craziest thing for us," neighbor Brooke Chappell said after seeing the video.
For more than two months, police say Westover Avenue in Petersburg has been targeted multiple times by thieves breaking into cars and homes.
"They broke out a window in the back of the car and then it happened to the next-door neighbor. They got in his truck. They got the people across the street," one neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said.
Some homeowners increased security by adding cameras.
One caught a person breaking into a car.
But one night a suspect ripped down surveillance cameras and security lights to avoid being seen.
It's not just cameras neighbors are adding.
"The neighbors are arming up and not afraid to maybe carry a firearm while they are walking," neighbor Marlo Underwood said. [It's] a little un-nerving because I've always felt, like I said, safe walking this street."
To fight the criminals, many people living on Westover Avenue have joined a newly created neighborhood watch.
"Because the neighbors are banding together and normally, we just stay to ourselves, which is nice, but this is a collaborative effort," Underwood said.
"To hear this has been happening, it's just been a little jarring," neighbor Courtney Chappell said. "We just want to make sure everyone is safe. That people who have been here for years are safe. Children who live here are safe. I think that's the most important thing."
Neighbors say the thieves are turning life on a peaceful street into a nightmare.
"We don't want to live in fear, nobody wants to live in fear, so yes, I definitely hope it stops," Underwood said.
Petersburg police say if you believe someone is on your property to call 911 and not confront them.
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