VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – An 18-year-old was taken into custody after he allegedly pointed a gun at Virginia Beach police officers Tuesday morning. A second individual was also arrested in connection to the incident.

It happened just before 4 a.m. when officers responded to a call for shots fired in the area of Bonney Road and Trace Court. When officers arrived on the scene, they heard shots coming from the dead end of Trace Court and immediately responded to the area.

While searching the area, two people told officers that someone fired shots and ran into one of the apartment homes. Officers established a perimeter around the apartment and used a megaphone to command the occupants to come out.

Minutes later, a man and a woman came out of the home and the woman told police her son Elijah was still inside. About 20 minutes later, Elijah Santiago, of Virginia Beach, allegedly stepped outside and pointed a handgun with an extended magazine at the officers and then ran back inside the apartment.

Santiago later surrendered to police and was charged with four counts of assault on law enforcement officer, extended magazine in public, discharge of a firearm in city limits, brandishing, and solicitation of a straw purchase. He was not hit by police gunfire.

Another individual was arrested an charged in connection to the incident. 22-year-old Griffin Elwyn was charged with possession of a firearm by violent convicted felon.

A search warrant led to the recovery of a handgun, a 16 round magazine and a 30 round magazine.

During an interview with police, Santiago confessed to possession of the gun and the extended magazine. He also admitted to pointing the gun in the direction of the officers. However, Santiago said he did not know it was the police, according to VBPD. Police say the 18-year-old told them he only fired his gun because he was scared. Additionally, police said Santiago told them a friend bought the gun for him on Monday, Aug. 12 at Superior Gun because he isn’t old enough to purchase a firearm.

The officers who discharged their firearms are uninjured and have been placed on administrative leave.

Police released information to the public and news media about four hours into the investigation. Police blocked off Bonney Road, between South Kentucky Avenue and Happy Street, during the investigation. All lanes reopened before noon. 

Photos from the scene show a heavy police presence at the apartment complex, which is right across from the Virginia Beach Antique Mall.

A family that lives near the scene told 10 On Your Side they woke up to no power. A Dominion Energy representative confirmed there was a transformer failure “caused by a stray bullet.” The outage impacted ten customers.

“This is too close to home,” said an anonymous neighbor. “Stray bullets have no destination. They just fly someone could have easily be seen walking. I could have been in the bag taking my trash and anything could have happened. I thank God I’m still here!”

A man afraid to go on camera or have his voice recorded said he said he heard rounds of shots back-to-back, while he was out walking his dog around 3:30a.m.

Many people in the area are afraid and preparing to move out of the area. 

“I am in the process of trying to move away from this area because things have gotten, unfortunately, a little a little rough over the years,” said a neighbor.”

WAVY.com asked VBPD for an interview with the police chief or department spokesperson.

“At this time, we won’t be conducting any interviews on scene, as there are no new updates to share. However, if there are any significant developments, I will be sure to keep you informed,” said police officials.

The VBPD Detective Bureau is conducting two criminal investigations into this incident. Upon completion, all evidence obtained by VBPD will be turned over to the Virginia Beach Office of the Commonwealth Attorney (OCA) who will review for compliance with existing law.

This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information relating to this case is asked to contact the Virginia Beach Police Detective Bureau at 757-385-4101 or the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.