April 13, 2007

Charlottesville police are looking for a group of men who got into a gun fight on the corner last night, and witnesses say there were bullets flying all over place.

"Apparently people were running down the alley saying someone was shooting," said Patrick Baren, bystander.

Baren was yards away inside the Satellite Ballroom listening to rapper Slick Rick's encore performance when apparently an argument broke out.

"Everything was going on out here, apparently there was an argument and shots were fired," said Baren.

Police say it happened right after midnight. Two men got into an argument in the parking lot behind the club, and that's when gun fire erupted.

"A third man came up and started shooting at one of the men who was arguing and that person then pulled a gun and started shooting back at the person he was originally arguing with," said Lieutenant Gary Pleasants, Charlottesville Police.

"From the shell casing and bullet fragments in other directions, we know there were at least ten shots fired. There was a car over there that got their back windows shot out and a car over there that got their window shot out," said Pleasants.

Five cars in all were damaged, but luckily, no one was injured.

"I'm glad my friend working here wasn't involved in any of it or anyone else got hurt or innocent bystanders, and the girls, they were in the car and apparently they were getting out and the shots broke the back window so it was very fortunate they didn't get hurt or anything," said Baren.

If you have information that can help police, call Crime Stoppers at 434-977-4000.