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Two arrested after downtown Cary shootout

Two Raleigh men were arrested in connection with a Thursday afternoon shootout between two cars that ended outside the Cary Police Department.

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CARY, N.C. — Scared for his life, a man ran into the Cary Town Hall Campus Thursday afternoon, desperate for help.

“He said somebody outside had a gun and was trying to shoot at him," said a woman inside, according to a recording of the 911 call. "He’s scared. He's hiding in the hallway."

The man ran onto the campus after what police said was a chase between a 2009 black Infiniti and a 1994 gray Honda Civic.

According to multiple 911 callers, someone in the Infiniti was shooting at the Honda as the vehicles raced through downtown Cary.

“The passenger was out of the sunroof aiming a gun and pointing at the first car,” said one caller, who said she slammed on her brakes to avoid hitting the Honda at West Park and Academy streets.

Another caller also had a close call.

"I almost got hit with the bullets," he said.

Cary police received reports of gunfire between the two vehicles on Park Street in downtown Cary at about 2:30 p.m. Both vehicles ended up in front of the police department, located at the campus, where the driver of the Honda ran into a building.

The driver told a 911 operator he didn't know who was chasing him.

"They had handguns," he said. "They pointed one, one was on top, it was an Infiniti Q357."

Five people were taken into police custody. Four were in the Infiniti, where police said they found a gun.

Chase Austin McKinley, 18, of Horizon Lane in Raleigh, and Nicholas Scott Jenkins, 21, of Sawyer Drive in Raleigh, were each charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and attempted first-degree murder. Both were held at the Wake County jail Thursday night. Their first court appearance is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Jenkins is on probation for larceny and breaking and entering convictions in 2013 and has a December court date for violating a domestic violence protective order.

No injuries were reported in the chase. The town hall campus was on lockdown for about 10 minutes.

“At this point, we believe the incident is related to a drug deal,” Cary police Capt. Randall Rhyne said in a statement.

A number of Cary officers were at a meeting inside police headquarters when they heard police scanner activity related to the incident and realized it was right outside their building, Cary police Capt. Don Hamilton said.

Hamilton said police were looking for shell casings and bullet holes to confirm the shooting reports but believes at least one shot was fired.

"It puts a lot of people at risk," he said. "It's very dangerous. That is why we hope to get to the bottom of it and charge the people appropriately."

Two elementary schools were also briefly placed on a precautionary lockdown.

Lisa Luten, a spokeswoman for the Wake County Public School System, said the lockdowns at Northwoods Elementary School and Kingswood Elementary School were lifted about 15 minutes after the incident was reported.

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