KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Four people were taken into custody Friday afternoon after they fled police during a traffic stop, officials said.

Police said they stopped a car near 44th Street and Benton Boulevard.

"It started as a normal car stop. That's when two people got out, and officers observed one of them with a gun. They started running and threw down drugs," Officer Darin Snapp said.

Two other people in the car then backed it into the police cruiser and sped away, officers said. The speeding car nearly hit a woman.

"It was coming so fast; it was airborne when it got to the bottom of 44th and Brooklyn," a witness said.

Police found the car abandoned. One of the occupants was found hiding in a wooded area. Another was found in a vacant house. Two other people were also taken into custody.

Residents said the high number of abandoned houses in the area contribute to the crime rate.

"As you walk down this street, you see so many abandoned homes. I'm just looking right now; I see so many. Something needs to be done as far as cleaning up the neighborhoods," one resident said. "A lot of times as people are running from police, they run to these houses that are boarded up. Also, these houses are used -- people go inside, sell drugs, prostitution."

"This neighborhood is kind of dangerous anyway, you know? There's been a lot of criminal activity going around," another resident said. "You can be in the house, hear shooting going on all night long in this area."

Police said they found drugs at the scene, but they're still looking for the weapon they believe one of the people had.