Gunshots rang out in a Bay Point neighborhood early Thursday morning after a resident shot at a man he found in the backseat of his car, a sheriff's spokesman said.

Charles Settles, 39, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm on a person and discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner after allegedly chasing and shooting at a man he spotted inside his car, Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said.

Deputies responded to the 800 block of Steffa Street around 6:20 a.m. Thursday after multiple residents called to report shots fired in the area, Lee said.

Deputies arriving on the scene met with Settles, who admitted to grabbing a gun and firing at an unknown man after seeing him in the backseat of his vehicle.

Lee said the man got out of Settles' car, hopped on a bicycle and started pedaling away. Settles then chased the man on foot and fired the gun at him.

A stray bullet pierced a house in the area but no injuries were reported, Lee said.

The sheriff's office conducted an extensive search of local hospitals and other areas to find the man who was shot at but were unable to locate him.

Settles was taken to county jail in Martinez. He was freed after posting $100,000 bail around 8 p.m., Lee said.