Sentence:  He said I was a gangster and a thief and a dirty little street boy and the only reason I <WSD>ran after</WSD> him—"I" <WSD>ran after</WSD> "him"—was because I intended to rob him one night. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To make a determined effort to win someone's affections or to have a sexual relationship with them.