A man was attacked and robbed of a backpack in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood near Crystal City yesterday morning.
Police say the robbery happened around 7:30 a.m. on Monday, on the 600 block of 26th Street S.
“The victim was walking in the area when he was approached by two suspects,” Arlington County Police said in a crime report. “After a brief struggle, the suspects stole the victim’s backpack and fled on foot. The victim suffered minor injuries that did not require medical treatment.”
Arriving officers, including a K9 unit, attempted to track down the suspects — described as males in their late teens or early 20s — but were unable to locate them. They did, however, find the backpack thanks to a Good Samaritan.
“Arriving officers canvased the area and the victim’s backpack was recovered in the area by an independent witness,” police said. “The investigation is ongoing.”
A resident told ARLnow that the daylight robbery was “violent” and witnessed by several residents, some of whom tried to chase down the suspects. She sent a photo that she said shows the suspects — who were wearing black clothing, including a knit cap and a hoodie — running down the sidewalk following the robbery.
(ARLnow could not immediately confirm that the two people in the photo were, in fact, the suspects.)
ACPD spokeswoman Kirby Clark did confirm that a resident “confronted the suspects in his yard,” after which “the suspects again fled on foot.” She said police do not encourage residents to chase criminal suspects.
“For your safety, citizens are not encouraged to chase suspects, however, they are encouraged to be active witnesses and report criminal activity to police by calling 911 in an emergency or 703-558-2222 in a non-emergent situation,” Clark said via email. “When providing information to dispatch, it should include a suspect(s) description, location, method and direction of travel. This will assist police arriving on scene and canvasing the area.”