Update at 11:30 a.m. — Arlington County police just released the following account of what happened in the department’s daily crime report.
At approximately 3:34 p.m. on March 10, police were dispatched to the report of a fight in progress. Upon arrival, officers located the suspect and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined that the victim and suspect were on a bus when they became involved in a verbal dispute. The dispute escalated into a physical altercation, during which the suspect brandished a knife and struck the victim. The victim then deployed pepper spray. The victim sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment. The suspect sustained minor injuries and was treated on scene by medics. Marvin Mullins, 46, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding.
Earlier: A stabbing has been reported outside Arlington County’s Sequoia Plaza office complex.
Initial reports suggest more than a dozen people were pepper sprayed, including a child, and a person was stabbed. Preliminary information from police indicates that the incident started as a fight on a bus around 3:30 p.m.
“It was determined that the victim and suspect were on a bus when they became involved in a verbal dispute,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “The dispute escalated into a physical altercation, during which the suspect brandished a knife, causing a laceration to the victim. The victim then deployed pepper spray.”
“The victim, an adult male, has been transported to an area hospital and is in stable condition,” Savage continued. “Police remain on scene investigating and there are no outstanding suspects related to this incident.”
In addition to police, two ambulances and some additional fire department units were dispatched to the scene. At least one person was reportedly transported to the hospital, while those who were pepper sprayed were treated on scene.
Sequoia Plaza, on the 2100 block of Washington Blvd, hosts the county’s Dept. of Human Services headquarters — including behavior healthcare, child welfare and public health offices — as well the Arlington Public Schools administrative offices, also known as the Syphax Education Center.
An ART bus and a large area just outside of the APS building has been cordoned off with police tape. A man can be seen in handcuffs nearby, according to ARLnow staff photographer Jay Westcott.