Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.
The Arlington man arrested Friday and accused of drunkenly breaking into Washington-Liberty High School is being charged with two additional incidents.
Police say the 30-year-old suspect also smashed a window at Arlington Central Library on N. Quincy Street and shattered a glass door at Arlington Science Focus Elementary School on N. Lincoln Street.
All three incidents occurred early Friday morning.
More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Series) (Late), 2022-02100079/02100081, 1000 block of N. Quincy Street/1500 block of N. Lincoln Street. At approximately 7:44 a.m. on February 10, police were dispatched to the late report of a destruction of property in the 1000 block of N. Quincy Street. Upon arrival, it was determined at approximately 3:04 a.m., the male suspect allegedly smashed a window to the library before fleeing the scene on foot. At approximately 7:56 a.m., police responded to the 1500 block of N. Lincoln Street for the late report of a destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined that during the early morning hours, the male suspect shattered a glass door to a school before fleeing the scene on foot. [The suspect], 30, of Arlington, Va., was charged with Damaging Public Buildings (x2).
Rainy day in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Essy’s Carriage House Closing — “Announcing another landmark soon to vanish: Essy’s Carriage House, the American cuisine steakhouse that’s been a fixture in Cherrydale for 48 years, will close its doors at the end of March. No other Arlington full-service restaurant has been open longer, according to founder-owner Essy Saedi, an Iranian immigrant who came to the United States in 1962. (An exception might be Mario’s Pizza, primarily takeout since 1958.)” [Falls Church News-Press]
La Coop Grand Opening — “Customers lined up outside on Saturday to get their first drink and pastry at the grand opening of La Coop Coffee’s new location in the Arlington Forest neighborhood of Arlington. La Coop Coffee had already made a name for itself in Arlington by selling coffee at the nearby Lubber Run Farmers Market.” [Patch]
New Term for ‘Missing Middle’ — “Faced with a public revolt in some quarters over proposed Missing Middle housing and zoning changes, the Arlington County government has made a big change. Not to the proposed policy. To the name. ‘Missing Middle’ has now morphed into ‘Expanded Housing Options’ in county-government parlance. And because nothing happens in Arlington without an acronym, it has already been shortened to ‘EHO.'” [Gazette Leader]
Public Radio Examines Housing Debate — “Recently they started browsing on Zillow for a place to buy. ‘We saw a lot of homes,’ Siegel says, ‘but when we brought it back down to what we could afford, what our price range was, suddenly all the homes disappeared.’ It was a rude surprise. The couple makes above the local median household income, which is more than $120,000. They knew houses can approach a million dollars, but it turned out that even tw0- or three-bedroom condos are too pricey.” [NPR]
W-L Defeats Wakefield in Emotional Win — “The healing continues at Washington-Liberty High School now three months after the tragic death of one of its most beloved student-athletes, senior Braylon Meade, who died in a car accident, hit by a drunk driver just after midnight. The boys basketball team continued to keep it going Friday night on Senior Night for the Generals as they took on fierce rival Wakefield in a packed, vibrant gym. The result was an emotional 58-53 victory for the home team.” [Novahoops.com]
Covid Cases on the Decline — “The COVID numbers generally continue to improve. The number of patients who require hospitalization is a touch below last week. The number of patients that we put on our COVID isolation status in the emergency department, is also less than the last few weeks. This number has been trending down for about 6 weeks. We still have a ways to go before we get to the trough we experienced in September but we are headed in the right direction.” [Blue Virginia]
Mardi Gras Celebration Ideas — “Mardi Gras — the green, gold and purple holiday where king cakes reign supreme–is nearly here. Whether you’d like to snag some sweets for home or party hard at a local venue, we’ve rounded up several ways to celebrate in and near Arlington.” [Arlington Magazine]
It’s Monday — Clear and sunny, with some clouds moving in later in the afternoon. High of 55 and low of 34. Sunrise at 7:05 am and sunset at 5:44 pm. [Weather.gov]
According to initial reports, the stolen vehicle was quickly located by Arlington County officers on northbound I-395 and a chase was initiated. While for safety and jurisdictional reasons otherchases are often terminated at the 14th Street Bridge, this time a chase into the District was authorized.
The suspect vehicle crashed near the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin shortly after entering D.C., according to scanner traffic, and both suspects were taken into custody after brief foot pursuits.
One of the carjacking victims was evaluated by medics for a possible injury.
(2) Arrests were made after a short foot chase. Some @ArlingtonVaPD officers got on I-395 moments after the the carjacking on Ft. Scott Dr was dispatched at 8:27 p.m. In less than 4 mins. they spotted the SUV. The officers were given permission by a supervisor to chase into DC.
Late Sunday afternoon Arlington police issued the following press release about the arrests.
The Arlington County Police Department is announcing the arrest of two juveniles following an armed carjacking in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood on the evening of February 11, 2023.
At approximately 8:26 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of an armed carjacking in the 2800 block of Fort Scott Drive. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was sitting inside a parked vehicle when the two juvenile suspects approached, brandished firearms, and demanded the victim exit the vehicle. The two suspects then fled the scene in the stolen vehicle. A lookout was broadcast and an officer observed the suspects traveling northbound on I-395. The officer attempted a traffic stop and, after the driver refused to stop, initiated a vehicle pursuit. The suspects attempted to elude officers and subsequently crashed the vehicle in the area of 14th Street SW and D Street SW, Washington D.C. The suspects then ran from the vehicle and officers initiated a foot pursuit and took both suspects into custody. The two juvenile suspects were transported to an area hospital as a precautionary measure, however no injuries were reported. During a search of the stolen vehicle, officers recovered a firearm which had been reported stolen out of Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Petitions were obtained for the juveniles who are both 17-year-olds and of Washington D.C. They are being held in Washington D.C. pending extradition to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Metropolitan Police Department and D.C. Fire and EMS provided on scene assistance.
This remains an active investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Earlier: Arlington County “is experiencing technical difficulties with calls placed to 9-1-1,” according to an Arlington Alert notification.
“Please report emergencies by texting to 9-1-1,” the county urged, or “place calls to the Arlington County non-emergency number (703-558-2222) for emergencies situations.”
“More information will be provided as soon as possible,” said the alert.
Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 51 and low of 38. Sunrise at 7:06 am and sunset at 5:42 pm. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Thought of the Day
“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋
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A local man is accused of drunkenly breaking into Washington-Liberty High School early this morning, damaging a door.
Nothing was reported stolen and the motivation for the alleged break-in is unclear.
More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
UNLAWFUL ENTRY, 2023-02100054, 1300 block of N. Stafford Street. At approximately 4:15 a.m. on February 10, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary alarm. A lookout was broadcast and responding officers located the suspect in the area and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined the male suspect allegedly forced entry into the school, causing damage to one of the door’s glass windows. No items were reported stolen and no other items were reported damaged. [The suspect], 30, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Trespass: School/Church Property, Destruction of Property, and issued a summons for Drunk in Public. He was held on a secured bond.
Also this morning, police responded to a stabbing along Columbia Pike, near The Wellington apartment complex.
Initial reports suggest that a man was stabbed, possibly in the back, but is expected to recover from his wound. The stabbing stemmed from a dispute between two men.
The incident happened around 9 a.m. and, after some initial confusion about the location, police found the men near the intersection of 12th Street S. and S. Scott Street, according to scanner traffic.
“The preliminary investigation indicates the two males were involved in a dispute which escalated into a physical altercation, during which one suffered an apparent stab wound,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Both individuals were treated on scene for injuries considered non-life threatening. Police remain on scene investigation the incident.”
Police investigate crash with vehicle overturned on N. Sycamore Street in 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington County is one of the top 15 safest “cities” in the United States, according to a new set of rankings.
The number crunchers at SmartAsset looked at violent and property crime rates, as well as rates of vehicle-related deaths, drug-related deaths and excessive drinking. They ranked Arlington at No. 11, below No. 10 Yonkers, New York, No. 6 Alexandria and No. 1 Frisco, Texas, among others.
Arlington outperformed Alexandria in all published metrics, so it’s unclear why the charming city to our south was ranked higher. The county had significantly higher rates of violent and property crime than Frisco, however.
On the positive side, Arlington had the lowest rate of vehicle deaths — 3.1 per 100,000 residents — of any city in the top 15. That vehicle mortality rate was less than half that of any of the six Texas cities that topped the rankings.
Arlington is now in the third year of its Vision Zero plan to reduce or eliminate vehicle fatalities and severe injuries.
The crime data was primarily supplied by a 2021 FBI database, SmartAsset said. That year saw a decline in carjackings, car thefts and homicides in Arlington. The county has since seen a rise in carjackings and student overdoses, in particular, to start the year.
Top 15 Safest Cities in the U.S. rankings (via SmartAsset)
East Falls Church as seen from the Pete Beers Memorial Bridge over Langston Blvd (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Reparations Instead of Missing Middle? — “Arlington residents and their descendants who were harmed by past housing policy decisions could see greater benefits from a reparations program than from a policy that calls for simply increasing the number of housing units in the county, according to an opponent of the county’s Missing Middle housing plan. Arlington County could consider establishing a program of reparations through its housing policy, featuring down-payment assistance to these residents, said Jim Schulman, executive director of the Alliance for Regional Cooperation.” [Patch]
Payments to Amazon Delayed — “Amazon.com Inc. could have received its first HQ2-tied incentive payment from Virginia this July, based on its payment schedule with the commonwealth — but it has yet to apply for any funding, pushing disbursement at least three years into the future, the Washington Business Journal has learned. The e-commerce and cloud computing giant’s memorandum of understanding with Virginia requires it to formally apply for cash incentives based on its local hiring progress and capital investments, payments that could reach $750 million by 2039.” [Washington Business Journal]
Free Flowers Next Week in Crystal City — “On Monday, February 13 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM we will be celebrating Galentine’s Day in National Landing in partnership with Lily’s Flower Truck. Stop by and make your own flower bouquet for someone special in your life while supplies last. The first 50 people to show a receipt from one of our local coffee shops in National Landing on Monday will get a free flower bouquet.” [National Landing BID]
‘Billy & George’ Closing This Weekend — “There’s something special happening at Avant Bard Theatre. The world premier of Billy and George debuts a play that doesn’t just entertain — it educates, inspires, and makes you think. Written by Ken Jones and Daryl L. Harris, Billy and George explores the complex relationship between George Washington (John Stange) and William “Billy” Lee (Raquis Da’Juan Petree), the enslaved African-American that was his constant companion and confidante during the Revolutionary War.” [Broadway World, Metro Weekly]
Ramp Closure Starting Next Week — “Beginning at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, weather permitting, the ramp from southbound I-395 to westbound Boundary Channel Drive (Exit 10A) will be closed for several months as part of the Boundary Channel Drive at I-395 Interchange Improvements project… Drivers will be able to access westbound Boundary Channel Drive via the southbound I-395 Exit 9 (Clark Street) ramp, where there is a temporary stop sign for left turns onto westbound Boundary Channel. This traffic pattern will be in place until mid-2023.” [VDOT]
It’s Friday — Partly cloudy for much of the day. High of 63 and low of 44. Sunrise at 7:07 am and sunset at 5:41 pm. [Weather.gov]
Address:5629 18th Road N. Neighborhood: Leeway Heights Type: 4 BR, 3 (+1 half) BA single-family detached — 2,200 sq. ft. Listed: $1,195,000
Noteworthy: Expanded Broyhill, 4 BR 3.5 bath colonial blocks to Westover Village
The living room is anchored by a wood burning fireplace and has French doors opening to a spacious family room. The dining room flows into the chef style kitchen highlighted by abundant cabinets, generous counter space, and a pantry. The breakfast areas leads to a deck and the beautifully landscaped yard and koi pond. Vaulted ceilings enhance the family room with tall windows and a door to the driveway and detached garage. A powder room completes the level.
Upstairs, the primary bedroom has high ceilings, two walk-in closets, and a bathroom with soaking tub and separate shower. Three more bedrooms share the renovated hall bathroom. The lower level has a second fireplace in the rec room, a den for another office, gym, or playroom, third bathroom, and a laundry and storage room.
Cardinal, Swanson, Yorktown schools are nearby. Walk to tucked away Parkhurst Park, library, schools, bike path shops, restaurants, services, and the incomparable Ayer’s Hardware and Variety. Hardy walk to East Falls Church Metro or take a bus to Ballston Metro. An easy commute to Washington, business and military centers, and even Crystal and Pentagon Cities.
A pristine home in a vibrant, somewhat urban community!
