Author: ARLnow.com

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.

More catalytic converters stolen in Arlington amid ongoing rash of thefts

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Arlington has seen an explosion in catalytic converter thefts over the past two years, according to updated stats from county police.

Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 3 of this year, 172 such thefts were reported to the Arlington County Police Department, according to a department spokesperson. That’s up more than 2,350% compared to the 7 catalytic converter thefts reported during the same time period in 2020.

ACPD says it investigated 43 converter thefts during that period in 2021.

Catalytic converter theft stats (courtesy ACPD)

At least five additional catalytic converters were stolen over the past few days, all from Toyota vehicles.

The thefts took place in the Aurora Highlands, Crystal City, Fairlington and Long Branch Creek neighborhoods, according to a crime report published by the police department and two additional reports obtained after inquiries from ARLnow.

From ACPD:

LARCENY FROM AUTO (Series), 2022-10030077/10030095/10030126, 1900 block of S. Eads Street/4600 block of 36th Street S./2700 block of S. Uhle Street. At approximately 8:58 a.m. on October 3, police were dispatched to the late report of a larceny from auto. During the course of the investigation, it was determined three Toyota vehicles had their catalytic converters stolen during overnight hours. Additionally, an airbag was stolen from a Honda vehicle in the 4600 block of 36th Street S. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

LARCENY FROM AUTO, 2022-10034003, 700 block of 19th Street S. Between approximately 5:55 p.m. on September 30 and 9:55 a.m. on October 3, a catalytic converter was stolen from a Toyota model vehicle.

LARCENY FROM AUTO, 2022-10034004, 1800 block of S. Grant Street. Between the evening of September 30 and 10:25 a.m. on October 3, a catalytic converter was stolen from a Toyota model vehicle.

The Toyota Prius is a particularly popular model for thieves to target.

“Priuses with model years 2004-2009 are top targets,” NBC 4 reported earlier this year. “Their catalytic converters contain precious metals that can bring up to $1,000 when resold. Repairing and replacing the catalytic converter runs more than $2,000.”

The thefts have continued throughout the year despite state legislation to toughen penalties and some recent arrests. Last month ARLnow reported on nearly a dozen catalytic converter thefts in various Arlington neighborhoods.

ACPD details common local scams, from fake kidnappings to impersonating police

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Claiming a family member has been kidnapped and demanding a ransom. Threatening you with arrest if a fine is not paid for supposedly missing jury duty.

Those are just two of the most common scams perpetrated on local residents, according to the Arlington County Police Department.

ACPD detailed some of the scams they frequently respond to in a new press release. The victims are often older, with one of the scams specifically targeting grandparents, but anyone could be targeted.

The bottom line from police: “be cautious of unsolicited calls and emails, especially if the individual requests payment in the form of gift cards, cash or cash apps.”

The full ACPD press release detailing some common scams is below.

In support of the department’s key initiative of crime prevention and control, the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) is sharing information on common scams and tips for how to spot, avoid and report them. Although many scams can appear convincing, remember to be cautious of unsolicited calls and emails, especially if the individual requests payment in the form of gift cards, cash or cash apps.

Please note, the information provided in this press release is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible scams currently circulating. Individuals seeking additional information about fraud are encouraged to visit our financial crimes information webpage.

Scam #1: The Virtual Kidnapping Ransom Scam

Scammers will call potential victims stating their family member is being held captive and threaten to continue holding them hostage unless they receive payment, typically through a cash app. The scammers will provide the victim with specific instructions to ensure the safe return of the family member and order the individual to stay on the line until money is received. This particular scam creates a sense of urgency and panic as the scammers also state they will harm the family member if the money is not sent immediately. ACPD encourages the public to hang up and call 911 immediately if faced with this scam.

Scam #2: The Grandparent Scam

Scammers will target elderly victims by calling and stating their grandchild has been arrested for driving under the influence or other serious crime. The nature of the situation makes the grandchild ‘unavailable’ to confirm their identity by phone and the scammer will ask the victim to send money for attorney fees or bail. In some cases, the scammers impersonate the grandchild while reporting to be in a crisis situation. This particular scam preys on the fears of grandparents to get them to act quickly. If you receive a call of this nature, hang up and call 911 immediately. ACPD advises a quick way to know if this call is a scam is if the caller asks the victim not to call the grandchild’s parents to confirm they have been arrested.

Scam #3: The Jury Duty Scam

Scammers will pose as law enforcement and contact victims accusing them of failing to appear for jury duty and stating a warrant for their arrest will be issued unless a fine is paid. Payment is often requested in the form of gift cards and the scammer will ask the victim to provide the gift card numbers over the phone. Scammers may also instruct the victim to send the gift cards to a police department as an added appearance of legitimacy. As a reminder, ACPD and the Sheriff’s Office will never call to solicit funds or collect fines over the phone. Additionally, juror summonses are sent through the mail and communication through other mediums should be considered suspicious.

(more…)

Yet another overturned vehicle on GW Parkway at Key Bridge

By ARLnow.com
Map showing crash on GW Parkway (via Google Maps)

It happened again.

Amid rainy weather, a vehicle crashed and overturned on the northbound GW Parkway near Key Bridge, at a bend in the road that — as we reported yesterday — has been the scene of numerous crashes. This is at least the third crash at that location in the past three days.

The crash occurred shortly before 8:45 a.m. The driver was able to get out of the overturned vehicle and no serious injuries have been reported, according to scanner traffic.

Drivers should expect significant backups on the northbound GW Parkway south of the bridge as a result of the crash.

Many commuter routes in Arlington are currently experiencing heavy traffic due to the rain, crashes, and — in the case of inbound traffic heading over the Key Bridge — a demonstration in D.C.

Map via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Raindrops on a Japanese maple leaf in Freedom Park in Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Local NAACP VP Killed — Updated at 9:15 a.m. — “FOX 5 has learned that Kent Carter – a prominent community leader and realtor from Arlington – was killed while on vacation in Turks and Caicos. The Arlington County NAACP confirms Carter was killed when a vehicle he was traveling in was ambushed. Police in Turks and Caicos say the car was on its way back from an excursion when a group of men with guns opened fire on the vehicle – killing Carter – an innocent bystander.” [Fox 5, NAACP Arlington Branch]

Viral Video Stems from Arlington Eluding — “The Fairfax County Police Department is conducting an administrative review of a traffic stop on Richmond Highway this past weekend, video from which was posted on social media… According to the Arlington County Police Department, the vehicle had been entered into the NCIC after someone driving it fled from an attempted traffic stop near Crystal City for an expired registration.” [FFXnow]

Students Get Rowdy Before Holiday — “Police are on scene of the McDonald’s and the Safeway parking lot in Bluemont, for a report of a group of nearly 100 roving teenagers causing a disruption, per scanner. Tomorrow is Yom Kippur, an off day for Arlington Public Schools.” [Twitter]

Republicans Frown on ‘Missing Middle’ — “Arlington’s Republican faithful are largely, but far from unanimously, opposed to the county government’s planned elimination of single-family zoning known colloquially as Missing Middle. A survey of Arlington County Republican Committee members conducted online in September found 60 percent ‘strongly oppose’ the zoning change, while 12 percent ‘somewhat oppose’ it. A total of 14 percent support the measure either somewhat or strongly, and 14 percent are undecided.” [Sun Gazette]

Chase Ends on 14th Street Bridge — From Dave Statter: “Watch: End of @VSPPIO chase just before 1 a.m. from Woodbridge to 14th St Bridge. Speeds at times more than 130. Civilian & trooper vehicles hit before bridge. Arrest on the bridge.” [Twitter]

Metro Cracking Down on Evaders — “Metro has a message for fare evaders: operating buses and trains isn’t free. Customers riding Metrobus and Metrorail are required to pay fares and will be warned accordingly. Starting Oct. 4 your Metro will begin a warning campaign to alert people who neglect to pay fares that there are fines associated with fare evasion in each jurisdiction. The warning campaign will begin with notices displayed on digital signs throughout the system.” [WMATA]

O’Leary’s Election Prediction — “Former county treasurer Frank O’Leary on Sept. 29 issued his first turnout prediction of the season. ‘My bet is that between 74,000 and 78,000 of the approximately 155,000 active voters will participate in the election,’ said O’Leary who has made predicting turnout (and sometimes results) a pastime in recent years. That would be a ‘relatively low’ turnout by county standards, O’Leary said.” [Sun Gazette]

Eden Center Theft Warning — “The City of Falls Church Police Department is investigating a series of thefts occurring at or around the Eden Center… The victims are approached under a ruse, usually by the suspects trying to sell them fake jewelry, asking for directions, asking to pray with them, or even wanting a hug.” [City of Falls Church]

It’s Wednesday — Possible drizzle in the morning. High of 61 and low of 51. Sunrise at 7:09 am and sunset at 6:46 pm. [Weather.gov]

Eastbound I-66 blocked by crash near Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com
Crash response on I-66

All lanes of eastbound I-66 lanes approaching Rosslyn were closed tonight due to a crash.

A car crashed and overturned shortly after 8:30 p.m. No serious injuries were reported but traffic was diverted onto Langston Blvd while crews worked to clean up the crash scene.

About an hour later, the highway has reopened

This is at least the second instance in as many days of a car overturning after a crash in rainy weather.

Arlington event calendar highlights (Oct. 3-9)

By ARLnow.com

Looking for something to do this week in Arlington?

Check out the following selections from our event calendar. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out this form.

Yom Kippur

Wednesday, October 5 @ 10:00 AM

UUCA (4444 Arlington Blvd.)

Homebuying 101: Steps to Getting Pre-Approved

Wednesday, October 5 @ 5:30 PM

Online event (see link)

This is part one in our first-time home buyer webinar series where we answer all your questions about the homebuying process: what goes into your credit score, how to get pre-approved, your loan optio

Ping Pong + Cornhole Tournament in The Plaza at Westpost

Wednesday, October 5 @ 6:00 PM

Westpost at National Landing (1201 South Joyce Street)

Mini Photo Sessions for Family & Pets

Saturday, October 8 @ 1:30 PM

Lacey Woods Park (1200 N George Mason Dr.)

Mini Photo Sessions – Bring Your Family and Your Four Legged Furry Friends

Pink Carpet Event Charity Fashion Show

Saturday, October 8 @ 5:00 PM

Crystal Gateway Marriott (Grand Ballroom) (1700 Richmond Highway)

Charitable fashion and fun for the community

Chili Bingo for Homeward Trails Animal Rescue

Saturday, October 8 @ 6:00 PM

Lyon Park Community Center (414 N. Fillmore St.)

Maker’s Market at Westpost at National Landing

Sunday, October 9 @ 11:00 AM

Westpost at National Landing (1201 South Joyce Street )

Running Against Racism 5K

Sunday, October 9 @ 2:00 PM

Bluemont Junction Park (N. Manchester St & Wilson Blvd)

Vini Franchetti Wine Dinner

Sunday, October 9 @ 6:00 PM

Osteria da Nino (2900 S Quincy St)

Vini Franchetti Wine Dinner

Highlighted items are sponsored

Starbucks on Langston Blvd is closed for renovations and drive-thru updates

By ARLnow.com
Starbucks store at 5515 Lee Highway, prior to opening (staff photo)

Good news for coffee lovers who enjoy not taking extra steps to get their caffeine fix: Arlington’s lone drive-thru Starbucks is only closed temporarily.

The cafe at 5515 Langston Blvd, which opened less than three years ago in a former bank, recently closed and was removed from the Starbucks website and app. But the closure is for renovations, the company tells us.

“As a standard course of business, we continually evaluate our store portfolio, using various criteria to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers,” a Starbucks spokesperson wrote in response to an inquiry from ARLnow. “We are happy to confirm that our store at 5515 Langston Blvd. in Arlington, VA is undergoing a standard renovation, and will reopen on October 10.”

Oct. 10 is next Monday.

“The store will reopen with an updated drive-thru to improve customer experience at the store,” the spokesperson added.

Those reading the tea leaves (or coffee beans) may take that to mean that Starbucks is addressing some of the long drive-thru lines that snake around the stand-alone store’s parking lot and sometimes extend out onto the street.

Starbucks will soon no longer have the vehicularly-accessible coffee market cornered in North Arlington, however. Compass Coffee is planning to open a drive-thru location, also in a former bank building and also along Langston Blvd.

Compass originally hoped to open its 4710 Langston Blvd location this summer but work is still ongoing and an opening date has not been announced.

Cars keep crashing and flipping in the “usual spot” on the GW Parkway in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Vehicle crash on the northbound GW Parkway near Key Bridge on Sunday (photo courtesy Alan Henney)

It’s almost as automatic as Steph Curry draining free throws at this point.

Whenever there’s a soaking rainfall, it seems that some drivers cannot help but slide off the road at a certain bend in the northbound GW Parkway near Key Bridge, sometimes flipping their cars in the process.

One such overturned vehicle crash happened during last night’s commute, shutting down the northbound lanes for nearly an hour.

And that was just the most recent crash during our current rainy stretch.

Over the weekend, police responded to at least one single-vehicle crash in the same spot.

Past crashes reported in the same spot include:

The crashes have, over time, pockmarked the stone wall along that stretch of the Parkway. The wrecks also inspired a Mike Mount cartoon earlier this year.

While this particular bend is arguably the most crash-prone section of the Parkway in Arlington, other sections have seen recent crashes, including the southbound lanes near Memorial Bridge earlier this morning.

The National Park Service, which is responsible for maintaining the Parkway, recently kicked off a major rehabilitation project for the busy commuter route. However, that work is taking place north of both sections referenced above — from Spout Run Parkway to I-495.

Short of potential future safety improvements, the best way for drivers to avoid crashes may be to simply slow down, particularly in rainy weather.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Rainy day in Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Boy Struck By Driver — “13yo boy on bike struck in crosswalk. S Carlin Springs Rd & 3rd St South, Arlington, VA… Driver did stay on scene. Severity of injuries unknown… appeared [non life-threatening]. He was tended to by medics and police.” [Twitter]

Flight Attendant Arrested at DCA — “A flight Attendant was arrested today at Reagan National Airport and charged with Grand Larceny for stealing a bracelet from a passenger.” [Twitter]

Fire Prevention Week Coming Up — “Beginning Oct. 9, 2022, the Arlington County Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to celebrate 100 years of Fire Prevention Week… Join the Arlington County Fire Department Oct. 15 for the first ever centralized open house.” [ACFD]

Covid Stats from Hospital — From VHC emergency department chief Dr. Mike Silverman: “Testing wise, we had a slight uptick in the number of positive cases this past week compared to the previous week, but we’re still down compared to a month again. Our overall positivity rate is 8.7%. Our asymptomatic patient positivity rate was 7.6% which is up compared to previous weeks. That’s a lot of people testing positive who don’t have symptoms. Remember, the target for percent positivity is <5% and we haven’t seen numbers in that range for a long time.” [Blue Virginia]

It’s Tuesday — Rain throughout the day. High of 54 and low of 45. Sunrise at 7:09 am and sunset at 6:48 pm. [Weather.gov]

NEW: Police investigating false report of shooting in Halls Hill

By ARLnow.com
Response to a false report of a shooting in Halls Hill (courtesy photo)

Police swarmed Arlington’s Halls Hill neighborhood today after a caller falsely reported a shooting inside of a house.

The incident happened along the 1800 block of N. Dinwiddie Street, in the historically Black neighborhood also known as High View Park, just before 5 p.m.

A caller told 911 dispatchers that he had just shot his wife inside of a home, according to scanner traffic. Shortly after a large police and fire department response arrived on scene, the report was determined to be false.

The circumstances suggest an instance of “swatting” — or harassment by way of making a false report that sends a large police response to someone’s address.

The Arlington County Police Department says that officers “remain on scene investigating the circumstances of the call.”

Police investigating two ‘mob’ attacks along Langston Blvd

By ARLnow.com
Arlington police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

Police are investigating a pair of so-called “mob” assaults by groups of teens.

Both occurred Friday evening along separate sections of Langston Blvd. It’s unclear whether there’s any connection between the two.

The first happened inside a business along the 4800 block of Langston Blvd and involved 10 juvenile suspects, according to police.

The name of the business was not listed, but the block includes a McDonald’s, tattoo and piercing shops, and an Indian grocery store.

From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

ASSAULT BY MOB (Late), 2022-09300231, 4800 block of Langston Boulevard. At approximately 11:23 p.m. on September 30, police were dispatched to the late report of an assault. Upon arrival, it was determined that earlier in the evening, the juvenile victim was inside a business when he was approached by Suspect One who unsuccessfully attempted to remove his hat. When the victim refused to give his hat, Suspect One struck him in the head. Approximately nine other juvenile suspects then began to physically assault the victim with Suspects Two and Three being the primary aggressors. The victim was able to safely leave the area on foot. He sustained minor injuries and declined the treatment of medics. Suspect One is described as an Asian male with short black hair, approximately 5’8″-6’0″ tall, 16-18 years old, wearing a black hoodie and gray pants. Suspect Two is described as a White male with brown hair and a beard, approximately 5’8″-6’0″ tall, 16-18 years old, wearing a gray sweater, light-wash black jeans and gray sneakers. Suspect Three is described as an Asian male, approximately 5’8″ – 6’0″ tall, approximately 16-18 years old with short brown hair wearing a navy blue hoodie and black shorts. The investigation is ongoing.

The second incident happened on the same block as the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center. It reportedly involved a juvenile suspect who was known to the victim saying that the victim wasn’t allowed to walk along the sidewalk near then, then striking the victim.

From ACPD:

ASSAULT BY MOB (Late), 2022-10010041, 2400 block of N. Harrison Street. At approximately 4:11 a.m. on October 1, police were dispatched to the police station for the late report of an assault. The investigation determined that at approximately 10:00 p.m. on September 30, the juvenile victim was walking in the area when he approached the known juvenile suspect who was standing on the sidewalk with two friends. The suspect allegedly told the victim he couldn’t be there before striking him. The two friends then also assaulted the victim before fleeing the scene on foot. The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and later self-reported to an area hospital for medical treatment. The investigation is ongoing.

View More Stories