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.

Scooter Rider Injured in Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/6

A man on a scooter fell and was injured after suffering an apparent medical emergency while riding.

The incident happened around 3 p.m. on Fairfax Drive near the Ballston Metro station.

A witness said she saw a man and woman riding Bird scooters down the street when the man started having what appeared to be a seizure. He fell onto the pavement and started foaming from the mouth, while his companion yelled for passersby to call 911, according to the witness.

Firefighters responded to the scene and the man was quickly put on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. He was conscious and talking to first responders, witnesses said.

A firefighter cleared both of the scooters from the Fairfax Drive bike lane as the man received medical treatment. One lane of traffic was blocked by the emergency response.

Crime Report: Robber Steals Security Guard’s Gun

By ARLnow.com

Police are investigating an unusual robbery that happened early Sunday morning along Columbia Pike.

The robbery happened outside of a business near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Four Mile Run Drive. Police say a man walked up behind an armed security guard and stole his gun while pushing him to the ground. He then assaulted a second victim before running off “with an undisclosed amount of cash.”

During the incident one of the victims “recovered the firearm stolen from the first victim,” according to police.

More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

ROBBERY, 2018-09300031, 4800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 2:24 a.m. on September 30, police were dispatched to the report of a possible robbery by force. Upon arrival, it was determined that the first victim was patrolling a business as an armed security guard when the suspect approached him from behind, pushed him to the ground and stole his firearm. The victim ran after him and encountered two additional victims, who had been walking in the area when they were approached by the suspect, who demanded money and valuables. When one victim claimed to have no possessions of value, the suspect struck the victim and became engaged in a physical altercation with the second victim. During the incident, the victims recovered the firearm stolen from the first victim. The suspect then fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.  The suspect is described as a tall, black male wearing black puffy jacket and jeans. One victim was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

Later Sunday, police responded to a report of a home invasion robbery in the North Highlands neighborhood near Rosslyn.

Just before 5 p.m., according to a crime report, residents encountered an armed man inside their home. The suspect allegedly stole cash and fled, but was later arrested by police while walking east on the Custis Trail.

BURGLARY WITH INTENT TO ROB, 2018-09300173, 2100 block of N. Troy Street. At approximately 4:49 p.m. on September 30, police were dispatched to the report of a home invasion. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victims were inside their residence when they heard a loud noise and went to investigate. The victims then encountered an unknown suspect brandishing a firearm. The suspect stole an undisclosed amount of cash and personal property before fleeing the scene on foot. Arriving officers established a perimeter and a lookout for the suspect was broadcast based on the description provided by the victims. Officers located a suspect matching the description walking east on the Custis Trail and took him into custody without incident. Angelo Shepherd, 30, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with Burglary with Intent to Rob, Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon, Possession of Ammunition by a Felon and Assault. He is being held on no bond.

This past Friday evening, meanwhile, police were called to the 3000 block of Clarendon Blvd in Clarendon for a report of a drunk man mooning passersby.

More from ACPD:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2018-09280217, 3000 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 5:25 p.m. on September 28, police were dispatched to the report of a drunk in public. Upon arrival, officers located the suspect and determined he was intoxicated and had exposed his buttocks to multiple people passing by. William Klugel, 62, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Indecent Exposure and Drunk in Public.

The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, including some that we’ve already reported, is below.

(more…)

Theft Investigation Briefly Interrupts Service at Ballston Metro

By ARLnow.com

A theft near the Ballston Metro station this afternoon led to Metro trains briefly being halted on the Orange and Silver lines.

The suspect reportedly fled into the station and possibly ran down the Metro tunnel from Ballston to Virginia Square. Metro Transit Police is checking the area but it is unclear whether the suspect has been located.

The victim did not wish to prosecute, according to an Arlington County Police spokeswoman.

Trains were halted for at least a few minutes due to police activity.

Flickr pool photo by Dave Bentley

BREAKING: Body Found Near Base of Antenna Tower Along Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com
1/4

(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) A woman has been found deceased at the base of the antenna tower at 5301 22nd Street N., according to initial reports.

Arlington County police and firefighters are on the scene. A 911 caller reportedly saw the woman fall from the tower.

The tower, along Lee Highway, is used primarily by telecommunications companies for mobile phone antenna arrays.

Via Twitter, Arlington County Police confirmed that officers are conducting a death investigation, noting that it “appears to be an isolated incident with no known threat to the community.”

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger of self-harm, call 911 or the Department of Human Services’ emergency services line at 703-228-5160. You can also call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Photo via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Memorial Ride for Arlington Cyclist — A memorial ride is planned tonight in D.C. for Arlington resident Thomas Hollowell, who was killed while riding his bike to work last week near the intersection of 12th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. [Facebook]

Master Bike Plan for Arlington — Planners are putting the finishing touches on which bike infrastructure projects to include in Arlington County’s updated master plan. Currently in: the Army Navy Country Club Connector. Currently out: a connection from the Marine Corps War Memorial to the Roosevelt Bridge. [TheWashCycle]

Grumbles About Pike ‘Premium’ Bus — One outspoken Twitter user is on a mission to highlight the shortcomings of the new Columbia Pike “premium transit network.” Some have said the long-promised bus improvements have been underwhelming and have suffered the same service issues of every other mass transit line in town. However, the same Twitter user’s attempt at a petition to “bring back the Arlington streetcar” only has one signature so far. [Twitter, Change.org]

Walmart Buys Eloquii — Fashion-forward, plus-size women’s clothing retailer Eloquii has been acquired by Walmart. The e-commerce company opened its first bricks-and-mortar location at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall. [TechCrunch, Forbes]

Optimism for Malls — At a Bisnow event in Tysons yesterday, a panel of commercial real estate pros said shopping malls in urbanized areas like Tysons (and, by extension, Arlington) are better off than their more suburban counterparts that are suffering in the era of Amazon. In Arlington, the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City and the soon-to-reopen Ballston Quarter account for a large portion of the local retail industry. [Tysons Reporter]

Reminder: Emergency Alert Test — Expect your phone to buzz and beep just after 2:15 p.m. as part of a nationwide federal emergency alert test. The alert will be sent via mobile carriers and the national Wireless Emergency Alerts system, not via Arlington County’s Arlington Alert. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler

Mt. Vernon Trail Blocked After Construction Equipment Damages Bridge

By ARLnow.com
1/4

The Mt. Vernon Trail is currently blocked near Roosevelt Island after someone tried to drive a piece of large construction equipment over a rickety wooden bridge.

The wooden plank bridge carries trail traffic in the area of Roosevelt Island and the Roosevelt Bridge, near Rosslyn. It is noted for being slippery when wet and generally uneven at all times, causing bikes to shake as cyclists ride over it.

Earlier today, a large piece of construction equipment was driven over the bridge and, predictably, broke a number of boards before getting stuck. The National Park Service is currently working to assess and repair the structure so that the trail can be reopened.

“NPS and Federal Highway Administration engineers are assessing the bridge,” said NPS spokesman Jonathan Shafer. “We hope to reopen the bridge and this section of the Mt. Vernon Trail soon, but we don’t have a time set yet.”

Via Twitter, an NPS spokeswoman said they were “hoping to reopen by evening commute but not sure yet,” adding that cyclists can detour past the closure by crossing bridges into D.C. and back.

Shafer says the circumstances around how the equipment was driven onto the boardwalk are being investigated. He said the equipment does not belong to the park service.

“It was not NPS equipment,” he said. “U.S. Park Police are investigating this.”

Update at 5 p.m. — The trail has reopened, according to NPS.

Photos (1 & 4) via NPS/Twitter (2 & 3) via BikeArlington Forum

Video: Firefighters Extinguish Rosslyn Dumpster Fire

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:15 p.m.) Firefighters tackled a dumpster fire in Rosslyn near the Target store earlier today.

The fire broke out this morning behind a building on the 1500 block of Wilson Blvd. It scorched a big green dumpster before being extinguished by firefighters from nearby Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

In a tweet, the Arlington County Fire Department encouraged residents to reconsider throwing hot objects (like lit cigarettes) into the trash.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Judge Dismisses Dewey Horse Punch Case — A man who was accused of punching a police horse in Dewey Beach is now trying to clear his name after the case was dismissed. Surveillance video reportedly exonerated the man, who might not actually be from Arlington as originally reported. [Cape Gazette]

Rosslyn Transportation Meeting Tonight — “Join Arlington County and the Rosslyn BID to provide feedback at this public meeting that will focus on the Core of Rosslyn Transportation Study. This study will examine the feasibility and potential impacts of permanent changes to the street network in the core of Rosslyn, with the goals of improving safety and accessibility for all users, including those walking, biking, using transit and driving.” [Rosslyn]

Another Commute Alternative: Running — As Metro continues on a downward ridership spiral, some are finding running to be an attractive commuting alternative, providing exercise and fresh air while eliminating costs and unpredictable delays. [Runners World]

Angels of the Battlefield Gala Tonight — The Armed Services YMCA will present its annual Angels of the Battlefield awards tonight during a gala at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City. Among the 2018 recipients of the prestigious awards are Senior Airman Linda Wilson, who helped save lives during the Las Vegas mass shooting last year. [ASYMCA, Air Force Times]

New Film Fest Coming to Clarendon — “Georgetown’s Halcyon and Arlington’s Clarendon Ballroom will be the venues for a new film festival – Flicks4Change — that links the entertainment world with charitable activism. The film festival first started in Los Angeles, expanded to Australia and now comes to the DC area.” [Georgetown Dish]

Nearby: Pete’s Apizza Closes in Md. — Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza has closed its Silver Spring location. The D.C. and Clarendon locations remain open. [Bethesda Beat]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

TRAFFIC ALERT: Medical Emergency Shuts Down Two Lanes of SB I-395

By ARLnow.com

Two left-hand lanes of southbound I-395 are blocked due to a driver suffering a medical emergency.

The incident happened on the main line of the highway between Arlington Ridge Road and S. Glebe Road, around 2:15 p.m.

More via Twitter:

Update at 3 p.m. — Lanes have reopened.

Rosslyn Security Startup LiveSafe Scores $11 Million in New Funding

By ARLnow.com

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

A Rosslyn-based security startup has pulled in $11 million in new funding.

LiveSafe announced the news last Wednesday (Sept. 26), noting that the new capital will help the company “further build out” some of its software offerings and expand its sales and marketing efforts.

The company was founded back in 2012 with a focus on campus security, in particular — co-founder Kristina Anderson is a survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting — but the startup has since expanded its scope to include a whole range of organizations looking to secure buildings or large events.

LiveSafe offers both a mobile app and a “command and communications” dashboard, in order to help businesses and universities alike collect information from employees or students about potential problems in the workplace. The company aims to protect the privacy of these reports, which can run the gamut from instances of sexual harassment to threats of violence from a coworker.

“Twenty-first century corporate leadership must treat safety, security, and incident prevention as a business priority,” Carolyn Parent, LiveSafe CEO, wrote in a statement. “The majority of costly, small- and large-scale risks that threaten organizations are known by some employees. It is critical that organizational leaders tap into their greatest sources of incident prevention intelligence — their people. Our mission is to enable companies to surface these risks via crowd-sourced intelligence to prevent any harm from occurring.”

LiveSafe says it now boasts more than 300 customers across the country, up from around 50 just three years ago. Those clients include major firms like Hearst and Cox Communications, and even sports teams like the San Francisco 49ers.

The Crystal City-based Consumer Technology Association, a lobbying group for some of the nation’s largest tech firms, has also started working with LiveSafe to collect data ahead of its massive “CES” conference in Las Vegas.

“We use several strategies to focus on attendee safety and our relationship with LiveSafe provides an important additional layer to our security operation,” CTA President and CEO Gary Shapiro wrote in a statement. “The LiveSafe technology seamlessly connects our security professionals directly with the event’s hosts, guests, and vendors, enabling open and anonymous communication about potential incidents and concerns. This helps our safety and security experts to act preemptively, discovering incidents before they can develop into crises.”

LiveSafe got started in a co-working space for startups, but moved to an office on the ground floor of 1400 Key Blvd in 2013, where it remains based today.

The company says this latest round of funding was part of a “Series B-1 extension,” with roughly half of the new $11 million coming from new investors and the rest coming from firms which had previously chipped in for the company.

Two of LiveSafe’s co-founders, Shayan and Eman Pahlevani, have since founded another startup in Clarendon: Hungry.

Photo via LiveSafe

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