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.

ACPD Releases Results of Preliminary Investigation Into Officer-Involved Shooting

By ARLnow.com

The police officers who shot and killed a man during a traffic stop last month acted properly and within “established guidelines,” according to the results of a preliminary investigation.

The shooting happened Monday, May 17 during a traffic stop on the Glebe Road off-ramp of I-395. In a statement released Friday afternoon, the Arlington County Police Department said that the suspect was shot after he used his truck to pin an officer against another vehicle.

The full ACPD press release is below.

The preliminary investigation into the officer involved shooting on May 17, 2017 has been completed. Chief M. Jay Farr announced today, “this incident remains an active police investigation, however, based on the information revealed during the preliminary investigation, we believe that our officers’ actions were prudent, reasonable and within our established guidelines.”

To summarize this incident, at approximately 4:32 p.m. on May 17, 2017, Arlington County Police attempted a traffic stop on a wanted suspect traveling on I-395 at Jefferson Davis Highway based on a lookout received from a license plate reader. The suspect initially stopped for officers, but fled the scene and maneuvered around the officers and continued traveling along I-395. The officers continued to travel in the same direction as the suspect vehicle but no pursuit was initiated. The suspect exited I-395 at Glebe Road where he encountered heavy traffic and officers again attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Based on officer accounts as well as independent witnesses and crime scene evidence, when officers approached the vehicle on foot, the suspect initially stopped the vehicle and opened the door but then made a decision to close the vehicle door, place it in drive and ultimately struck an officer pinning him against another vehicle. At that time, shots were fired by officers, injuring the suspect. Officers were then able to move the suspect vehicle and free the officer. Officers performed life saving measures on the suspect before he was transported to Virginia Hospital Center where he later succumbed to his injuries. The officers involved were Officer S. Yanda and Corporal M. Chattillion.

We are committed to protecting and serving the citizens of Arlington County and remaining transparent with the public. Upon completion of our investigation, the findings will be provided to the Commonwealth Attorney for independent review and additional information may be released at that time.

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

Looking for a home? There are plenty of houses and condos open for viewing this weekend.

Check out the Arlington Realty website for a full list of homes for sale and open houses in Arlington. Here are a few highlights:

1121 Arlington Blvd #505
1 Bed/1 Bath Condo
Agent: Lee Guerry
Listed: $165,o00
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

2665-D S. Walter Reed Drive
2 Bed/1 Bath Condo
Agent: Morgan Willemsen
Listed: $318,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

2310 14th Street N. #304
1 Bed/1 Bath Condo
Agent: Carrie Shokraei
Listed: $399,999
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

1612 S. Oakland Street
2 Bed/1 Bath Single-Family Detached
Agent: Brad Kiger
Listed: $485,000
Open: Saturday 1-4 p.m., Sunday 12-2 p.m.

 

2625 S. Veitch Street
2 Bed/2 Bath Townhome
Agent: John Schmidt
Listed: $526,453
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

2117 N. Lincoln Street
3 Beds/3 Bath Townhome
Agent: Christine Rich
Listed: $629,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

6227 19th Street N.
3 Bed/2 Bath Single-Family Detached
Agent: Shawn Battle
Listed: $829,900
Open: Sunday 12-3 p.m.

Schools Secured Due to Fairfax County Robbery

By ARLnow.com
File photo

(Updated at 12:15 p.m.) Swanson Middle School, McKinley Elementary and Ashlawn Elementary were placed in “secure the school” mode Friday morning due to an armed robbery in Fairfax County.

The robbery happened just before 10:30 a.m. in the Willston Center, on the 6100 block of Arlington Blvd. While each are about a mile or more away from the robbery scene, the schools were nonetheless secured as a precaution.

More from Arlington Public Schools spokeswoman Jennifer Harris:

At approximately 10:30 a.m., Swanson, McKinley and Ashlawn enacted our “Secure the School” protocol due to nearby police activity. Students and staff remained safely inside our school buildings for approximately 45 minutes. There was never any danger within the school buildings. A “Secure the School” exercise is not a “Lockdown” protocol. This exercise was in response to police activity within the outside community.

No one was hurt in the robbery, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Fairlington Named ‘Top Value Neighborhood’ — Fairlington and Shirlington are together the No. 3 “top value neighborhood” in the D.C. area, according to real estate website Trulia. No. 1 is University Park in Maryland and No. 2. is Kingman Park in D.C. [Curbed]

Market-Rate Affordable Housing Disappearing — In 2000 there were 19,740 homes in Arlington affordable to those making 60 percent of Area Median Income. That dropped by 86 percent, to 2,780 units, by the end of 2016. [Washington Business Journal]

Police Focused on Opioid Abuse — Yesterday the Arlington County Police Department “participated in a discussion on regional law enforcement efforts aimed at reducing the growing heroin/opiate epidemic.” There are at least three addiction treatment facilities in Arlington and ACPD “strongly encourages substances users and their family members to seek assistance.” [Arlington County]

Native Plants Return Thanks to Management of Invasives — “Native plants are on the comeback trail in Arlington – particularly along the W&OD Trail in Bluemont and Glencarlyn parks. Last month Dominion Energy mowed green space beneath powerlines along the trail, helping the County manage invasive plants like Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose.” [Arlington County]

Amazon Buying Whole Foods — Arlington’s two Whole Foods stores, in Clarendon and Pentagon City, will soon be owned by Amazon.com. [CNBC, Wall Street Journal]

Police: Shots Fired in Ballston Apartment Building

By ARLnow.com

Gunshots were fired, apparently accidentally, in a Ballston apartment building early Tuesday morning.

The shots were fired around 2 a.m. on the 1000 block of N. Vermont Street, according to Arlington County Police. No injuries were reported.

An ACPD crime report details what happened.

RECKLESS HANDLING OF A FIREARM (late), 2017-06130094, 1000 block of N. Vermont Street. At approximately 11:03 a.m. on June 13, officers responded to the report of a suspicious circumstance. Upon arrival, it was determined that at approximately 2:00 a.m. a resident heard a loud noise and later discovered two bullet holes in a shared wall of his residence. Police responded, conducted an investigation which is ongoing at this time.

Crime Report: Man Flashes Multiple Women in Rosslyn Area

By ARLnow.com

A man exposed himself to women twice within a span of about 15 minutes Monday night.

The incidents happened around 10 p.m. in the Rosslyn and Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhoods.

Police say the flasher first exposed himself to a female victim at the intersection of Clarendon Blvd and N. Rhodes Street. Police then received another call for a similar incident on the 1200 block of N. Queen Street.

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

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2017-06120295, Clarendon Boulevard at N. Rhodes Street. At approximately 9:50 p.m. on June 12, officers responded to the report of an indecent exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined an unknown male suspect exposed himself to a female victim. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his mid-twenties, approximately 5’7″-5’8″ tall with a medium build. He was wearing a blue hoodie and cargo shorts. The investigation is ongoing.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2017-06120300, 1200 block of N. Queen Street. At approximately 10:01 p.m. on June 12, officers responded to the report of an indecent exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined an unknown male suspect exposed himself to a female victim. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his mid-twenties, approximately 5’8″ tall and weighed 160 lbs. He was wearing a dark colored hat, black hooded sweatshirt, shorts and sneakers. The investigation is ongoing.

A police spokeswoman said the same suspect is believed to be responsible for both incidents, but there’s no word as to whether he may have committed other such indecent exposure crimes in the past.

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

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

‘Love Letters’ Along the Pike — The “Virginia Is For Lovers” tourism campaign has installed the person-sized letters “LOVE” along S. Walter Reed Drive, ahead of this weekend’s Columbia Pike Blues Festival. [Facebook]

News Orgs Confuse Arlington and Alexandria — A number of news organizations mistakenly stated that yesterday’s shooting in Alexandria happened in “Arlington, Virginia.” Though somewhat inexplicable, the confusion happens frequently. [Twitter]

Regional Metro Tax Mulled — The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has approved a series of principles that could be the basis for a region-wide tax that can provide dedicated funding for Metro. Without it, WMATA says it will face budget shortfalls by 2019. [WTOP]

Record Democratic Gov. Primary Turnout in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

A record number of votes were cast Tuesday in Arlington in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, according to the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam defeated Tom Perriello 56-44 statewide and 62-38 in Arlington. According to the committee, a record 28,167 votes were cast in Arlington.

Northam will face Republican Ed Gillespie in November’s general election.

In a press release, excerpted below, ACDC said the turnout record “is proof that Democrats across Virginia — and especially in Arlington — will vote for progressive, Democratic candidates in November.”

The Arlington County Democratic Committee (ACDC) congratulates the winners of the Democratic Primaries across the Commonwealth of Virginia, and in particular Ralph Northam, who has secured the nomination for Governor and Justin Fairfax, who has secured the nomination for Lieutenant Governor.

Arlingtonians came out again in record numbers to participate in the Democratic primary this year: 28,167 votes strong is the highest gubernatorial primary turnout in Arlington’s history, and 25,717 votes strong is historically high turnout for the lieutenant gubernatorial primary. The surge of enthusiasm in our party is proof that Democrats across Virginia — and especially in Arlington — will vote for progressive, Democratic candidates in November.

Four years ago in the Commonwealth, women’s reproductive rights, the right to marriage equality, and progress on renewable energy were all at risk. But in the four years since we regained the Governor’s mansion, our Governor has stood up for Planned Parenthood, supported marriage equality, expanded access to voter registration and absentee voting, and strengthened protection for victims of domestic violence. The ACDC is committed to building upon these achievements by electing a Democratic ticket and helping elect more Democrats to the House of Delegates.

SUV Overturns in Wilson Blvd Crash

By ARLnow.com
1/5

An SUV flipped on its side as a result of a two-vehicle crash on Wilson Blvd this morning.

The crash happened around 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of Wilson and N. Rhodes Street, roughly between Rosslyn and Courthouse. The intersection is home to the Rhodeside Grill restaurant.

The road was blocked immediately following the crash, causing some traffic tie-ups.

No word yet on whether there were any injuries.

Photo No. 1 courtesy Guillermo Castillo, photo No. 2 courtesy @rickolivieri

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Northam, Gillespie Win Va. Primary — Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and Ed Gillespie, establishment figures in the state Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, beat back party insurgents to win the nomination for Virginia governor on Tuesday. The primary was a test of the “Trump effect,” according to political analysts. [Washington Post, Washington Post, Politico]

Python Found in Apartment Hallway — An Arlington animal control officer recovered a python from an apartment hallway Tuesday morning, prompting an article in by the Washington Post’s Martin Weil. In his signature style, Weil notes that “matters appeared to end satisfactorily.” [Washington Post, Twitter]

Developer, 91, Wants to Move Into New Building — Longtime local developer Marvin Weissberg is enthusiastic about the 24-story, 407-unit residential tower he’s proposing to replace the RCA building in Rosslyn. So enthusiastic is Weissberg, 91, that he says he wants to move in when it’s completed. [Washington Business Journal]

Nearby: Shooting at Congressional Baseball Practice — A gunman opened fire at a Republican congressional baseball practice in Alexandria this morning, wounding House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a number of congressional aides and two police officers. The gunman was reportedly shot by U.S. Capitol Police. [Fox News, Twitter]

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