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The Arlington County Police Department has charged a suspect for his involvement in a bank robbery in the 3400 block of Columbia Pike. Jaquan Deandre Malik Royal, 27, of Prince George’s County, Md., was taken into custody in Fairfax County. Charges in Arlington County are for Bank Robbery and Armed Robbery.
At approximately 10:29 a.m. on April 4, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery in the 3400 block of Columbia Pike. Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect entered the bank and allegedly passed a note to the teller demanding money and implying he had a weapon. He then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. No weapon was seen or displayed, and no injuries were reported.
This incident remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact police at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS.
Royal has a past arrest record in Arlington and Fairfax counties.
In the summer of 2022 he was arrested and charged with robbing a Wells Fargo Bank on Richmond Highway. The ultimate disposition of that case is not immediately clear, as ARLnow does not subscribe to Fairfax County’s paid circuit court records service.
In 2020, Royal was arrested and later convicted of petty larceny in Fairfax County, according to Fairfax County General District Court records.
Royal was arrested twice in Arlington last year and accused of a Nov. 26, 2020 armed carjacking in Crystal City and a Dec. 23, 2022 shooting. In both instances, charges were later dropped.
In February of this year he was arrested on grand larceny and other charges in Fairfax County, stemming from a December incident. He was released on his own recognizance in early March 2023, ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for May.
(Updated at 10:40 a.m.) A power outage left much of Falls Church, big parts of western Arlington, and a small portion of Fairfax County in the dark this morning.
More than 5,500 Dominion customers are without power, the utility company reported on its website. As of 9:15 a.m., 2,165 customers in Arlington — including parts of the East Falls Church, Leeway Overlee and Madison Manor neighborhoods — were affected. That includes nearly all of the Langston Blvd corridor west of N. Harrison Street.
More than 3,000 customers in Falls Church were also without power.
On its website, Dominion listed “circuit out” as the cause of the outage.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m., the power company’s outage map was updated to show that the outage was down to just over 1,200 customers, with a few hundred in Arlington and the rest in Falls Church.
The outage may be linked to a reported electrical line fire and transformer explosion in the City of Falls Church. A tipster sent the following photo showing the line on fire.
Electrical line on fire in Falls Church (photo courtesy anonymous)
A man walks a dog in Shirlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Yellow Line Reopening Date Set — “[Metro] announced today that the Yellow Line will open again on Sunday, May 7… The line has been out of service since September to allow work on the Potomac River tunnel and bridge.” [ALXnow]
Arlington Man Dies in Austin — “Authorities retrieved a body from Lady Bird Lake on Saturday for the second time in six weeks amid growing concerns about the safety of revelers in the popular Rainey Street entertainment district. Council Member Zohaib “Zo” Qadri… said the man was from the Washington, D.C., region. Austin police spokesman Brandon Jones said police received a call at 2:41 p.m. Friday reporting that a man, identified as Jonathan Honey, 33, was missing.” [Austin American-Statesman, Fox News]
Jan. 6 Arrest in Arlington — “A Navy sailor charged with storming the U.S. Capitol was stationed on an aircraft carrier in Virginia when he joined a mob’s attack on the building, according to a court filing Monday. The FBI arrested David Elizalde on Sunday in Arlington, Virginia, on misdemeanor charges, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, according to a court filing.” [Associated Press]
Airline Partnering with Local Startup — “Shift5 Inc., an Arlington tech startup whose software protects transportation and military systems from cyberattacks, has struck up a partnership with JetBlue Airways Corp. to help it develop new systems that can be used by commercial airlines. As part of the agreement, JetBlue’s venture capital arm, JetBlue Technology Ventures, has made an investment in Shift5 in a funding round led by New York-based Insight Partners and with additional participation from The Boeing Co.’s venture capital arm.” [Washington Business Journal]
YHS Lax Team Rolling — “Through the early season, the Yorktown Patriots have done what they have accomplished the past few campaigns – established themselves as one of the top boys high-school lacrosse teams in the region and state. Entering spring break, Yorktown had a 5-1 overall record with five straight wins and was yet to play a Liberty District match.” [GazetteLeader]
GW Parkway Lane Change — “Drivers will soon have to get accustomed to a brand-new traffic pattern on the McLean section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Starting Saturday, April 15, the existing southbound lanes will close between the Capital Beltway (I-495) and Route 123 (Dolley Madison Blvd and Chain Bridge Road) so crews can begin rehabilitating that portion of the roadway. All traffic will shift to the northbound lanes, which have been expanded with the addition of a third, temporary lane in the median.” [FFXnow]
It’s Wednesday — Cloudy. Warm. High of 86 and low of 61. Sunrise at 6:47 am and sunset at 7:35 pm. [Weather.gov]
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
File photo
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of bank robbery on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington County police are on scene of a bank robbery along Columbia Pike.
The Bank of America near the corner of the Pike and S. Glebe Road was robbed around 10:30 a.m. by a man who displayed or implied a gun and passed a note demanding cash, according to initial reports.
No injuries were reported. The suspect, described as a heavyset black male, possibly with tattoos on his arms, ran off with the cash.
Update on 4/5/23 — The police department has released the following on the robbery in its daily crime report.
BANK ROBBERY, 2023-04040102, 3400 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 10:29 a.m. on April 4, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the unknown male suspect entered the bank, slipped the teller a note, implied he had a weapon and demanded money. The suspect then entered a blue sedan and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. No weapon was seen or displayed, and no injuries were reported. The suspect is described as a Black male wearing a black jacket and a white mask. The investigation is ongoing.
The U.S. flag flies at half-mast in front of Arlington House (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington House grounds (staff photo)
Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetery in 2014
The interior of Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington House, as seen from the Kennedy gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery in 2011 (staff photo)
A unique reunion will take place at Arlington National Cemetery later this month.
Descendants of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee will gather with descendants of enslaved persons at the place where they once lived: Lee’s former plantation home, Arlington House.
The reunion, supported by the National Park Service, will feature families whose name has been etched in Arlington history over the years: Syphax, Custis, Gray, and so on.
A planned program on Saturday, April 22 will be open to the public and is set to include “music, remarks from descendant family members, and a ceremonial signing of a commitment letter to affirm the shared interests of the National Park Service and descendant families in shaping and sharing how descendant family histories and legacies are presented to the public.”
More, below, from a press release.
After more than 160 years, the descendants of the families, both enslaved and free, who lived on the historical plantation home of George Washington Parke Custis and Robert E. Lee will come together in-person for a milestone celebration of togetherness, reconciliation and storytelling. The three-day event, the first of its kind, will be held the weekend of April 21-23, 2023.
The Saturday April 22nd program beginning at 10AM on the grounds of Arlington House, will be open to the public and include music, remarks from descendant family members, and a ceremonial signing of a commitment letter to affirm the shared interests of the National Park Service and descendant families in shaping and sharing how descendant family histories and legacies are presented to the public.
Stephen Hammond, one of the organizers of the event and a Syphax family descendant, said, “We are pleased to announce our first face-to-face reunion of the descendant families connected to Arlington House. For the last two years, we have been meeting virtually, as a family circle, thanks to reconciliation dialogues sponsored by the National Park Service. Our facilitated conversations grew from members’ initial work to get to know one another and listen to one another. Through these deliberate and thoughtful conversations, the group has become a meaningful circle for its participants, who are now inviting the larger Arlington House descendant community to join us.”
Sarah Fleming, a Lee family descendant, said, “My fourth great grandfather, Richard Bland Lee, was Robert E. Lee’s uncle. I grew up knowing slavery was abhorrent and hearing of the pride my family took in being related to the Lees. We never talked about the space in between – about how the Lees themselves were enslavers. As a descendant of the Lees of Virginia, I am honored to have been invited to join the Arlington House Descendants’ Family Circle and to work towards healing the racial harms caused by slavery and by my ancestors.”
The Arlington House Family Circle was formed in 2021 with support from the National Park Service by descendants of enslaved persons, including the Branham, Custis, Gray, Henry, Norris, Parks and Syphax families, as well as descendants of enslaver families including the Custis and Lee families. The Family Circle participated in an innovative trust-building and truth-telling process, called The Welcome Table, which fostered difficult but necessary conversations about history that created a pathway to address the past while also charting a way forward together.
Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial, reopened in June 2021 after a 3-year renovation. The renovated plantation house, along with gardens and other buildings with exhibits will be open. Descendants will be on hand as docents, to answer questions.
Parking Sensor Installation Underway — “After getting a $5.4 million grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation, Arlington County is trying out new technology to tackle its parking problem. Starting Monday, they’ll begin installing in-ground sensors for its Performing Parking Pilot project. The sensors can detect whether there is or isn’t a car in the parking spot. Officials say crews will be starting on 14th St N somewhere between N Barton St and N Taft St.” [WJLA, Twitter]
April Is Preparedness Month — “Arlington Preparedness Month in April is an observance to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. The 2023 theme is ‘Be Ready, Arlington! Prepare now to protect the life you love.'” [Arlington County]
Housing Event Set for April 29 — “LAIF, Live in Arlington Information Fair, aspires to be a gateway to critical community services and information to those who need it the most. This event is brought to you by Centro de Apoyo Familiar or Center for Assistance to Families (CAF) in partnership with Arlington County Housing Division.” [LAIF]
Whitlow’s Reopening in D.C. — “If there’s a comeback kid of DC’s bar scene, it’s Whitlow’s. The casual neighborhood tavern, which got its start in downtown DC at the end of World War II, moved to Arlington in 1995 for its ‘Whitlow’s on Wilson’ decades. After lease negotiations fell through there, co-owner Jon Williams–whose family has owned the bar since the ’70s–moved the concept to U Street last year. Now he’s bar-hopping again, but not far. Whitlow’s 4.0 will take over the longtime Brixton space in May.” [Washingtonian]
It’s Tuesday — Partly cloudy. Warm. High of 77 and low of 55. Sunrise at 6:48 am and sunset at 7:34 pm. [Weather.gov]
Three armed men attempted — unsuccessfully — to carjack someone in Pentagon City late last night.
That’s according to the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report.
The attempted carjacking happened just before midnight Sunday on the 700 block of 12th Street S., near the Pentagon Centre shopping center and the Pentagon City Metro station entrance.
“At approximately 11:56 p.m. on April 2, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person,” said ACPD. “Upon arrival, it was determined the victim was in his parked vehicle when the suspect vehicle approached, and three suspects exited. The suspects approached the victim’s vehicle and brandished firearms and the victim fled the area.”
“No injuries were reported,” the crime report continues. “Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspects yielding negative results… The investigation is ongoing.”
Arlington police have reported at least nine completed carjackings so far this year.
County Board candidate Audrey Clement in Virginia Square on Election Day — Nov. 7, 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Audrey Clement is again tossing her hat in the ring for the upcoming Arlington County Board race.
Clement said in an email to supporters this morning that she is planning to run as an independent in the race, which will fill the seats of Chair Christian Dorsey and member Katie Cristol, who are not seeking reelection.
The repeat candidate, who has unsuccessfully run for various offices in Arlington nearly a dozen times since her first County Board race in 2011, won a few northern Arlington precincts in the Board general election this past fall. Clement says she will again run with her opposition to “Missing Middle” housing rezoning front and center.
While two of the other contenders for County Board have also recently spoken out against Missing Middle, I’ve been vocal in my opposition to it since long before it was popular to speak out — February 22, 2020 to be exact.
These County Board candidates also say that Missing Middle will provide a way for moderate income residents to get starter homes, even though most of the units will be rental.
If you object to subsidizing overpriced housing and the constant misleading hype about the supposed benefits of Missing Middle, then you should vote for Clement for County Board on November 7, 2023.
If elected, I pledge to:
Seek immediate tax relief for residents and businesses.
Demand full transparency in the deals the County cuts with developers.
Preserve Arlington’s cultural heritage. Stop permitting the destruction of historic structures.
Save our parks, streams and tree canopy. Stop clearcutting wooded areas on public property.
Say YES to real social justice reforms and NO to symbolic gestures.
If you share my agenda, then:
Spread the word about my candidacy.
Donate to my campaign.
Help make the “Arlington Way” more than an empty phrase.
Clement will face the two Democratic candidates who emerge from the party’s primary in June. Democrats will utilize ranked-choice voting to choose among the announced candidates of Maureen Coffey, Jonathan Dromgoole, Natalie Roy, Julius “JD” Spain, Tony Weaver, and Susan Cunningham.
Roy and Cunningham have also expressed degrees of opposition to the Missing Middle changes.
