The updated county government website is intended to be easier to navigate than the current version, which was last updated 7 years ago. That update was also focused on improving navigation.
The new version is expected to officially launch this fall. Before then, the county is collecting online feedback about the new site, asking about ease of use, among other questions.
The beta site features a small selection of webpages that will allow users to experience some of the upcoming site changes in the areas of design, content, navigation and more. https://t.co/LMEO0yDma0pic.twitter.com/nuP6ileaYI
Arlington County Government today unveiled its beta website, a preview of the new upgraded website set to launch later this year. The beta site features a small selection of webpages that will allow users to experience some of the upcoming site changes in the areas of design, content, navigation and more.
Users can access the beta site from the banner at the top of the current Arlington County website or by visiting it directly using the temporary address: https://arlington.prelive.opencities.com/Beta. Users will be directed to a “page not found” page if attempting to access content not included in the Beta.
The beta version launch paves the way for the completion of the new upgraded public website, which will bring the first major refresh of the County’s online presence in more than seven years. The yearlong effort is focused on delivering needed improvements to the website’s stability, security and performance. Work is also being done in the areas of design, information architecture, and content strategy, to create an enhanced user experience that better serves the community’s information needs.
Arlington residents are encouraged to try out the beta site and share feedback using an online form. This form and a link to the beta are accessible on the main website in a banner at the top of the page. Comments are welcome through Sunday, August 15.
The new website is slated to go live in fall of this year.
Pentagon Metro Station Reopening — “Metro will reopen the Pentagon Station and Pentagon Transit Center to customers beginning with the start of bus and rail service Thursday morning. The station and transit center has been closed since early Tuesday, due to the law enforcement response and investigation following a fatal incident that occurred in the bus bays.” [WMATA]
Chamber Supports Langston Blvd Plan — “The Arlington Chamber of Commerce broadly supports the Plan Lee Highway Scenario Analysis, providing for additional commercial and residential density in an established, aging, yet vibrant and critical transit corridor. Moreover, the Chamber encourages creating flexible land use policies and regulations so as to attract investment to the Langston Boulevard corridor.” [Arlington Chamber of Commerce]
ACPD Celebrates ‘National Night Out’ — “Across the nation and throughout the region, neighbors and police mingled Tuesday night in the National Night Out — an annual effort to fight crime by building relationships between communities and police. In Drew Park, nestled in Arlington County, Virginia’s historic Green Valley neighborhood, a DJ played music and children petted a yellow Lab K-9, while their parents huddled together with police officers including Chief Charles ‘Andy’ Penn.” [WTOP]
New Community Center Profiled — “This is a story about a building, but it’s also a story about a park, which flows into the building, driving the structure’s design to an unusually high degree. Located in Arlington, Virginia’s Lubber Run Park–a public recreation area with walking trails and a gentle stream winding through a forest–the Lubber Run Community Center replaces an outdated building from the 1950s that was torn down in 2018.” [Metropolis]
Mini Earthquake Shook Area Yesterday — “A small earthquake shook parts of Central Maryland in the overnight hours of Wednesday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 2.1 earthquake was centered in Clarksville, Maryland, at 2:11 a.m. with a depth of about 1.8 miles.” [WTOP]
The new bus bays on Fairfax Drive outside the Ballston Metro station (staff photo)
The new bus bays on Fairfax Drive outside the Ballston Metro station (staff photo)
The new bus bays on Fairfax Drive outside the Ballston Metro station (staff photo)
Closed bus bays on N. Stuart Street outside the Ballston Metro station
Closed bus bays on N. Stuart Street outside the Ballston Metro station
Commuters in Ballston now have access to new bus bays on Fairfax Drive, outside the entrance to the Ballston Metro station.
The refreshed bus bays feature “new bus shelters, sidewalks, and planters,” said Eric Balliet, a spokesman for Dept. of Environmental Services. He added that work along Fairfax Drive should be “substantially complete in August.”
These upgrades are part of a four-phase project to update the transit facilities and public areas surrounding the Metro station. Improvements to multimodal facilities along Fairfax Drive comprise the project’s first phase.
New bus bays at the Ballston Metro station are officially open for bus service! Construction of the new bus bays along Fairfax Drive were part of Phase 1 of the Ballston Multimodal Improvements Project. Learn more: https://t.co/9ImAHTLg3Xpic.twitter.com/VjvwPUlEma
The county expects the project will be 100% complete next summer, he said. The goal of the project is to increase transit usage and safety, improve the facilities as well as access to them and circulation around them, and enhance their design and provide sustainable infrastructure.
With phase one nearing substantial completion, the county is embarking on the second phase. Access to bus bays and pedestrian paths along the east side of N. Stuart Street will be impacted during this phase, which is expected to last until spring 2022, the project webpage said.
“Access to businesses along east side of N. Stuart Street will be maintained throughout this phase,” the webpage noted.
Since Sunday, some ART and Metrobus service along N. Stuart Street and N. Stafford Street has been relocated to the new bus stops on Fairfax Drive and temporary ones on the west side of N. Stuart Street. On Monday, attendants could be seen helping commuters get to the right bus stop.
WMATA say it is still working to provide printed schedules for riders.
The new Ballston bus bays will have printed paper schedules by the end of next week. We are still working on a timeline to have real-time signage by the end of the year or later in 2022. -KB
Phases three and four will focus on upgrades to two plazas, one on N. Stuart Street and one on Fairfax Drive, and each phase is expected to last three months. Once all four phases are complete, commuters will see a number of additional upgrades, such as additional bike parking, expanded public space along Fairfax Drive, a dedicated “kiss-and-ride” curb space and a dedicated shuttle bus curb space and bus shelter.
In addition, “landscaping and benches for the planter areas, bus stop flag poles and real-time bus information displays will be added toward the end of the project,” Balliet said.
The County Board approved the project in December 2019, and construction — expected to last 18 months — was slated to begin in the summer of 2020.
“The project experienced delays due to the need to relocate telecom and electric utilities lines,” Balliet said. “We now expect the entire project to be completed in summer 2022.”
The Arlington Forest neighborhood woke up Monday morning to find numerous cars were broken into overnight.
Cars on at least three blocks of the neighborhood near Route 50 were targeted by thieves, who opened doors and rummaged through the belongings inside, stealing cash. In all, around 18 vehicles were entered, according to the Arlington County Police Department.
Police are now searching for two suspects in the case. From an ACPD crime report:
LARCENY FROM AUTO/GRAND LARCENY AUTO (SERIES), 2021-08020041, 200 block of N. Edison Street / 5100 block of 1st Street N. / 200 block of N. Emerson Street. At approximately 5:02 a.m. on August 2, police were dispatched to the report of suspicious persons. Upon arrival, it was determined that the reporting party observed two unknown male suspects looking into parked vehicles. Arriving officers located a vehicle with open doors and items that had been rummaged through. A canvass of the area located approximately 18 vehicles which has been entered and rummaged through. Several victims reported an undisclosed amount of cash was stolen from their vehicles, as well as personal items displaced. During the course of the investigation, one victim vehicle was reported stolen but was subsequently located in the area and recovered. Suspect One is described as a Black male, approximately 5’10” tall with short hair and a long beard, wearing a white t-shirt. There is no description for Suspect Two. The investigation is ongoing.
Arlington experienced a rash of vehicle break-ins and thefts during the pandemic last year, though some arrests have since been made and — anecdotally, at least — such reports have become less frequent.
Also in Tuesday’s crime report, the police department noted a theft of a half-dozen motorized scooters from a scooter and motorcycle dealership in the Clarendon area.
GRAND LARCENY AUTO (SIGNIFICANT), 2021-08010105, 3200 block of 10th Street N. At approximately 10:19 a.m. on August 1, police were dispatched to the report of a grand larceny auto. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 11:20 p.m. on July 31 and 5:42 a.m. on August 1, three unknown suspects forced entry into the business and stole 6 motorized scooters. No other items were reported stolen or damaged. There are no suspect descriptions. The investigation is ongoing.
The former Uber driver who allegedly struck Advanced Towing owner John O’Neill last year entered a plea agreement on July 23.
Gigssa Bekele Bengessa pleaded guilty to reckless driving in a parking lot and to a felony hit and run. He will face some jail time and three years of probation.
In January 2020, Bengessa attempted to drive out of the towing lot in Ballston as O’Neill was closing the gate, according to a police report from the time. Bengessa struck him, a dumpster and light pole.
Per the plea agreement, provided to ARLnow, he will be sentenced to jail for a net of 10 days — 90 days, with 80 days suspended. During the time of his suspended sentence, he will be supervised. His driver’s license will be suspended for six months.
Provided that Bengessa meets all the court’s prescriptions over the next three years, he will be able to have the felony charge knocked down to a misdemeanor, the agreement said.
Bengessa has three years to pay court costs as well as $5,516.35, plus interest, to O’Neill for restitution.
He is being required to “follow all treatment recommendations made” after a psychologist’s evaluation from March 2020, according to the plea deal, and will “undergo any further mental health evaluations deemed appropriate” by his probation officer.
Further, Bengessa will be “prohibited from driving or operating any and all rideshare vehicles, including but not limited to: Uber, Lyft, taxi service, or any vehicle for hire,” the plea deal said.
The agreement comes as the Virginia Attorney General, Mark Herring, is preparing to go to trial in a lawsuit against Advanced Towing. The suit was filed in June 2020 and a trial date is scheduled for Oct. 6 of this year.
Herring’s complaint alleges that Advanced Towing has violated state and county towing code provisions, resulting in towing conduct that is “frequently predatory, aggressive, overreaching and illegal.”
“Virginia consumers should not have to worry about towing companies acting illegally or employing predatory, unsafe business practices,” Herring said in a statement last year. “My team and I will continue to hold towing companies and bad actors accountable when they break the law and take advantage of consumers.”
This is not the first time such an accusation has been leveled against the company. Advanced, which tows cars that are considered to be trespassing on private lots and then charges the vehicle’s owner a fee, faces frequent accusations of “predatory” towing.
The company gained national notoriety in 2015 after video emerged of an ESPN reporter, whose car was towed, berating an Advanced employee.
Health Directors Urge Mask Wearing — “Today, all five Northern Virginia Health Directors issued a joint letter of interim recommendations for mask wearing in Northern Virginia. The letter was issued by Health Directors from the City of Alexandria, as well as Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties to Northern Virginia Mayors, Chairs and Chief Administrative Officers with the recommendation that individuals wear masks while indoors in government and other public settings, regardless of vaccination status.” [City of Alexandria, PDF]
Flags at Half-Staff to Honor Fallen Officer — From NBC 4’s Jackie Bensen: “Secretary of Defense orders Pentagon flags flown at half-mast to honor Pentagon Force Protection Agency officer killed in the line of duty this morning.” [Twitter]
Metro Changes for Pentagon Investigation — From WMATA: “Pentagon update for tomorrow (Aug 4): Pentagon Station expected to remain closed all day. Yellow & Blue line trains will bypass the station. All Metrobus service to/from Pentagon Transit Center will operate from Pentagon City (S Hayes near 12th St).” [Twitter, Twitter]
Delayed Request for Assistance at Pentagon — From local public safety watchdog Dave Statter: “Heard shots at approx 10:37 am. This video was at 10:38 am. I’d love to know why Pentagon Protection Force Agency waited until 10:50 to request @ArlingtonVaPD & @ArlingtonVaFD for an active shooter?” [Twitter, Twitter]
Training Exercise Today at Fort Myer — “Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall will hold a routine training event for its first responders Wednesday, Aug. 4, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Myer side of the base. Wright Gate, located at N. Meade Street and Marshall Drive in Arlington, will be closed from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m… Arlington County first responders will also participate in the training, so expect to see an increase in emergency response vehicles near the base. Neighboring communities may hear the base’s external ‘giant voice’ loudspeaker during the training.” [Press Release]
Former Red Top Cab Exec Dies — From the Washington Regional Alcohol Program: “Today, WRAP mourns the passing of former, longtime WRAP Director George Pakidis. The former VP of Red Top Cab in Arlington, George was a beloved member of WRAP’s Board for 14 years 12 of which he ably served as the nonprofit’s #SoberRide Committee Chair.” [Twitter]
Arlington Olympian Torri Huske greeted by friends, family and supporters at Glebe Elementary (photo courtesy Elaine Dudley)
Arlington Olympian Torri Huske greeted by friends, family and supporters at Glebe Elementary (photo courtesy Elaine Dudley)
Arlington Olympian Torri Huske greeted by friends, family and supporters at Glebe Elementary (photo courtesy Elaine Dudley)
Greeting for Torri Huske at Glebe Elementary (via ACFD)
Torri Huske takes to Instagram to post her reflections on the Olympics (via Instagram)
Arlington’s Torri Huske swims in the women’s 4x100m medley relay (via NBC)
Arlington’s Torri Huske swims in the women’s 4x100m medley relay (via NBC)
Yorktown High School’s Torri Huske sets an American record and punches her ticket to Tokyo on NBC’s Olympic swimming trial broadcast in June 2021
Last night Olympic swimmer and Arlingtonian Torri Huske was greeted at Dulles International Airport by 40 friends and family members.
The 18-year-old Yorktown High School grad flew back from Tokyo Olympics after competing in three swimming contests, earning a silver medal in one event, as part of the U.S. women’s 4×100 medley relay team, and narrowly missing the podium in the individual 100-meter butterfly race.
From Dulles, her friends drove her almost all the way home — but just before reaching their destination, feigned a wrong turn and ended up in the parking lot of Glebe Elementary School.
There, she was surprised by the flashing lights of Arlington police and fire trucks — the latter of which had hoisted a 50-foot American flag in the air. Below were somewhere between 200 and 300 family members, friends, teammates from Arlington Aquatics Club and Yorktown High School, as well as younger AAC swimmers, her second-grade teacher and other Arlington Public Schools staff who helped the Huskes through the years.
“It was a magical night,” her father, Jim Huske, tells ARLnow.
The event was organized by the Arlington Aquatics Club, offered by Arlington’s Department of Parks and Recreation, and the club with which Torri has swam since she was five years old. Although the Huskes knew the surprise event was coming, they didn’t know how many people to expect. And news of the surprise greeting spread quickly.
“I think I knew 80% of the people there,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Cheering fans held glow sticks and signs, and Torri took photos with young swimmers who look up to her, Parks Department spokeswoman Susan Kalish said. The fire department gave her an honorary shirt and patch.
“Everyone was so excited for her and there was so much joy in the air,” she said. “Torri made a beeline for Evan Stiles, her coach, to give him a big hug when she got out of the car.”
Stiles has been her coach for the last four years, Huske said. He credited him, and all of Torri’s coaches, as well as the local connections who helped Torri find suitable pools to practice in, and APS staff for getting his daughter to the Olympics.
“Everybody has a little piece of that medal, whether they realize it or not, and she knows,” Huske said.
He added that his family is “so proud of her of her swimming. She always wants to do better. She gave it her best at that time, she’s looking forward to the opportunity to represent America again. We’re so proud of how she handled it. At 18, all those young kids, they all banded together, and all helped each other. They did a phenomenal job to support each other, from soup to nuts.”
(Updated at 9:10 p.m.) Arlington County police are investigating after a large fight at Yorktown High School yesterday.
The fight reportedly broke out Monday morning and resulted in multiple students suffering minor injuries. Parents later showed up at the high school, we’re told, after which police were called.
Police released few details in response to an inquiry from ARLnow.
“At approximately 12:04 p.m., police were dispatched to the 5200 block of Yorktown Boulevard for the late report of a fight on school property,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
Medics were also dispatched to the school to treat the injured students.
Savage said police are investigating the incident.
Confirming a tip also received by ARLnow, Fox 5 reported Tuesday night that police were called by parents, not by the school, following the fight. The School Board voted in June to relocate School Resource Officers — sworn Arlington County police officers that were previously stationed at schools.
An Arlington Public Schools spokesman did not respond to a request for comment sent Monday afternoon.
NEW: Video obtained by @LindsayAWatts shows brawl at Arlington's Yorktown HS. Police are investigating, but school admin didn't call them. Turns out they don't have to. I'll explain at 10/11. Fight first reported by @ARLnowDOTcom@fox5dcpic.twitter.com/Cck6Va20ec
Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti at an NAACP and Black Lives Matter rally and march in Arlington last year (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A new political group has announced plans to force a recall of Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church.
Virginians for Safe Communities (VSC) is aiming to remove her and her counterparts in Fairfax County and Loudoun County — Steve Descano and Buta Biberaj, respectively — by gathering enough signatures to have a court review its case against the three prosecutors. Should the group get those signatures and should a judge rule in its favor, a special election would be held.
The trio were elected in 2019 on their pledges to reform the criminal justice system, and Arlington’s top prosecutor has emphasized initiatives such as decriminalizing marijuana possession, ending cash bail and increasing data transparency. But not everyone sees her changes, or those of her counterparts in neighboring counties, as reforms.
“Their radical policies have proven not only unlawful but dangerous, including eliminating cash bail by fiat, unilaterally nullifying narcotics laws, and failing to prosecute serious crimes. The people of our community would be shocked that these prosecutors aren’t pursuing crimes like animal cruelty, domestic assault, reckless driving, and indecent exposure,” VSC President Sean Kennedy tells ARLnow.
Dehghani-Tafti rejected his claims and said she is fulfilling her campaign promises well.
“I’m doing exactly what I promised my community I would do — what I was elected to do — and doing it well: making the system more fair, more responsive, and more rehabilitative, while keeping us safe,” she said. “This is a far-right attempt to overturn a valid election through a non-democratic recall.”
The effort has already received coverage by national outlets such as the New York Times, which described Kennedy as a Republican political operative and noted that another backer, former Trump administration appointee Ian Prior, is “leading a petition drive to recall school board members in Loudoun County over critical race theory.
The group has not disclosed who its donors are.
Kennedy cited Arlington County Police Department’s annual report, which notes an increase in felony aggravated assaults and carjackings, as evidence against Dehghani-Tafti — though the report also shows a decrease in violent sex offenses and a relatively low homicide rate. He also cited rising homicide rates in Fairfax County in 2021 and an alleged failure to prosecute domestic abusers in Loudoun.
Meanwhile, Dehghani-Tafti’s tenure has seen some conflicts with judges over plea deals and dropping charges without stating a reason why for the record.
Public Defender Brad Haywood defended Dehghani-Tafti and said the group does not have a pulse on Arlington’s community or courthouse.
“I don’t know all of the problems they’re having in other jurisdictions, but the consensus among defense attorneys and her prosecutor colleagues from places like Alexandria and Portsmouth is that Ms. Dehghani-Tafti has done the best job of any of the reform-oriented prosecutors elected in Virginia over the past few years,” he tells ARLnow. “She’s been thoughtful about staff retention and recruitment, she’s moved at a measured pace with her policy changes, and she’s been deliberate about engaging and showing respect to stakeholder groups that were skeptical of her, such as the police department.”
Haywood added that there have been no homicides yet in 2021, and his office has observed that sexual assault appears to be prosecuted more aggressively now than under her predecessor, Theo Stamos.
Matthew Hurtt, a spokesman for the Arlington County Republican Committee and former ARLnow opinion columnist, said Arlington Republicans are concerned about the stats and “look forward to working alongside Virginians for Safe Communities wherever we can.”
“We are encouraged by a broad, bipartisan coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and independents who support prosecutors who will faithfully execute their oath of office and uphold the law,” he said. “Picking and choosing which laws to enforce or re-writing laws wholesale is not the job of a prosecutor — it’s the job of the general assembly.”
Police and firefighters on scene of a violent incident outside the Pentagon (photo via Dave Statter/@STATter911)
Police and firefighters on scene of a violent incident outside the Pentagon (photo via Dave Statter/@STATter911)
Response to shooting at the Pentagon (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Response to shooting at the Pentagon (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Response to shooting at the Pentagon (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Response to shooting at the Pentagon (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Police blocking entrance to the Pentagon reservation (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
News crews gathered near the Pentagon and a police helicopter in the air (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
(Updated at 2:15 p.m. on 8/4/21) A police officer was attacked and killed Tuesday morning at the Pentagon bus platform, outside the Metro station, prompting a massive emergency response from Arlington and other local jurisdictions.
At least three people were initially reported to be hurt, two seriously, as shots rang out around 10:30 a.m. The incident was initially described as an active shooting, though the attack was later reported to have involved a knife in addition to gunfire.
One “person of interest” was sought by police in the wake of the deadly attack, leading to an extensive search, though reports of a suspect being on the run now appear to be based on erroneous witness reports.
Dave Statter, a nearby resident and public safety watchdog, said he heard “at least a dozen shots” and saw CPR being performed on two people who were lying on the ground. Video taken by Statter shortly after the shooting shows police covering a person lying in the street, near a Metrobus, with a white sheet. Officers with guns drawn surrounded another person.
Just before noon on Tuesday, Pentagon police said “the scene of the incident is secure” but “still an active crime scene.” Metro trains were halted while police continued to search the area, including the Metro tunnels.
The Pentagon remained “on lockdown” until just after noon, when the lockdown was lifted. The Metro station and bus platform remained closed as of Wednesday.
Police and firefighters from Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County and other jurisdictions, as well as the FBI, responded to the scene. The Fairfax County police helicopter was called in to assist with the search. Numerous news crews gathered in Pentagon City as the situation unfolded.
Congressman Don Beyer (D-Va.) tweeted that he is “closely following the situation.”
“As we await more details from authorities, I am thankful for the efforts of law enforcement to keep everyone safe,” Rep. Beyer said.
A large number of police officers gathered outside of GW Hospital Tuesday afternoon, where the seriously injured officer was rushed after the shooting. He later was pronounced dead, according to the Associated Press, which reported that the officer was stabbed and that the suspect was shot by police and died on scene.
During an afternoon press conference at the Pentagon, authorities declined to confirm or deny whether an officer was killed, how many people were injured, whether the suspect was shot, whether a suspect is in custody, and whether there is a second suspect, as some initial reports suggested.
Police would only say that “several” people were injured after an officer was “attacked” on the Metrobus platform. The scene at the Pentagon is now “secure and secure” and the incident “is over,” police said. The FBI leading what was described as an “active, ongoing investigation” that “continues to evolve.”
“We are not actively seeking another suspect at this time,” Pentagon Force Protection Agency Chief Woodrow Kusse said.
Authorities declined to provide other information in response to reporter questions, pledging to provide more details at a later time.
On Tuesday night the Associated Press, citing law enforcement sources, identified the shooter as 27-year-old Austin William Lanz, a Georgia resident who unsuccessfully tried to join the Marine Corps in 2012.
On Wednesday morning Pentagon police identified the fallen officer as George Gonzalez, a Brooklyn native, military veteran and a member of the agency since 2018.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, he was a die-hard Yankees fan. He was a graduate of New York City’s Canarsie High School. George Gonzalez joined the @PFPAOfficial as a police officer on July 22, 2018. 2/5
— Pentagon Force Protection Agency (@PFPAOfficial) August 4, 2021
The FBI’s Washington Field Office released further details Wednesday afternoon, revealing that the officer was stabbed and then shot by Lanz, who took Gonzalez’s gun during the sudden, unprovoked attack. Lanz subsequently shot himself and may have also been shot by police, the FBI said, adding that a bystander was injured during the chaos but is expected to be okay.
A struggle ensued, in which the subject mortally wounded Officer Gonzalez and then shot himself with the officer’s service weapon. Other PFPA officers engaged the subject, who ultimately died at the scene.
A resident was seriously hurt after trying to confront a thief in his backyard.
The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. Friday on the 6200 block of Washington Blvd, in the Highland Park-Overlee Knolls neighborhood between East Falls Church and Westover.
Police say the resident saw a man standing in front of the shed behind his house and went to confront him.
The suspect then “picked up the victim’s tool box and attempted to leave the area,” said an Arlington County Police Department crime report. “The victim grabbed the suspect in an attempt to prevent him from leaving and a physical altercation ensued, during which the suspect struck the victim multiple times. The victim then fell to the ground and the suspect fled the scene on his bicycle.”
“The victim sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries and refused the treatment of medics,” ACPD said. “The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 40 to 50 years old, 5’6″ tall, 150 to 180 pounds, wearing all black clothing and a black hat. The investigation is ongoing.”
In its weekend crime report, ACPD also reported an attempted robbery in Clarendon on Thursday night and an armed robbery of a taxi driver in Lyon Park late Saturday night.
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 2021-07290227, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 10:50 p.m. on July 29, police were dispatched to the report of threats. Upon arrival, it was determined that the male victim was in the area when he was approached by the two known male suspects who began throwing rocks at him. The suspects then demanded that the victim give them money and fled the scene on foot when the victim confronted them. Suspect One is described as a White male with a thin build, approximately 19 years old, 5’10” tall with dark hair, a goatee and mustache, wearing a black backpack. Suspect Two is described as a White male with a thin build, approximately 18 years old, 5’5″ tall with blond hair, wearing a black backpack. The investigation is ongoing.
ROBBERY, 2021-07310275, 200 block of N. Fillmore Street At approximately 11:50 p.m. on July 31, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined that a cab was dropping off passengers when two dark colored SUV’s pulled up and blocked in the cab. A male suspect then approached the rear passenger side door, brandished a firearm and demanded money. The suspect stole wallets and a cell phone from the victims before fleeing the scene. The suspect is described as a Black male in his early 20’s, approximately 5’6″ tall, with a skinny build. He was wearing a black mask, white tank top and dark colored pants. The investigation is ongoing.
