(Updated at 12:50 p.m.) A 26-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly caused some minor mayhem in Crystal City last night.
Police say they the suspect, who was drunk, first asked a man for money, then — when the victim refused — struck him several times and sprayed him with a fire extinguisher.
The same suspect later threw a wine bottle at a window near the Crystal City Metro station, shattering it, before being spotted and detained by an officer nearby, according to ACPD. Photos from the scene this morning show a shattered window at one of Amazon’s temporary HQ2 spaces.
More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
ROBBERY/DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY, 2020-08300215/08310015, 18th Street S. at Crystal Drive. At approximately 10:35 p.m. on August 30, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect allegedly approached the victim inside of a commercial building and requested money. The victim declined and suspect then struck the victim multiple times, implied he had a firearm and fled on foot. As the victim exited the building, he was approached by the suspect, who sprayed him with a fire extinguisher and again fled on foot. The victim was not injured. At approximately 12:53 a.m., an officer observed the suspect in the area of 18th Street S. and S. Bell Street and detained him without incident. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that at approximately 11:55 p.m., the same suspect allegedly threw a wine bottle at a window in the 1800 block of S. Bell Street, causing it to break. John Smith, 26, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Destruction of Property and Drunk in Public. The investigation into the robbery is ongoing.
Members of the Arlington Transportation Commission meeting on August 27 (image via Arlington County)
VDOT’s recommendations for Route 50 between Glebe Road and Fillmore Street (image via Arlington County)
The Arlington Transportation Commission voted 8-2 at its meeting last week to not recommend that the County Board submit a funding application for proposed changes to Route 50.
The project would, among other changes, widen the roadway to add dedicated turn lanes.
The application requests $25.1 million from the Virginia Department of Transportation‘s (VDOT) SMART SCALE funding program to make improvements to Route 50, also known as Arlington Blvd, where it runs between Glebe Road and Fillmore Street.
This stretch of road, according to VDOT, had 247 crashes on it with 61 total injuries between 2014 and 2018.
“This segment of Route 50 experiences congestion in the morning and evening peak periods and a high number of crashes,” VDOT said in an April presentation. “Route 50 averages 62,000 vehicles a day within the study limits.”
Potential changes would come from recommendations made in a yearlong VDOT study of this area. These include adding new left-turn lanes and expanding current ones, as well as installing raised medians in certain high crash areas.
Constructing a new service road where Route 50 runs eastbound between Glebe and N. Jackson Street, and reconstructing a shared-use path in the section, were also recommended by VDOT.
The commission did pass a motion to recommend the County Board direct the County Manager to lay plans for a Route 50 corridor study between Roosevelt Bridge and Fairfax County.
Members voting against VDOT’s recommendation cited issues with the department’s study — including what they said was a limited scope, a failure to consider how changes would impact speed in this section of road, and a failure to account for more cars driving this road — as reasons for their vote.
Commissioner Darren Buck, the most outspoken critic of VDOT’s recommendations during the meeting, said the fact that VDOT’s study only looked at the area between Glebe and Fillmore and not Route 50 as a whole was among his greatest concerns about supporting the plan.
“I do not want to apply to fund this fundamentally flawed project to fill pressing local needs when a more comprehensive study of the corridor is pushed off indefinitely,” Buck said. “I do not think [the state should be] sinking $25 million into a spot improvement that basically determines how the rest of the corridor is going to look when we still haven’t addressed that long-standing open community question of how the rest of the corridor should look and operate.”
Commissioner Margarita Brose, as one of two commissioners voting for recommending the funding application, said the already high number of crashes in the section outweighed concerns over the project’s cost and a widening of the roadway.
“The safety concerns really weigh heavily on me,” Brose said. “I understand it’s a lot of money for a short period but we’ve seen the statistics on the number of cars that go through there and the crashes.”
VDOT said the study’s recommendations were primarily focused on improving the road’s safety.
“The safety aspect is one of the key things that led us to try and find a solution or a way to reduce those crashed,” VDOT said. “That’s one of the key motivating things that got us to start the study and to come up with the alternatives that we reviewed.”
Still, commission members questioned the actual safety added by VDOT’s recommendations.
“We are adding lanes for cars and making the highway more divided so that cars will go faster,” Commissioner Taylor Reich said. “As a result of this, I am unconvinced this project will improve safety, especially for pedestrians.”
VDOT said its plan leaves three through lanes in each direction on Route 50, which is similar to its current state. The road widening, she said, is to allow room for new left turn lanes.
If the County Board approves a SMART SCALE funding application, there is no guarantee the project would receive the money. VDOT describes SMART SCALE funding as highly competitive.
(Updated at 10:20 a.m.) The rate of new coronavirus hospitalizations in Arlington has climbed to the highest point since early June.
The Virginia Dept. of Health has reported 18 new COVID-related hospitalizations in the county over the past week, the highest seven-day total since June 9.
Though Arlington has seen a jump in hospitalizations, the number of hospital beds occupied by COVID patients across Northern Virginia has not seen a significant increase lately; it currently stands at 267.
The rate of new coronavirus cases in Arlington is currently around 22 per day. That trailing seven-day average has held relatively steady since Friday. The county’s seven-day test positivity rate is 5.0%, down from 5.2% one week prior.
Mike Silverman, Virginia Hospital Center’s ER chief, said in his weekly public Facebook post that the hospital has seen noticeable increases in COVID numbers recently.
“Similar to what has been reported in the news, we saw an increase in the amount of COVID positive patients that we took care of over the past week and an increase in our percent positive rate when testing symptomatic patients,” Silverman wrote. “Our total number of COVID isolation patients was actually relatively similar to last week but higher than the first half of August.”
Arlington’s cumulative total of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths as of Monday morning is 3,555, 467 and 138, respectively.
Silverman encouraged people to get a flu shot this year and to prepare for what could be a rough fall.
“The experts are certainly expecting a surge in COVID cases throughout the fall and this may be one of the most important years to get your flu shot before flu season gets here,” Silverman wrote. “In reality, the flu never goes away and patients can get the flu at any time of the year. However, it clearly starts to increase throughout the fall typically hitting a peak in winter. I can remember getting the flu when I first became an attending physician and not having the energy to get off the couch for about 2 days… I have not missed a flu shot since that year.”
Groups to Review Arlington’s Form of Gov’t — “Two citizen engagement groups have launched exploratory projects that delve back in Arlington’s racial history. The Arlington Civic Federation last month assembled a task force to review that and other questions about modernization — such as whether the county manager should be elected. And a new group called the Arlington Alliance for Representative Government is planning to boost political participation through ‘education, policy development, advocacy and innovation.'” [Falls Church News-Press]
Latest on Intel Official’s Death — “The wife of a high-ranking CIA operative who shot and killed himself two weeks after their wedding has claimed that he was intending to murder her and ‘take me to the afterlife.’ Sara Corcoran, 46, said that Anthony Ming Schinella, the most senior military affairs analyst in U.S. intelligence, was suffering from PTSD after being involved in four wars, and after almost 30 years in the CIA. Schinella, 52, died on June 14 in Arlington, Vi”rginia.” [Daily Mail]
Dove Rescued from Car Grille — “This very lucky dove is safe thanks to Officer Byrnes! The dove was hit by a car and got stuck in the grille. Officer Byrnes was able to safely remove her and transported the dove to a local wildlife rehabber, who will release her back into the wild when she’s feeling better.” [@AWLAArlington/Twitter]
More on Prosecutor’s Supreme Court Petition — “Dehghani-Tafti’s motion is supported by an amicus brief from 62 prosecutors around the country, including the district attorneys in New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. It’s also supported by Jeff Haislip, the Fluvanna County, Va., prosecutor who is chair of the Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Services Council, and the prosecutors in Alexandria city, Fairfax and Loudoun counties.” [Washington Post]
APS Modernizing Black History Teachings — “Glad to see @APSVirginia will join 15 other school divisions in teaching a new African American History course this fall. Through 1970s VA was using textbooks with images like this, teaching a false narrative about the reality of Black Virginians. Time to tell the true story.” [@AdamEbbin/Twitter]
APS Going Back to School Next Week — “Arlington Public Schools will start the 2020-2021 academic year with all-virtual learning for all students. The school will continue with online-only education until at least early October, midway through the first quarter of the school year, at which time officials will assess the possibility of reopening based on public health data.” [Washington Post]
Scene of a shooting on the 3100 block of Columbia Pike (Photos courtesy @lavvra/Twitter)
(Updated at 9:20 a.m.) Arlington County Police have announced an arrest following a double shooting along Columbia Pike early this morning.
Police said two adults were shot on the 3100 block of Columbia Pike and “are being treated for injuries that are considered non-life threatening.” Photos of the scene show numerous evidence markers and crime scene tape around the parking lot of Purple Lounge at 3111 Columbia Pike.
A helicopter was brought to “assist with the search and recovery of evidence in this case,” Arlington County Police said, adding that the “preliminary investigation indicates there is no ongoing threat to the community.”
Around 4:45 p.m. Sunday, police revealed more information about the shooting and announced that one of those shot has been charged in the shooting. He was shot by security guards and lightly wounded after opening fire on a crowd in the parking lot around 5 a.m., police said.
From a police press release:
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a shooting that took place on Columbia Pike in the early morning hours of August 30, 2020.
At approximately 5:04 a.m., police were dispatched to the report of a shooting in the 3100 block of Columbia Pike. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to an area hospital with injuries that are considered non-life threatening.
The preliminary investigation indicates security guards were clearing the parking lot of a business when the suspect drew a firearm and discharged towards the crowd. Two security guards, licensed by the Commonwealth and authorized to carry firearms, then returned fire. The suspect fired additional rounds before fleeing the scene in a vehicle prior to police arrival.
A lookout for the vehicle was broadcast. Responding officers located and stopped the vehicle at the intersection of 9th Street S. at Walter Reed Drive. The suspect was transported to an area hospital for treatment of a superficial wound. Once medically cleared, Yared Denbu, 33 of Dundalk, MD, was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, and Reckless Handling of a Firearm. He is being held in Washington D.C. pending extradition to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This appears to be an isolated incident between the parties and there is no known threat to the community related to this incident. This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit 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 (8477).
The Arlington County Board revoked Purple Lounge’s live entertainment permit last year after a man was shot in the leg in the nightlife venue’s parking lot in September.
“The Arlington County Police Department has noted ongoing issues and violations at this establishment that have created a public disturbance and violate the conditions of the live entertainment use permit,” a county staff report said at the time.
A man was fatally shot a block away from today’s shooting scene, on the 3000 block of Columbia Pike, in June. Two were arrested last month in connection to the shooting and charged with murder.
A 29-year-old D.C. man is behind bars after police say he pulled a gun on a tow truck driver early this morning.
The incident happened just before 3:30 a.m., near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive. Police say a tow truck driver was about to tow a car when the suspect approached, brandishing a gun and demanding the car be released. He then drove off.
The suspect and his car were later spotted a few blocks away, in Alcova Heights. Police say he took off on foot, tossed the gun and tried to scale a fence, but was tased by officers and taken into custody.
The suspect is now facing a battery of charges, including robbery, reckless driving and weapons violations.
More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
ARMED ROBBERY, 2020-08280038, S. Walter Reed Drive at Columbia Pike. At approximately 3:21 a.m. on August 28, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim had finished securing the suspect’s vehicle prior to towing it when he was approached by the suspect, who allegedly brandished a firearm, threatened the victim and demanded the release of the vehicle and items of value. The victim complied and the suspect fled in his vehicle. Arriving officers located the suspect vehicle parked and unoccupied in the area of 9th Street S. and S. Monroe Street and observed the suspect walking in the area. As additional officers arrived on scene, the suspect fled on foot and a brief foot pursuit ensued, during which the suspect discarded the firearm he was carrying. The suspect ignored lawful commands of officers and attempted to flee over a fence. An officer successfully deployed their taser and he was taken into custody without further incident. Drake Anthony, Jr., 29, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with charged with Robbery, Brandishing a Firearm, Reckless Handling of a Firearm, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Obstruction of Justice, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, and Reckless Driving, and held on no bond.
(Updated at 11 a.m.) For a week, new reported coronavirus cases in Arlington were trending down. That trend has since reversed.
The Virginia Dept. of Health has reported 57 new cases and 6 new hospitalizations in the county over the past two days. The trailing seven-day total of new cases is now 156, up from 142 on Wednesday. Ten coronavirus hospitalizations have been reported in the county over the past seven days.
The cumulative total of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Arlington since the start of the pandemic currently stands at 3,492, 458 and 137, respectively, according to VDH.
Despite some peaks and valleys, the overall trend in new cases in Arlington has been up since late June, with a preponderance of cases among those in the 18-29 age range — as noted by Arlington Public Health Director Dr. Reuben Varghese during a County Board meeting earlier this week.
“We’ve been seeing emergency room visits also going up for COVID-like illness,” Varghese said. “You look at the overall picture and this has not being going in the right way, and that’s why I’ve been imploring people: stay at home as much as possible.”
The timing of the uptrend roughly coincides with the lifting of state-imposed restrictions, as Virginia entered Phase 2 and the current Phase 3 of its reopening, following more stringent orders during the spring.
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among those waiting in line outside popular Clarendon bars, Arlington County police are set to start enforcing the county’s emergency sidewalk crowding ordinance tonight.
One question on the mind of some is how the start of college might affect Arlington’s numbers among young people.
Ryan Hudson, spokesman for the county’s Public Health Division, said that students from Arlington attending school elsewhere would most likely not count in Arlington’s numbers, while those attending college and residing in the county — Marymount students, for instance — would, in fact, count as an Arlington case.
“Lab reports for a COVID-19 test are reported to the local health district dependent on the residence of the patient,” Hudson explained. “So, if a student and/or school records a dorm, apartment, etc. in Arlington as their residence, then Arlington County Public Health Division could receive the lab report. If the student’s test lists a permanent home address that is outside of Arlington County, the result would go to that local health district.”
“Typically, public health will ask for the residence where a patient is currently living, as that will be more indicative of where transmission took place,” Hudson continued. “So, for college students, they would likely be reported as residents of where the college is when it is in session.”
Yard waste collection is set to resume next week in Arlington, after a four-month hiatus.
Residential waste collection customers have had to do without the weekly collection of organic material since early May, when the county suspended it on account of increased trash volumes during the pandemic over-stretching collection crews.
Arlington County announced this morning that the service is set to resume this coming Monday, Aug. 31.
“During the first week of service restoration, limit yard waste to the green cart and up to five paper organics bags. This will help ensure collection crews are not overwhelmed and can complete routes on schedule,” the county urged.
Overall, the volume of trash collected from residential waste customers — mostly those living in single-family homes — has increased by more than 30% during the pandemic, as people stay home from work, school and other activities. Arlington’s waste collection contractor “continues to experience staffing issues” and delays as a result of the increased workload and other pandemic-related challenges, according to the county.
Arlington opened two drop-off sites for organic waste during the collection suspension, which were utilized both by homeowners and a cottage industry of enterprising students hauling yard waste for a fee. The drop-off sites will be closing next Friday at noon.
To compensate for the lack of yard waste collection, the county says it will be crediting $10.77 back to those who pay the household solid waste fee.
Israeli Company Opening Arlington HQ — “An Israeli renewable energy company now plans to open its first-ever U.S. headquarters in Arlington County. Energix Renewable Energies Ltd. announced Thursday that it will set up shop at 2311 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington’s Courthouse neighborhood. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said state officials managed to win the new headquarters over pitches from North and South Carolina.” [Washington Business Journal]
Official’s Death Raises Questions — “One of the nation’s highest-ranking intelligence officials died by suicide at his home in the Washington, D.C., area in June… Ashley Savage, a spokesperson for the Arlington County Police Department, said the department’s investigation of the Schinella case remains open. She said the Arlington police notified the CIA about Schinella’s death, and that the Arlington police provided assistance to the CIA.” [The Intercept]
W&OD Project in Falls Church Underway — “In a preview of what could be to come in Arlington, regional officials on Aug. 26 broke ground for a 1.5-mile upgrade to the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Regional Trail in the city of Falls Church. The effort, expected to be completed next summer, represents “the most visionary development on the W&OD in a generation.” [InsideNova, WTOP]
The associations, convening as “Livability 22202” in a Zoom meeting last night, focused on how to improve Route 1 in Crystal City, specifically where it goes over 12th Street S. and 18th Street S.
Proposed changes ranged from building storefronts or markets in the area underneath the overpasses, creating more open space where thick sandstone-colored walls now hold up the highway, and putting Route 1 underground to allow for development on top of it.
The discussion comes after the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) hired a contractor to conduct a feasibility study of removing the overpasses and lowering the highway to ground level.
Darren Buck — an Aurora Highlands resident, professional transportation planner, and member of the Arlington Transportation Commission — presented the possible changes, saying they were ideas meant to set a line of thinking. Factors like cost, construction time and general practicality are yet to be fully considered.
“These really are kind of unconstrained by a lot of reality,” Buck said. “They’re really trying to get to what could we do that would address some of… the identified things that we are concerned about with the at-grade proposal and start to toss around alternatives.”
Ultimately, Livability 22202 will make “community-based recommendations for an innovative new vision for Route 1 and its cross streets between 12th Street S. and 23rd Street S.,” a slide in the meeting said.
If the highway was at-grade, it could be turned into an “urban boulevard” running through Crystal City, according to VDOT.
This would fall in line with the transportation portion of Virginia’s HQ2 deal with Amazon, which lists “improvements to Route 1 through Crystal City and Pentagon City” as a project the government would fund.
Livability 22202 said dropping Route 1, also known as Richmond Highway, to ground level would force pedestrians walking between east and west Crystal City to cross the busy commuter artery.
“We want a pedestrian-friendly, walking-friendly neighborhood,” Michael Dowell of Livability 20222 said. “Having Route 1 be an impediment to achieving that is a really big worry.”
Pedestrians can currently cross under the overpasses, which many do to access the Crystal City Metro station on the east side.
Another Livability 22202 meeting on the topic will be held on September 30.
“Before and after” photos of bar crowds lining up in Clarendon
Physical distance enforcement signs being placed by police
Photos of bar crowds lining up in Clarendon
Bar closing times in D.C. and Montgomery County
“Before and after” photos of bar crowds lining up in Clarendon
Virtual Arlington County Board meeting on August 25, 2020, featuring Dr. Reuben Varghese
Public health guidance about groups congregating in line
(Updated at 3:15 p.m.) Starting tomorrow, standing in the wrong place with the wrong number of people could land you a warning from police.
Arlington County says it will begin enforcing its emergency sidewalk crowding ordinance — which makes standing in a group of more than three in designated zones a traffic infraction — on Friday.
This weekend verbal and written warnings will be issued. After that, police will start issuing fines of up to $100.
“We are serious about this,” Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz told members of the County Board on Tuesday. “I remain deeply frustrated with what I’m seeing in the community… This is not a game when you’re dealing with the public’s health.”
At issue is groups of young, often maskless bargoers bunched up in lines, waiting to enter popular — but capacity constrained — nightlife spots in Clarendon. Photos and first-hand accounts of the lines have circulated on social media, leading to an outcry that the Board responded to with an emergency ordinance passed on July 31.
The ordinance limits groups standing in line to no more than three people, spaced at least six feet apart from other groups and people in line, in certain areas.
The first phase of implementation includes four line-prone stretches in which the distancing will be enforced, identified via the county’s online social distancing complaint form, county staff said. There will be additional phases in the coming weeks to add new areas, including in portions of Crystal City, Schwartz said.
Police are placing signs and sidewalk markers in areas where the ordinance is being enforced, the County Board was told.
Thus far, efforts to get those in lines to distance to the county’s specifications have been met with mixed results: some compliance and some defiance.
“We have have seen quite a bit of defiance and hostility towards the security staff and officers, who are being flat out ignored,” said Arlington County Police Department bar and restaurant liaison Jim Mastoras. “We’re trying our best to keep the lines apart and keep people separated, as they need to be.”
Mastoras noted that businesses have been trying to comply with the rules. Outdoor beer garden The Lot, a frequent subject of photos of alleged overcrowding this summer, has two employees just assigned to monitoring the line, he said.
In addition to pandemic-era capacity restrictions, Mastoras said that lines have become an issue due to a rush of patrons into the Clarendon area between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., which may or may not be linked to the fact that D.C. and Montgomery County have stopped alcohol sales after midnight and 10 p.m., respectively.
“Over the past few weeks, we have seen an influx of patrons into the Clarendon area,” he said.
The ordinance is not without its critics, who question its implementation and prioritization over other public health risks.
“The ordinance appears to criminalize common behaviors: A plain reading of the ordinance would appear to prevent a family of four from walking down one of these signed sidewalks together without maintaining 6′ of distance between all family members, including small children,” wrote Arlington Transportation Commission Chair Chris Slatt earlier this month.
Schwartz called that line of criticism a “red herring,” suggesting that is not how the ordinance will be enforced.
The Arlington Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, is calling for the ordinance to be scrapped, citing concerns about enforcement and equity.
“The hastily developed ordinance has led to confusion and presents enforcement challenges,” the Chamber wrote this week. “The Chamber will continue to advocate that the County Board abandon this ordinance and find alternative, more constructive ways to promote social distancing.”
On the health side, experts agree that standing in line outside presents a risk, though it’s a risk that’s lower than equivalent behavior indoors.
Why, one may ask, are groups of more than three standing outside now prohibited, while larger groups are able to dine and chat maskless around a table inside restaurants? The latter is widely considered to be riskier behavior, albeit behavior that’s less likely to be photographed by those walking by.
