News

Persistent one-word graffiti spree around Arlington is vexing neighbors

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

(Updated at 11:35 a.m.) All around Columbia Pike — and increasingly elsewhere in Arlington County — one graffiti message has been popping up: “hate.”

At first, it seemed to be concentrated around a stalled development project on the Pike, but now, the graffiti has been seen farther north in Cherrydale. It appears not to be confined to Arlington, either, as it was spotted earlier this year in Georgetown.

The persistent tagging is troubling a number of Arlington residents. It is also vexing those who report not seeing action taken after using Arlington County Police Department’s channels for recourse, including a non-emergency phone number and an online reporting system.

The most recent tag was on the building that is home to the Columbia Pike Partnership and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington at 3045B Columbia Pike.

“We are checking camera footage,” museum president Scott Taylor told ARLnow, noting this is the first time the building has been tagged with the now ubiquitous slogan. “Police have been notified… We are saddened.”

Alyssa Trembeczki, who lives near Bob & Edith’s Diner, has seen the graffiti while out for runs and bike rides around the Pike, though she also reported seeing it at the corner of Langston Blvd and Military Road.

“I would love for whoever is doing this to stop since it’s making me feel unsafe in my own neighborhood and I’m sure others feel the same way,” she said.

She said she learned from police officers that whoever is tagging property is targeting places without security cameras.

Resident Tim Starker says he called the non-emergency number in early July to report one incident he noticed on S. George Mason Drive and Columbia Pike — and then twice more — but received no follow-up at any time.

“After about six weeks of no remediation, I emailed the [Arlington County] Board and got a canned response from a staff member advising to use the graffiti reporting function on the website,” he said. “The staffer eventually told me it was on private property so they had limited options.”

Another anonymous tipster, sharing photos from of similar graffiti in Cherrydale, echoed the dilemma of going to the county for issues on private property.

“This has been reported to Arlington County via their website but not sure they can intervene since these are private building(s) and utilities,” the tipster said.

Starker says he is waiting on a response from any County Board member, which he says is surprising.

“It’s an easy opportunity to address a constituent and at least explain the problem,” he said, noting the graffiti on S. George Mason Drive still there.

Later this morning, a county spokesperson said the graffiti at the location had been removed.

Tackling the graffiti and finding the culprit have been top priorities for Penrose Civic Association President Alex Sakes. He says last week, he met with ACPD, County Manager Mark Schwartz, Board Chair Christian Dorsey and Board Vice-Chair Libby Garvey for the second time to discuss solutions.

Sakes says ACPD recently completed a study, specifically for Penrose, about how to prevent crime through what he calls “environmental design.”

“We’re working on getting security cameras and motion-sensing lighting available to our Columbia Pike businesses… and a registry for existing security footage and data for current businesses that ACPD needs,” he said. “I’m beyond ready to get this stuff funded, purchased and installed. [I’m] tired of all these meetings.”

County Board spokesman David Barrera said the Board is aware of the graffiti concerns, noting they are most prevalent in Penrose and along Columbia Pike.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A window washer at work in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

More on Goodwill Proposal — “The latest rezoning and site plan applications, filed Aug. 21 with the county planning department, indicate the proposal is proceeding apace, reflecting an ‘even deeper social mission,’ AHC spokesperson Jennifer Smith said in an email. When Goodwill and AHC first announced the project, they sought to build around 100 units. The latest filings outline a plan for 128 units, all with rents capped at levels targeting various lower-income tranches for a period of 30 years. Those units will be housed in the upper five floors of a seven-story building, with the bottom two floors reserved for a new Goodwill retail store, donation center and child care center.” [Washington Business Journal]

Housing Voucher Lottery Planned — “Arlington will add 5,000 households to its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program waitlist through a special application and lottery process in September. Opening the waitlist gives people a chance to apply for the federally funded rental assistance program for the first time in over a decade. Once the application period closes, a lottery will be conducted to select 5,000 applicants to go on the HCV program waitlist.” [Arlington County]

Suspects Run from Pentagon Police — From Dave Statter: “Two people running from @PFPAOfficial on S. Eads Street at Army Navy last night just before 8:00. Apparently connected to a stolen vehicle stopped on or near the Pentagon. One was caught near 11th & Eads.” [Twitter]

Arlington Sees Job Growth — “Employment within Arlington stood at 173,100 at the end of the first quarter of 2023, according to new federal data, a year-over-year increase of 2.6 percent. That puts the county slightly higher than the national increase of 2.5 percent during the same period, according to figures reported Aug. 23 by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.” [Gazette Leader]

Notable ACPD Retirement — From the Arlington County Police Department: “On Tuesday, family, friends & colleagues gathered to celebrate the retirement of Sgt. A. Queen. Sgt. Queen served in several units in the department during his tenure including the Patrol Division, School Resource Officer Unit & the Youth Outreach Unit… We thank Sgt. Queen for his 21 years of service & his unwavering dedication to community policing.” [Twitter]

Marymount Dean Stepping Down — “The dean of Marymount University’s College of Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology is stepping down to join a local venture capital firm full-time. Jonathan Aberman, a well-known Greater Washington entrepreneur and investor, is set to join D.C.-area VC firm Ruxton Ventures as a partner later this year, he announced Thursday. Aberman… said that given the ‘enormous amount of opportunity’ in startups today, he decided to return to the venture capital sector.” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Friday — There is a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, with partly sunny skies and a high temperature near 90 degrees. The wind will initially be from the south at 7-9 mph, shifting to the west in the afternoon. On Friday night, the chance of precipitation decreases to 30%, mainly before 8pm. The night is expected to be partly cloudy with a low temperature of around 72 degrees and a northwest wind at 6 mph. [Weather.gov]

Amid work to right-size its budget, Arlington Independent Media seeks sponsors for free community event next month

By Jo DeVoe
The future home of Arlington Independent Media’s podcast and broadcasting studios in Green Valley (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 6:30 p.m. on 08/25/23) Arlington Independent Media is seeking sponsors for a free community event it will host early next month.

Arlington’s public access TV channel, its community radio station and a media training provider is throwing its first-ever “MusicFest.” The event, on Sept. 7, from 5:30-10 p.m. at its Clarendon studios at 2701 Wilson Blvd, will have live music, food and drinks and vendors.

Ahead of the event, the organization is seeking individual donations as well as sponsors, who can get perks such as logo placement, free beer and wine and radio announcements on WERA 96.7 FM for contributing $1,000 to $5,000.

The event comes as the Arlington County Board is encouraging the organization to vary its funding sources. The fundraiser coincides with AIM’s 40th anniversary and will “honor our legacy as Arlington’s premier community media center and to celebrate AIM’s exciting future at the forefront of media arts,” per a letter to supporters.

“Arlington Independent Media has witnessed tremendous growth in 2023,” it continued. “We have been continuing the build-out of our new podcast/broadcasting multimedia studios at our South Arlington location, pioneering our new youth-centered journalism initiative, upgrading our cabling system and reimagining our training and membership programs.”

The new studio, located in Green Valley, is set to have a ribbon-cutting on Oct. 20, AIM CEO Whytni Kernodle says. As for the Youth Journalism Initiative (YJI) vaunted in the letter to prospective sponsors, she says 10 students have come through the program. Another 20 participated in a Youth Journalism Club that AIM hosted with Arlington Public Library and 35 attended a camp intended to prepare them for YJI.

Kernodle, who has made a commitment to racial justice part of her mission as AIM’s leader, says the organization is changing its selection process for training programs to uplift marginalized voices. It is also looking to make membership free so people do not feel excluded based on cost.

Next month’s fundraiser could offset the financial impact of striking membership fees and bigger financial headwinds AIM faces. For instance, a once-reliable funding source — a cable franchise agreement, which provides funding based on local cable TV subscription numbers — become increasingly unpredictable.

After years of trying to lessen AIM’s reliance on tax dollars for operating expenses, the County Board approved a 33% increase its support to the organization in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, giving it $506,579.

Still, the County Board wants AIM to demonstrate it can fundraise and clean up its budget.

The organization’s federal Form 990s are behind schedule and a profit-and-loss document ARLnow reviewed from 2018-2021 shows the organization had lost more than $345,500 between 2018-2020. A copy of AIM’s 2022-23 fiscal year budget, which ARLnow also reviewed, appears to show AIM is working on meeting the Board’s directive.

In all, AIM took in $1.3 million this immediate past fiscal year, which ended in June, up from $564,587 last year. This includes a 30% increase in unrestricted grant funds, a $35,000 increase in revenue from underwriting sponsors, and new revenue from camps and studio fees.

Still, more than half of the $750,000 increase comes from an infusion of “restricted grants” equivalent to the Public, Educational and Government (PEG) funding it logged: $433,054. The sudden infusion, earmarked for capital expenses, came after three fiscal years in which no PEG funds were allocated, per the profit-and-loss statement.

(more…)

UPDATED: Local FBI contractor pleads guilty to child exploitation charges

By ARLnow.com
FBI seal (Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash)

Update on 11/7/23 — The suspect in this case has pleaded guilty, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. More, below, from a U.S. Dept. of Justice press release.

A former FBI contractor pleaded guilty today to production and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, beginning in February, Brett Janes, 26, of Arlington, groomed a 13-year-old minor (MV1) to transition from playing Valorant with him, a popular first-person shooter game, to engaging in “strip” games on a video chat function in Discord. Although MV1 did not want to play this game, Janes employed threats of suicide, various money payments through CashApp, and flattery, until MV1 produced CSAM for him.

In addition, a search warrant revealed Janes was communicating with at least a dozen other minors. Of those minors, he convinced one 12-year-old boy to produce CSAM and attempted to entice another 14-year-old boy to produce CSAM. Janes manipulated these minors by befriending, flattering, and outright begging them for content. A review of his devices revealed he purchased hundreds of videos and images of CSAM from the internet, including graphic videos of prepubescent children being raped.

Janes pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of receipt of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 27, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

Significant assistance was provided by the Arlington County Police Department and the Galloway Township Police Department in New Jersey.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Withers and Special Assistant U.S Attorney McKenzie Hightower are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Earlier: A 26-year-old Arlington man who worked as an FBI contractor is facing child exploitation and pornography charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria says a grand jury returned charges Wednesday against Brett Janes, including “two counts of sexual exploitation of children and production of CSAM, one count of attempted coercion and enticement, and one count of receipt of child pornography.”

If convicted he’ll face at least 15 years in prison.

Address records suggest that Janes lived in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood, a few blocks from Oakridge Elementary School. Federal prosecutors say he met and then exploited boys over the internet, including via video games and on Discord.

More on the charges, below, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia returned an indictment today charging a former FBI contractor with sexual exploitation of children.

According to court documents, Brett Janes, 26, of Arlington, Virginia, allegedly contacted roughly a dozen minor boys over Discord and Snapchat. He allegedly groomed the minors by telling them he worked for a U.S. intelligence agency before repeatedly threatening suicide if the minors did not continue to communicate with him. Janes allegedly enticed one victim, a 13-year-old boy whom he met through the first-person shooter game Valorant, to strip and masturbate over a live video Discord call by threatening to kill himself and by paying him money over CashApp. He allegedly enticed a 12-year-old boy to create and send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM) over Discord through flattery and repeated begging.

Janes allegedly received child sexual abuse material from these two minors, as well as two separate minor victims, and attempted to meet up with a minor. He also allegedly purchased hundreds of videos and images of child sexual abuse material from Telegram.

Janes is charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of children and production of CSAM, one count of attempted coercion and enticement, and one count of receipt of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Arlington County Chief of Police, Charles “Andy” Penn, made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney McKenzie Hightower is prosecuting the case.

Any individuals who believe they or someone they know may have been victimized by Janes are encouraged to contact the FBI at 202-278-2000 and ask to speak to the child exploitation and human trafficking task force.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash 

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Cyclists on the bridge over Langston Blvd at sunset (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Leaders Summit Held in Ballston — From Sen. Mark Warner: “Great morning in Arlington speaking with elected leaders across Northern Virginia about some of the most pressing issues the region is facing: the affordable housing crisis, WMATA’s deficit, and the future of workforce development.” [Twitter, Press Release]

Rosslyn VC Firm Co-Leads Big Deal — “Arlington venture firm Sands Capital has co-led a $300 million Series D round into New York fintech Ramp to help the firm hire and bring products to market more quickly. Sands, which invested in Ramp for the first time, led the round with an existing investor, New York-based Thrive Capital.” [Washington Business Journal]

Beyer Blasts Trump Over Tariffs — “Maybe it’s a case of summer boredom, a little attention-seeking, an attempt to take a potential Republican presidential nominee down a peg, or maybe simply a visceral reaction to a main nemesis of the Democratic Party. Whatever the reason, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer wants you to know he is not happy with a proposal put forth by Donald Trump on imposing higher tariffs on all imports coming into the U.S.” [Gazette Leader, Twitter]

Award Deadline Extended — “The 30th annual William T. Newman, Jr. Spirit of Community Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a tireless and unselfish commitment to improving the quality of life in Arlington… Please submit nominations by Monday, August 28 to be considered.” [Arlington Community Foundation]

Letter: Fair Too Hard to Get To — “Why did Arlington officials make it so difficult to access the County Fair this year? There was only one shuttle-pickup location. Authorized parking was limited to a church with two small lots. Walking from there to the fair was not easy for those with physical limitations, like me, much less persons with disabilities. I suspect that this is a ploy by the County Board.” [Gazette Leader]

No Cable News Here — “PSA: We do not report on every cable outage. Also, small outages are frequent and Comcast has tightened up access to its outage map such that it makes it hard to discern major vs. routine outages.” [Twitter]

It’s Thursday — Scattered showers and thunderstorms with mostly cloudy skies throughout Thursday, accompanied by a high temperature of about 82 degrees. The south wind will blow at 10-13 mph, gusting up to 18 mph, and there’s a 40% chance of precipitation. Thursday night will continue to be mostly cloudy with the possibility of showers and thunderstorms, with temperatures dropping to around 69 degrees. The south wind will slow down to around 8 mph, and the chance of precipitation will rise to 50%. [Weather.gov]

Police: Man sleeping in car fends off carjacking attempt

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A man sleeping in his car chased off a pair of would-be carjackers, according to Arlington County police.

The incident happened around 4 a.m. near the intersection of N. Woodrow Street at 20th Road N. That’s in the residential Waverly Hills neighborhood, about a block from Woodstock Park.

The carjacking attempt was reported to police about two hours after it happened, ACPD said today in a crime report.

“At approximately 3:55 a.m. the victim was asleep inside his parked vehicle when he was awoken by two unknown male suspects opening one of the vehicle’s back doors,” said the crime report. “The suspects demanded the victim exit the vehicle and made threatening statements implying they had a weapon.”

“The suspects then attempted to open the driver door and a struggle ensued during which the suspects struck the victim with an unknown object resulting in the victim sustaining lacerations,” the crime report continues. “The suspects then fled the scene on foot and the victim briefly gave chase. The victim then returned to the scene and called police.”

The victim’s injuries were described as non-life threatening. He declined treatment on scene.

So far in 2023 Arlington police have investigated more than a dozen carjackings as well as a few unsuccessful carjacking attempts.

VDOT advances plans to add median, turn lanes to crash-prone Route 50 segment

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

Three years after studying a crash-prone stretch of Arlington Blvd, the Virginia Dept. of Transportation is moving forward with plans to make some improvements.

There will be a virtual meeting this Thursday on changes coming for a nearly mile-long stretch of Route 50 between Glebe Road and Fillmore Street. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2030, VDOT spokesman Mike Murphy tells ARLnow.

The changes, based on study recommendations made in 2020, include building a raised median along Arlington Blvd and adding eastbound and westbound dedicated left-turn lanes at Irving Street.

Difficulty making left turns and a lack of dedicated left-turn lanes were a top concern for surveyed members of the public, says VDOT. Other top concerns included “aggressive driving.”

Currently, this segment of Route 50 averages 58,000 vehicles a day and has a median that ends just east of the Glebe Road underpass. It also has a few tricky intersections where drivers can turn left, such as at Irving Street. During rush hour, drivers going straight can be seen jumping around those turning left to avoid waiting for them to turn.

Beyond adding left-turn lanes at Irving Street, VDOT also plans to:

  • extend the eastbound and westbound left-turn lanes at Fillmore Street
  • extend the eastbound service road to connect existing driveways between S. Old Glebe Road and Jackson Street
  • extend the westbound service road to connect existing driveways between Irving Street and Jackson Street
  • Reconstruct portions of the shared-use paths on both sides of Arlington Blvd

The state transportation department is also mulling new lighting between Irving and Fillmore streets, on-street parking between Garfield and Fenwick streets and bus stop improvements.

These recommendations came from VDOT’s 2020 Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions study. This assessed safety and operational upgrades for this segment of Route 50, which VDOT says experiences congestion during rush hour and a high number of crashes.

Crashes on Arlington Blvd between Fillmore Street and Glebe Road (via VDOT)

Within four months of the release of recommendations, the Arlington County Board endorsed an application for $25 million in grant money to realize these upgrades.

In 2021, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved $29 million in Smart Scale funding for this project, Murphy says.

But the plan did not sit well with members of the county’s Transportation Commission. Downvoting the application, they argued VDOT did not evaluate how high speeds contribute to crashes or consider how to lower speeds, such as by narrowing lanes. County staff, meanwhile, sought the commission’s approval retroactively.

In a column subsequently written for ARLnow, Transportation Commission Chair Chris Slatt said the following:

VDOT’s decision to select a costly, construction-intensive capital project to solve the safety issues in this stretch means our community will be stuck with six to eight years of additional crashes, injuries and even fatalities when VDOT’s own study makes it clear that a the majority of the safety benefit of their preferred alternative could be implemented in the short-term, with temporary materials and a much lower cost.

Residents and road users can provide feedback through Thursday, Sept. 14.

ACPD to conduct road safety campaign as students go back to school next week

By Jo DeVoe
A police officer keeps watch during Walk and Bike to School Day 2012 at Oakridge Elementary School (staff photo)

Arlington County police will be stepping up enforcement and a traffic safety education next week as students go back to school.

The first day of school for Arlington Public Schools is Monday, meaning more children walking, bicycling, and riding the bus around Arlington.

With back-to-school time around the corner, the police department is reminding people to follow the rules of the road. A new press release urges drivers to watch for students, follow posted speed limits — which have been lowered to 20 mph around several schools — and to put down their phones.

“Transportation safety is a shared responsibility and it is up to all of us to keep our students safe by following the rules of the road,” the release said. “ACPD will conduct a high-visibility transportation safety campaign in and around school zones and bus stops to ensure the trip to class is as safe as possible.”

The campaign will include enforcement as well as variable message boards with safety messages.

“With a little awareness and prevention, all travelers can arrive at their destinations in a timely and safe manner,” said ACPD.

The release also notes some new initiatives, including “Walking School Buses” with dedicated volunteers and adding more speed humps near schools.

“Reducing vehicle speeds is fundamental to reducing severe crashes, and speed humps are a useful tool for decreasing speeds on neighborhood roads,” the press release says. “Arlington has not added new speed humps in the last decade. The County plans to reintroduce speed humps through a limited pilot focused on reducing speeds in school slow zones where the introduction of 20 mph speed limits has not resulted in lower speeds.”

“The pilot will begin at three sites: S. Lang Street near Gunston Middle School, S. Queen Street near Hoffman Boston Elementary, and 19th Street N. near Cardinal Elementary,” the release continues. “The pilot will assess speeds and operations before and after the introduction of the tactical speed humps, as well as community input. Additional speed hump sites may be considered in additional school zones following the initial installations.”

More, below, from ACPD.

With students returning to the classroom on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, there will soon be an increase in children walking, bicycling, and riding the bus to schools throughout Arlington. Transportation safety is a shared responsibility and it is up to all of us to keep our students safe by following the rules of the road. The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) will conduct a high-visibility transportation safety campaign in and around school zones and bus stops to ensure the trip to class is as safe as possible.

Variable message boards will be placed along roadways in Arlington to raise awareness about the start of the school year and to share important safety messaging. With a little awareness and prevention, all travelers can arrive at their destinations in a timely and safe manner.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Grand Champion photograph at the 2023 Arlington County Fair (photo courtesy Samuel Norton)

APS Mulls Next School Calendar — “The biggest battle may be over the proposal that Arlington align itself with other jurisdictions that are now starting the school year two weeks before Labor Day. Arlington’s school year in recent years has started one week before, and many respondents to an online survey conducted by the school system were not in favor of starting earlier than that.” [Gazette Leader]

Higher Faregates Working? — “Metro today released preliminary data showing that new, higher faregates are reducing fare evasion by more than 70 percent at the first stations where they have been installed, including Fort Totten, Pentagon City, Bethesda, Vienna, Mt. Vernon Square, and Addison Road.” [WMATA]

Redditors Examine Local Murder — Online sleuths have been revisiting the still-unsolved 2020 murder of Scott Ratigan in his Ballston apartment. [Reddit]

YHS Baseball Coach Stepping Down — “With a change of full-time jobs on the horizon in coming months, Yorktown High School head baseball coach John Skaggs has decided to step down from that position at the Arlington school. Skaggs has coached Yorktown for nine seasons, with the last five being significantly successful with two Liberty District tournament championships in 2021 and 2018.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Wednesday — A sunny day with a high of 83°F, accompanied by a calm wind in the morning, which will pick up a southeastern direction at 5 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday night will witness partly cloudy skies and a low of 66°F, as the south wind maintains a breezy 6 to 9 mph. [Weather.gov]

Police investigating burglary at Clarendon gun store

By ARLnow.com
Nova Armory in Clarendon had their door smashed in an attempted burglary (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington County police responded to a break-in at Nova Armory early this morning.

The Metro-accessible gun store at 2607 Wilson Blvd had its front door “smashed in” by a suspect, setting off a loud alarm. The suspect reportedly took items but not any guns — the retailer takes weapons off shelves and stores them securely at night.

“At approximately 1:48 a.m. on August 22, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary just occurred,” said today’s ACPD crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined the unknown male suspect forced entry into the business by smashing a glass door. The suspect then rummaged through the interior of the store before fleeing the scene with stolen items.”

“No firearms were reported stolen,” an Arlington police spokesperson told ARLnow.

Officers searched the area for the suspect but could not locate him. Police were called to the store later today to retrieve video surveillance footage.

“This is an active and ongoing investigation and our detectives are reviewing all the information available to them to identify the suspect in this case,” said the ACPD spokesperson. “We encourage anyone who may have information regarding the incident to contact police.”

Nova Armory was previously burglarized at its former Lyon Park location. In 2022, after moving to Clarendon earlier in the year, a Nova Armory employee chased down an alleged thief who tried to run off with a gun. In March of this year a ski mask-wearing man robbed the store of a gun and ammunition but was arrested on a bus soon thereafter, according to police.

UPDATED: Power being restored after 10,000 in dark around Pentagon City and Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
Power outage map as of 2:15 p.m. on Aug. 22 (via Dominion)

(Updated at 9:15 p.m.) Thousands were without power in and around Crystal City and Pentagon City for much of the day due to a widespread outage.

The outage was first reported just after 11:15 a.m. Arlington County firefighters investigated a possible underground explosion and treated a Dominion worker with burns from steam that came out of a manhole, according to scanner traffic.

“At 11:18 a.m. a splice in an underground cable failed causing an arc/flash and 10,000+ outages in Crystal City, Pentagon City & nearby neighborhoods,” Dominion spokeswoman Peggy Fox told ARLnow shortly before 4 p.m. “We’re working to have all customers restored as quickly as possible, hopefully in a half an hour. A worker was treated at the scene and released.”

ACFD also responded to a large quantity of stuck elevator calls in the area, owing to the outage.

More than 10,250 Dominion customers were without power as a result of the outage. The outage map extended into the Aurora Highlands and Arlington Ridge residential neighborhoods, including Oakridge Elementary.

Arlington’s parks department closed the Long Bridge Aquatic and Fitness Center and the Gunston Community Center due to the outage.

As of 5:15 p.m., Dominion said all but 1,229 customers had their power restored, with outages still reported along Crystal Drive by ARLnow readers. As of 9 p.m. all customers had been restored, per Dominion.

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