A victim was robbed at gunpoint by a masked man, in the middle of the afternoon, outside of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall on Wednesday.
Police responded to the mall’s parking garage around 2:30 p.m. for a report of an armed robbery. By the time they arrived, the suspect — who was armed with a gun — had fled the scene with several stolen “items of value,” according to Arlington County Police.
Police are still investigating. So far, no arrests have been reported.
More from an ACPD crime report:
ARMED ROBBERY, 2019-11060163, 800 block of Army Navy Drive. At approximately 2:36 p.m. on November 6, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. The investigation determined that the suspect approached the victim at gunpoint and stole items of value. The suspect fled the scene prior to police arrival. The suspect is described as a black male wearing a black jacket and a ski mask. The investigation is ongoing.
The memorial, which overlooks the intersection of Washington, Wilson, and Clarendon boulevards in Clarendon Central Park, will receive 10 new markers on Monday, November 11.
An unveiling ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day, hosted by the Arlington chapters of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
One of the new markers will delve on the history of the memorial itself, while the others will highlight five armed conflicts over the last two centuries in which Arlington residents lost their lives.
Over two years of work and study has gone into the project, said program coordinator Cynthia Torres.
“Historic research undertaken for the project revealed the names of five additional World War I soldiers whose sacrifice had previously been unrecognized,” said Torres.
Last year, to commemorate the centennial of the World War I, the county’s Historic Preservation staff received partial funding from the U.S. World War I Centennial Committee to develop the historical markers.
“The overall goal of the interpretive project is to enhance visitor engagement with the Clarendon War Memorial by explaining its history and community significance,” said Torres.
The memorial was built in 1931 and has been moved around Arlington several times, but all with the original plaque intact. In May the World War I plaque on the memorial was removed to correct an 88-year-old typo.
The plaque has been the subject of some controversy for its separation of two “colored” soldiers killed in WWI — listed as Arthur Morgan and Ralph Lowe — from the other 11 soldiers.
(Updated at 10 a.m.) Firefighters are on scene of a possible apartment fire at the River Place residential complex in Rosslyn.
Heavy smoke was reported on a lower floor of one of the high-rise buildings, on the 1000 block of Arlington Blvd. A second alarm was dispatched as a precaution, according to scanner traffic.
“Expect a large fire department response in the area,” ACFD said via social media.
Firefighters investigating the source of the smoke now believe it was from a small kitchen fire, which has since been extinguished.
#FinalUpdate: Upon arrival units encountered smoke on the 4th floor. After searching apartments, units discovered burnt food in an appliance. No fire. Units are working on removing the smoke from the building. pic.twitter.com/15UkqXCnk1
Police and medics were dispatched to the park at 6060 Wilson Blvd just after 11:15 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a man who was shot by someone in a blue vehicle.
The man was found lying on the ground and rushed to a local hospital. He was listed last night as being in stable condition.
Thus far there’s no word of any arrests nor a motive for the shooting. Arlington County Police are investigating.
Update at 5:15 p.m. — An arrest has been made, according to ACPD.
The Arlington County Police Department is announcing the arrest of a Falls Church man for his role in last night’s shooting in the Boulevard Manor neighborhood. Jhonatan Zavaleta Cruz, 21, has been charged with Aggravated Malicious Wounding, Attempted Malicious Wounding, Use of Firearm in the Commission of a Felony and Shooting During the Commission of a Felony. He is being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility on no bond.
At approximately 11:15 p.m. on November 6, police were dispatched to the 6000 block of Wilson Boulevard for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located a juvenile male victim suffering from a gunshot wound and immediately began rendering aid. The victim was transported by medics to an area hospital with injuries that are considered non-life-threatening.
The preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect and victim are known to one another and that a verbal dispute preceded the shooting. There is no indication of an ongoing threat to the community.
This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective R. Ortiz of the Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-7402 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
UPDATE: The victim is a juvenile male in his teens. His injuries are considered non-life threatening.
Dorsey in Trouble With Metro Board — Updated at 10 a.m. — “Metro board member Christian Dorsey to return $10,000 donation from ATU Local 689, the main Metro union, and be reprimanded and removed as chairman of Metro finance committee.” [Washington Post, Twitter]
South Arlington Pupatella Now Hiring — “Official Job Fair at Pupatella South Arlington — 1621 South Walter Reed Drive — Thursday, Nov 7 thru Saturday, Nov 9 between 10am and 4pm – All positions available (kitchen and front of house).” [Twitter]
JBG May Hold Off on Crystal City Office Building — “Amazon.com Inc.’s second headquarters is expected to generate additional demand for office space in Crystal City and Pentagon City, but for now… the Chevy Chase developer does not plan to start construction on the Crystal City office building without enough commitments from future tenants.” [Washington Business Journal]
Robbery on Columbia Pike — “The suspect then walked around the counter and confronted the victim, implied he had a weapon, and demanded the merchandise. The suspect fled the scene with the merchandise prior to police arrival.” [Arlington County]
Ballston Company Partnering With Google — “AES Corporation and Google have entered into a 10-year strategic alliance which they hope will speed up the expansion and adoption of clean energy. In an announcement Wednesday, the Arlington, Virginia headquartered power firm said it would leverage ‘Google Cloud technology to pioneer innovation in the sector.'” [CNBC]
Arlington Blvd Bus Stop Temporarily Closed — “4A riders: The stop on Arlington Blvd at S. Highland St will close on 11/6 for two weeks. Customers may board/exit at an adjacent stop.” [Twitter, WMATA]
Nearby: Beyer to Host Impeachment Town Hall — Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) “is planning to talk impeachment at a town hall meeting later this month. [Beyer] announced today that he will be holding the event on Thursday, Nov. 21, from 7-8:30 p.m., at the T.C. Williams High School auditorium.” [ALXnow]
Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti at Arlington Democrats election watch party in November 2019, when she was elected to office (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Sheriff Beth Arthur at Arlington Democrats watch party (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Public Defender Brad Haywood (right) during a 2019 panel on jail diversion (file photo)
The Arlington County Courthouse and Detention Center facilities are pictured in 2019 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Last night, reform candidate Parisa Dehghani-Tafti was elected the next top prosecutor for Arlington and Falls Church, leaving questions about how her campaign promises could affect the area’s political and legal landscape.
Tafti declined to discuss details about her plans for the prosecutor’s office itself, but the other agencies most affected by her reforms say her tenure could have a big impact on their work.
Public defenders may have more time with their clients
Chief Public Defender Bradley Haywood has been a vocal critic of outgoing Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos and donated to Tafti’s campaign. He told ARLnow her win will “absolutely” change the work his office can do, adding that her election was an “amazing opportunity” for judges, lawyers, and prosecutors to work together on criminal justice reform.
One reform Haywood said will majorly impact public defenders is Tafti’s promise to do away with the the requirement that defense attorneys hand copy all the prosecutor’s files about their criminal cases — a process several attorneys say is “horribly inefficient” and makes preparing large cases impossible.
“We estimated that there were about 1,000-1,500 hours we spent in that stupid room typing manually,” Haywood said of his office’s work in the past year. “It’s going to go down from 1,000 hours to zero probably in January. That will give us time to actually learn more about our clients.”
Tafti told ARLnow last night after the polls closed and her campaign declared victory that she was “absolutely” still committed to digitizing the document policy.
The Arlington County Bar Association, which includes private defense attorneys, declined to comment when asked how the new prosecutor’s policy priorities could affect members’ work.
The Sheriff’s Office may need a budget bump
Another one of the reforms Tafti focused on during her campaign was ending the practice of “cash bail,” which she said penalizes lower-income people who might instead remain jail as they await trial.
Outgoing prosecutor Theo Stamos announced last November she would stop seeking bail for people accused of low-level misdemeanors after seven state lawmakers urged her to fix the system. However, public defenders criticized the plan for still excluding too many defendants, calling it a “cynical PR move” to help her bid for re-election.
Sheriff Beth Arthur, who won her re-election last night, told ARLnow she didn’t necessarily oppose more changes to the bail system. But she did express concern about how to manage resources if judges choose to release defendants before trial with conditions — like weekly drug testing — in lieu of bail.
“I do have concerns from a staffing perspective and from an operational perspective on how how this impacts the poor people who are managing the program and who have a caseload of 60-65 people,” she said of her office’s pre-trial program that supervises such defendants. “That’s a lot.”
However, Arthur said she’s hopeful that the county will grant her office additional resources to staff pre-trial programs should they be affected by Tafti’s reforms — or the jail diversion program for people with mental illnesses.
In June, the Arlington County Board approved a $45.3 million total budget for the Sheriff’s Office in fiscal year 2020.
Local Dems Tout Big Wins — “Heading into the critical 2020 presidential race, we’re especially excited about the tremendous grassroots enthusiasm that fueled Democratic victories statewide. This historic victory belongs to the grassroots activists as much as it belongs to the Democratic Party.” [Press Release]
Leaf Collection Schedule Announced — Courthouse, Clarendon and other neighborhoods are on tap for Arlington County’s first vacuum leaf collection pass of the season, starting Monday. [Arlington County]
Amazon Gives to Some Local Pols — “In the Democratic leadership ranks, House Democratic Caucus Chair Del. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, received $1,000. Her district is just outside of Amazon’s new Arlington home. And the company sent $1,500 to Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, and $1,000 to Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, who both represent Arlington neighborhoods a stone’s throw from HQ2.” [Washington Business Journal]
Walgreens Applying for Sign Permits — Updated at 10:15 a.m. — Walgreens signs are going up on former Rite Aid stores across Arlington, after the chain acquired stores from its drug store competitor nearly two years ago. [Twitter]
Investment for Company With Arlington HQ — “CoreMedia, a global content management platform and developer of CoreMedia Content Cloud, is excited to announce that it has successfully partnered with OpenGate Capital, a global private equity firm, on a majority growth investment… Terms of the investment were not disclosed.” [PRNewswire via Potomac Tech Wire]
First Snow Possible Next Week — “Back-to-back Arctic cold fronts are predicted to sweep across the eastern United States over the next week, the second of which has a small chance to squeeze out some snowflakes in the Washington region late Monday and/or Tuesday.” [Capital Weather Gang]
Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti at Arlington Democrats election watch party in November 2019, when she was elected to office (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
County Board member Katie Cristol at Arlington Democrats election watch party in 2019 (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Chair of Arlington Democrats Jill Caiazzo addres the crowd at the Arlington Dems watch party at Celtic House on Columbia Pike (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy and Carol Fontein watch returns (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Del. Alfonso Lopez reads returns (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Sheriff Beth Arthur at Arlington Democrats watch party (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy and Carol Fontein hug after seeing election returns (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington Dems watch party at Celtic House on Columbia Pike (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington Dems watch party at Celtic House on Columbia Pike (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Eric Feigl-Ding, right, talks to his son Sparty Feigl-Ding, 6, about election returns (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 10:20 p.m.) There were no surprises in Tuesday’s general election in Arlington, as Parisa Dehghani-Tafti was elected Arlington’s new prosecutor and all Democratic incumbents won new terms.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney race saw an elevated level of write-in votes — 10% of the overall vote — but the result was never in doubt as Tafti received 90% of the vote. She will take office as the top prosecutor for Arlington and Falls Church starting in January.
Tafti ran a progressive campaign centered on criminal justice reform during a contentious and expensive primary. She ran unopposed in the general election after beating incumbent prosecutor Theo Stamos in a surprising upset in the primary, with 52% of the vote to Stamos’ 48%.
“It was really surreal,” Tafti told ARLnow of her win, after the final precinct results came in.
The incoming prosecutor added that she was “lucky” she had time between the June primary and the November election to start work on her transition. Tafti she’s looking forward to rolling out reforms come January — which one expert has said is the most aggressive policy transition for the office in living memory.
“I’m really excited to get a restorative justice program started,” she told ARLnow.
Elsewhere on the ballot, Arlington County Board incumbents Katie Cristol (D) and Christian Dorsey (D) defeated independent candidates Audrey Clement and Arron O’Dell with 40% and 38% of the vote, respectively. Clement’s 13% and O’Dell’s 7% compares to the 10% Clement and 19% Republican Mike McMenamin received in 2015, when Cristol and Dorsey were first elected.
In contested General Assembly races in Arlington, state Sen. Janet Howell, who ran unopposed in the primary, won out over Republican candidate Arthur Purves, 73% to 27%. Del. Alfonso Lopez defeated independent challenger Terry Modglin, 83% to 16%.
Other Democratic candidates won bids for re-election tonight after running uncontested races:
Del. Patrick Hope
Del. Mark Levine
Del. Rip Sullivan
State Sen. Barbara Favola
Sheriff Beth Arthur
Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy
Treasurer Carla de la Pava
School Board member Reid Goldstein
Acknowledging that most of its candidates were not facing strong challengers, the Arlington Democratic party has instead focused on supporting other Virginia progressives they hoped could flip the GOP-controlled state House and Senate. As of 10 p.m., the Associated Press projected that Democrats would, in fact, win control of both.
Virginia Democrats win majorities in both the state House and Senate, giving them control of the legislature and the governorship for the first time in 26 years. Follow our full U.S. election coverage. https://t.co/z2PXWC7DHk
Voting underway in Fairlington (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
An Arlington County voting permit (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Voting is underway at Abingdon Elementary (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A woman on a smartphone outside the polling station at Fairlington Community Center (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Today may be Election Day in Arlington, but the Arlington Democratic party may well be watching other jurisdictions’ elections more closely.
Virginia is one of the few states with a “serious shot” at flipping both its House and Senate blue this election, an outcome Democratic leaders have long hoped for to pass a more progressive agenda in Richmond and boost Democratic presidential candidates come next November. Acknowledging that Arlington voters overwhelmingly vote blue already, the local party is casting its support out wider to help other Democratic candidates in the state.
“Arlington is fortunate to have an electorate that largely supports progressive candidates, as well as very engaged volunteers,” Arlington Democrats Chair Jill Caiazzo said in a statement yesterday (Monday). “Arlington Dems decided early to unleash its resources to support strategic contests beyond Arlington.”
“Our volunteers have fought hard across the state to elect Democratic candidates to the General Assembly who will pass important legislation on healthcare accessibility, economic opportunity for all, gun safety, women’s, voter, and reproductive rights, and other critical issues,” said Caiazzo.
Overall, the party said it has lent support to 14 House of Delegates and 7 state Senate candidates in Chesterfield, Fairfax, Fauquier, Fredericksburg, and Prince William counties, as well as the Virginia Beach. The roster of incumbent and challenger candidates supported include:
Sheila Bynum-Coleman for Delegate District 66 (Chesterfield)
Jennifer Carroll Foy for Del. District (Ashburn/Prince William)
Lee Carter for Del. District 50 (Manassas/Prince William)
Joshua Cole for Del. District 28 (Fredericksburg/Stafford)
Wendy Gooditis for Del. District 10 (Loudoun/Frederick)
Danica Roem for Del. District 13 (Manassas)
Ibraheem Samirah for Del. District 86 (Fairfax/Loudoun)
Kathy Tran Del. District 42 (Fairfax)
In the last two months, the party supported the General Assembly candidates by sending postcards (20,000), deploying volunteer canvassers (100), and running phone banks (25.)
The efforts to bolster Democrats in other jurisdiction began months ago, as the local party highlighted Loudoun County’s candidate for Senate District 13 (John Bell) and Fairfax County’s candidate for Delegate District 40 (Dan Helmer) and Newport News’ Delegate candidate for District 94 (Shelly Simonds) at its annual Blue Victory Dinner in May.
“We believe this election will have historic implications for Virginia and will be a shot across the bow to the White House that 2020 is coming. We are just getting started,” said Arlington Young Democrats President Dan Matthews.
It’s Election Day — Voting today in Arlington will take place between 6 a.m.-7 p.m. at your local polling place. Most of the local candidates in competitive races penned essays describing why Arlington residents should vote for them. [Arlington County]
Almost A Century Since Suffrage — “Tomorrow represents 99 years of women voting in Arlington. Arlington’s celebrating with 19 events this year.” [Twitter, Arlington County]
‘Baby Trump’ Greeting Key Bridge Commuters — Arlington Democrats have inflated a 13-foot “Baby Trump” on the Virginia side of the Key Bridge as part of a get-out-the-vote message. [Twitter]
Anti-Trans Group is Based in Shirlington — “From the 12th floor of a glass office tower in the Washington suburbs, a campaign to sway the governor’s race in Kentucky on Tuesday is being waged with an alarmist claim that has little to do with the race itself: If Democrats have their way, soon boys will be able to compete against girls in school sports.” [New York Times]
Growing Season Over in D.C. Area — “As of this morning, the growing season has been declared to have ended across our entire forecast area. Frost and freeze [watches and warnings] will not be issued again until Spring 2020.” [Twitter]
Pedestrian Enforcement in Clarendon Tomorrow — “As part of the Street Smart campaign, officers will conduct high-visibility traffic enforcement… November 6th from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. [on the] 2700 block of Clarendon Boulevard (Pedestrian Enforcement Detail).” [ARLnow]
Nearby: Va. Tech Unveils Plan for Potomac Yard — “Plans are starting to take shape for North Potomac Yard. Virginia Tech has submitted its first concept plan, showing what its Innovation Campus will look like just as the design of the Potomac Yard Metro station nears its final design phase.” [ALXnow]
A bus driver was sprayed with pepper spray by a woman who tried to ride the bus without paying over the weekend, police say.
The incident happened Friday night in Clarendon.
According to Arlington County Police, the woman and several other people boarded a bus without paying shortly after 7 p.m. at the intersection of Clarendon Blvd and N. Highland Street. When the driver said they would have to pay the fare or get off, the woman pepper sprayed him, police say.
The driver was treated by medics at the scene.No arrests had been reported as of Monday afternoon.
More from an ACPD crime report:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2019-11010270, Clarendon Boulevard at N. Highland Street. At approximately 7:12 p.m. on November 1, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with a weapon just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect attempted to board a bus with a group of individuals without paying. When the bus driver informed them they would need to pay the fare or exit the bus, the suspect assaulted the driver and sprayed him with pepper spray. The suspect exited the bus and fled prior to police arrival. The driver was treated by medics on scene for minor injuries. The suspect is described as a black female, 18-25 years old, 5’0″-5’4″, 100-120 lbs., regular build, wearing a gray hoodie and a bandanna. The investigation is ongoing.
