News

Arlington County police investigating another carjacking

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Yet another armed carjacking has been reported in Arlington, this time in the Columbia Forest neighborhood.

The carjacking happened in the early morning hours of Saturday, on the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street just south of Columbia Pike.

“At approximately 4:36 a.m. on August 5, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery,” said today’s daily Arlington County Police Department crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined the victim stopped his vehicle in a parking lot when the suspect vehicle, with four occupants, approached. One suspect then exited the suspect vehicle, brandished a firearm and demanded the victim’s vehicle.”

“The suspects then fled the scene in the suspect vehicle, a black SUV, and the victim’s stolen vehicle, a 2019 black Toyota Camry,” the crime report continues. “The victim’s stolen vehicle was later located unoccupied in Washington D.C.”

Several carjackings and an unsuccessful carjacking attempt were reported by ACPD in July. More than a dozen carjacking have been reported so far this year, by ARLnow’s count, many involving BMWs carjacked in the Crystal City area.

Around Town

There’s a surprising twist to that viral Wendy’s police dispatch tweet

By ARLnow.com
The then newly-renovated Wendy’s open on Columbia Pike in 2019 (staff photo)

An ARLnow tweet that went viral locally on Friday has quite the twist ending.

The post, on the social network now known as X, went out shortly before 2 p.m., following an unusual Arlington police dispatch.

The report: two people were apparently having sex in the bathroom of the Wendy’s at 3431 Columbia Pike, and the restaurant wanted them to be banned from the premises.

Our tweet quickly became fodder for jokes as dozens of replies and quote tweets starting flooding in.

In addition to the humorous responses, there was also some earnest discussion of the issue of people fornicating in restaurant bathrooms, which turns out to not be that unusual.

But — the story was not what it seemed at first.

According to someone with knowledge of the police response, officers did not find a copulating couple in the bathroom, but instead found just one person engaged in an altogether different activity.

“The Wendy’s bathroom sex call turned out to just be a solo individual having a very relieving No. 2,” the person said.

Sponsored

Just Reduced Properties in Arlington: October 15, 2025

By Sponsor

Each week, “Just Reduced” spotlights properties in Arlington County whose price have been cut over the previous week. The market summary is crafted by Arlington Realty, Inc. Maximize your real estate investment with the team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6000 today!

Please note: While Arlington Realty, Inc. provides this information for the community, it may not be the listing company of these homes.

As of October 13, there are 210 detached homes, 54 townhouses and 244 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 44 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:

6223 Langston Boulevard

Please note that this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Arlington Realty, Inc.

Around Town

Ballston’s new live music and comedy venue The Filling Station opens this weekend

By Matt Blitz
1/3

A new live music and events venue is opening in Ballston this weekend.

The small, 50-seat Filling Station at 4201 Wilson Blvd is opening its doors on Friday night. It’s owned by brothers Ian and Eric Hilton, who also own the adjacent restaurant El Rey.

The venue will focus on hosting live music, comedy, and private events, per its website.

“Filling Station is an intimate venue with an elevated stage that will be host, with no cover charge, to a rotating schedule of musicians, bands and comedians,” says a press release.

“Set with community-style and small group tables, the rustic interior harkens to mid-century culture with the walls filled with that era’s album and magazine covers and music posters,” the press release continues. “Large screen TVs and mounted televisions will show NFL football games and sports this fall.”

Friday night’s inaugural show will feature Cowpoke, a country rock and folk band from Leesburg. Saturday’s show will feature Arlington-based funk-rock band Skip House.

Food will be available from the next-door El Rey, including quesadillas, nachos, torta sandwiches, fries, wings and 17 beers on tap.

ARLnow first reported last month that Filling Station’s opening was imminent, though signs had been up dating back to August 2022.

The venue is part of the Hilton brothers’ burgeoning local restaurant empire. Cafe Coline on Langston Blvd was named one of Washingtonian’s Top 100 restaurants earlier this year. El Rey in Ballston opened in late 2021 as a second location of the popular D.C.-based taqueria.

Arlington’s live music scene has seen some changes in recent months.

B Live opened in May 2022 as a music venue and restaurant in the former Whitlow’s space in Clarendon. But this summer, the venue announced it was shifting to featuring more live karaoke and becoming a “beach bar,” at least temporarily.

The Renegade in Clarendon, which opened in 2019, also features live music.

Announcement

Celebrate Your Event With Signs

By Sign Sisters

Celebrating our 5th month in business and over 400 celebratory displays across Arlington, Sign Sisters is a local female owned company. We put big, colorful signs in your yard to safely celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, graduations, bar & bat mitzvahs, welcome home, welcome back to school, happy holidays and more.

A visit from the Sign Sisters will bring joy and memorialize events in a completely contactless & socially distant manner. Visit our website www.signsistersva.com to request your sign. See our AFAC box discount.

Go to Celebrate Your Event With Signs Read more
Around Town

ARLnow welcomes new assistant editor

By ARLnow.com
James Jarvis (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

ARLnow has added to its full-time news staff.

James Jarvis, previously of InsideNoVa and FauquierNow, has joined as assistant editor, becoming the tenth full-time employee of Ballston-based Local News Now, the publisher of ARLnow.

Jarvis joins fellow assistant editor Jo DeVoe, staff photographer Jay Westcott, freelance reporter Matt Blitz and editor-in-chief Scott Brodbeck on ARLnow’s editorial team. The hire was made possible in part by the ongoing support of ARLnow Press Club members.

Born and raised in Northern Virginia, James completed his undergraduate degree at Franklin & Marshall College in 2018 before getting a master’s degree in journalism from Georgetown University in 2020.

He started his journalistic journey as a Fairfax County reporter for InsideNoVa in 2021 and took over coverage of Fauquier County for the FauquierNow.com website in January 2022 after InsideNoVa acquired it. His earlier career includes internships at The Hill newspaper and freelance work for both the Washington City Paper and Country ZEST & Style Magazine.

During his time at InsideNoVa and FauquierNow, James reported on a wide range of topics from local government and education to comprehensive investigative pieces.

Now part of the ARLnow team, James is enthusiastic about opening a new chapter in his career, striving to cover all facets of Arlington, and ensuring that local residents gain a more insightful understanding of their local community. He will also be contributing photos to stories and assisting with the relaunch of ARLnow’s podcast.

Announcement

COVID Isn’t Stopping Jane Franklin Dance

(This Community Post was written by Jane Franklin Dance and underwritten by The Fred Schnider Investment Group/Fred Schnider Gallery of Art and Embracing Arlington Arts supporter Annie Sweeney.)

It’s time to think outside the box and Zoom over for Live at the Athenaeum. Separate little boxes may rule our lives but this live performance brings all the action to one room, this time a spacious gallery of fine arts.

Go to COVID Isn’t Stopping Jane Franklin Dance Read more
View More Stories