Five people were arrested after an armed robbery outside the Harris Teeter store in Pentagon City.
The robbery happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday, in a parking lot near the grocery store. Five people, including at least one who was armed with a handgun, assaulted and stole cash from victims with whom they had arranged a sale of sneakers, according to police.
“At approximately 4:11 p.m., police were dispatched to the 900 block of Army Navy Drive for the report of an armed robbery,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspects and victims met at this location for the pre-arranged sale of sneakers. During the encounter, the suspects brandished a firearm, assaulted the victims, stole an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the scene in a vehicle prior to the arrival of officers.”
The vehicle, a dark-colored Jeep, was soon located by police heading into D.C. on I-395. It was followed by officers until U.S. Park Police stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 9th Street NW in the District.
Five people, all ages 19 and 20, were taken into custody and charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, Savage said. They’re currently being held in D.C.
One of the victims suffered a reported head wound during the robbery and was treated by medics on the scene.
APS Getting EV Buses — “Arlington Public Schools (APS), working collaboratively with the County’s Department of Environmental Services (DES), will receive a $795,000 grant from the state, to be spent on three fully electric buses (EV buses) that will replace three with diesel engines. The EV vehicles, each with a capacity of some 65 passengers, will be equitably assigned to routes throughout Arlington. Currently there are no EV buses in the APS fleet of 200. The vehicles slated for replacement each travel some 8,000 miles a year.” [Arlington County, Gov. Ralph Northam]
No PARK(ing) Day This Year — “PARK(ing) Day is an annual international event where the public collaborates to temporarily transform drab parking spaces into small parks… Due to continuing COVID-19 issues, Arlington County will not participate in 2021 PARK(ing) Day. We hope to welcome participants back in 2022.” [Arlington County, Twitter]
USS Arlington to Help in Haiti — “The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) departed Naval Station Norfolk to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to Haiti in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) led mission, Aug. 17.” [Navy]
Arrests in Ashton Heights Armed Robbery — ” The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is announcing the arrest of three suspects in an armed robbery that occurred during the early morning hours on Wednesday, August 18… At approximately 1:08 a.m., police were dispatched to the report of a robbery that had just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the two male victims and a witness were sitting at a bus stop in the 700 block of N. Randolph Street when the three suspects approached.” [ACPD]
Arlington Org Deals with Afghanistan Fallout — “The young women of Ascend were used to spending their days doing yoga, preparing for mountain climbing excursions and teaching women at mosques in Kabul how to read… After the Taliban swept through Afghanistan this week, retaking control after two decades as the Afghan government collapsed, most of Ascend’s participants have been sheltering at home in fear of reprisal. Some have destroyed documents that would associate them with the Arlington, Va.-based nonprofit group, and are pleading for assistance from its leadership to help them find refuge in other countries.” [Washington Post]
Arlington Bishop Talks About Trans Youth — “The topic of transgenderism is discussed routinely in the news, on television shows and in schools. This prevailing ideology — that a person can change his or her gender — is impacting Catholic families, too, said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington… Burbidge knows many will be criticized and ostracized for their belief that men and women cannot change their sex, but he asks the faithful to speak out anyway. ‘We cannot be silenced. The mandate to speak on this issue clearly and lovingly is greater than ever,’ he said.” [Catholic News Service]
Local TikTok personality Coco Briscoe, in a video she posted which shows her being served with a protective order (via TikTok)
Update on 9/30/21: Charges against Briscoe were dropped earlier this week.
Earlier: Coco Briscoe, the local TikTok personality arrested for violating a protective order amid a spat with local restaurants, has had that protective order lifted.
Briscoe was in Arlington General District Court Wednesday afternoon for her arraignment. A judge also heard arguments about whether the 72-hour Emergency Protective Order issued early Monday morning by an Arlington magistrate should be extended.
During the hearing, the woman who asked for the protective order — Charlotte, an employee of Celtic House Irish Pub on Columbia Pike — testified that she was “terrified” of Briscoe and her army of devoted social media followers.
Charlotte said Briscoe was a regular customer at Celtic House but things between her and the bartenders deteriorated over time. At one point, Charlotte testified, she and Briscoe encountered each other in Georgetown and Briscoe followed her, yelling “crazy bitch.”
In another incident, Charlotte testified that Briscoe had been drinking for ten hours straight when she took a brief video of her riding her bike near the bar and sent it in a group chat to other Columbia Pike restaurant employees — including employees of Rebellion on the Pike, another target of Briscoe’s ire — to warn them, given what she described as Briscoe’s erratic behavior.
Briscoe somehow obtained the message sent by Charlotte and has since been posting TikTok videos about it and her spat with the restaurant employees. The videos accuse Charlotte of “stalking” Briscoe and of revealing her location in the group chat, as well as using Briscoe’s credit card and ID in order to obtain her name and date of birth for the protective order.
In addition to allegations against Charlotte, Briscoe accuses a larger group of Celtic House and Rebellion employees of creating social media accounts and fake online dating profiles to “bully, stalk and harass” her. In her videos, she expresses concern about her safety and that of other women who patronize the bars.
The videos also infer that police are protecting the bars and Charlotte, who is reportedly dating an Arlington officer, given that a police report filed by Briscoe did not result in action against any of them.
The videos have prompted many of Briscoe’s nearly 25,000 TikTok followers to come to her defense in social media comments, in negative online reviews of the restaurants, and via emails and phone calls.
“Unfortunately this bar is unsafe for single women,” a woman named Elizabeth from South Carolina posted on Rebellion’s Yelp page, echoing Briscoe’s accusations. “Several bartenders… have stalked, harassed and created an unsafe environment.”
“Be careful here, the bartenders like to share your location with a group of stalkers, get personal information off your credit card and share it with them. This happened to my friend,” wrote a woman named Nora from Utah. “When confronted the manager/owners did not investigate or fire the employee who was doing this.”
“Absolutely disgusting @ArlingtonVaPD for not protecting Coco after she filed a report with you,” an Arlington woman named Julie posted on Twitter. “And abusing your power to rush ridiculous restraining orders against her. Scary to thing as a woman in Arlington you are sh-t out of luck if your stalker has a friend that’s a cop.”
Charlotte testified that Celtic House has been getting “hundreds” of phone calls from angry followers of Briscoe, accusing Charlotte of things and calling her names.
A single mom, Charlotte said she has had to take unpaid leave from work, move away from her apartment, and bring her son to live with his father for fear of his safety.
“I’m afraid to be in my house. I’m afraid to be in this courtroom with her,” she testified. “I just want to be left alone and don’t want attention.”
An attorney for Briscoe briefly questioned Charlotte, who said she could have been more “tactful” with her message to the group.
Local TikTok star Coco Briscoe, in a video she posted which shows her being served with a protective order (via TikTok)
Update on 9/30/21: Charges against Briscoe were dropped earlier this week.
Earlier: An Arlington woman has been arrested for allegedly ignoring a court order not to talk about a local restaurant employee on her popular social media accounts.
Crystal Briscoe, known to her nearly 25,000 TikTok followers as Coco, was arrested Monday morning at her apartment along Columbia Pike for violating a Emergency Protective Order (EPO) issued just five hours before. She is scheduled to be arraigned in Arlington General District Court tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.
The charge against her is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable in Virginia by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
The arrest follows several days of posts from Briscoe on TikTok and Instagram in which she alleged an elaborate plot to harass her online via social media comments and fake online dating profiles created by employees at two Columbia Pike restaurants: Rebellion on the Pike and The Celtic House Irish Pub & Restaurant.
Briscoe called one particular employee a “stalker” and alleged that the employee was able to obtain the protective order because she is dating an Arlington County police officer.
A 39-year-old Virginia native who moved to Arlington during the pandemic after a time in Southern California, where she worked as a Zumba instructor and a comedy writer, Briscoe gained a following on TikTok for her candid commentary on the D.C. dating scene. She said in a video over the weekend that the harassment started following a bad date at one of the restaurants, after which the employees — who she dubs “the Pikeys” — started to bully her, take videos of her, and “plant” a person to date her.
In another TikTok post she threatened to call the FBI about the alleged harassment and suggested, without evidence, that the restaurants were complicit in their employees’ behavior.
“Call your dogs off, Rebellion and Celtic. Or I will do everything in my power to have your businesses shut down. Everything. I’ve only asked you to leave me alone,” she said. Each TikTok post has garnered tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of views, along with hundreds of supportive comments from Briscoe’s fans, who have also flooded the Yelp pages for Rebellion and Celtic House with negative reviews.
(Both Yelp pages have since been locked to new reviews in response to “unusual activity” and “increased public attention.”)
Yelp reviews for Rebellion on the Pike left by fans of TikTok star Coco Briscoe (via Yelp)
A police spokeswoman said the protective order was issued by a magistrate early Monday morning, ordering Briscoe to stop posting on social media about one particular person, and was quickly violated.
“On Sunday, August 8th, police responded to the Magistrate’s Office for the report of harassment,” said ACPD’s Ashley Savage. “At approximately 2:29 a.m. on August 9th, the Magistrate issued an Emergency Protective Order (EPO) for the petitioner against Ms. Briscoe.”
“At approximately 5:35 a.m., officers… served Ms. Briscoe with the EPO and explained the conditions of the order which included ‘respondent is to keep the peace, not discuss petitioner on social media,'” Savage continued. “Ms. Briscoe subsequently violated the conditions of the EPO and an arrest warrant for violation of Virginia Code § 16.1-253.2. Violation of provisions of protective orders was issued by the Magistrate. At approximately 7:30 a.m., officers responded… and took Ms. Briscoe into custody without incident on the outstanding warrant.”
Briscoe was released on her own recognizance, court records show. A defense attorney was not listed. Briscoe could not be reached for comment.
A D.C. man is in jail after allegedly stealing a cell phone and hitting a police officer on the head.
The incident happened around 11:15 a.m. Thursday in Clarendon and drew a large police response. The Arlington County Police Department says they were called after a 37-year-old man stole a cell phone from someone he knew and refused to return it.
Arriving officers spotted the suspect walking along Clarendon Blvd “and attempted to stop him to investigate the alleged larceny,” ACPD said in a crime report.
“The suspect refused to comply and continued walking in the opposite direction. The suspect then turned around and shoved one of the officers before turning and walking away,” the department said.
At that point the officer radioed for backup, and numerous other officers began rushing to the scene, near The Crossing Clarendon retail center. As more police arrived and tried to detain the combative suspect, “actively resisted and struck an officer in the head,” said ACPD. “The officer sustained minor injuries.”
“With the assistance of additional officers, the suspect was detained, but continued to actively resist, kicked towards the officers and attempted to bite an officer,” the crime report continues. “Maurio Johnson, 37, of Washington D.C., was arrested and charged with Assault & Battery on Police (x2). He was held on no bond.”
A witness tells ARLnow that police used restraints and a police van to transport the man to jail, a few blocks away.
“Big response with about a dozen cops and 6 cars,” the witness said. “Guy was tied up hand and feet and put in wagon.”
Pentagon City Suspect Charged With Murder — “Taya Ashton, 20, was found shot to death at an apartment in the 2300 block of Brooks Drive in Suitland on Saturday night, Prince George’s County police said. A day after her slaying, Arlington County police arrested DeAllen Price, of District Heights, for running from officers and going on the Metro tracks at the Pentagon City station, police said… Metro Transit Police and a K9 officer searched the tracks and found a weapon they later linked to Ashton’s murder, police said.” [NBC 4]
Gunston Bubble Going Bye-Bye — “The iconic, yet temperamental, sports ‘bubble’ adjacent to Gunston Middle School will soon be replaced by a barn-like framed structure that will provide more reliability and accessibility, Arlington government officials said. County Board members have approved a contract worth up to $866,800 for installation of the new Clear Span frame-supported fabric structure, which had been purchased previously.” [Sun Gazette]
WeWork, WeLive No Longer Together — “WeWork has washed its hands of WeLive, the co-living brand it launched a half-decade ago with grand aspirations. WeWork handed over management of the two WeLive locations, in Northern Virginia’s Crystal City neighborhood and on Wall Street in Manhattan, to the owners of the buildings, JBG Smith and Rudin Management, a WeWork spokesperson confirmed to Bisnow Wednesday.” [Bisnow]
Cunningham Tapped as AHC’s Interim CEO — “The affordable-housing provider AHC Inc. has tapped Arlington civic leader [and former Arlington County Board candidate] Susan Cunningham as its interim CEO. Cunningham will bridge the gap left by the departure of long-term organization leader Walter Webdale.” [Sun Gazette]
Interview with APS DEI Chief — “We sat down with Arlington Public Schools Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Arron Gregory to talk about the importance of roles like his in schools… How is the school system’s success in these matters ultimately measured? ‘… if we’re unable to predict student success by identities, such as race, class, gender, socioeconomic status, then we’ve achieved educational equity, but if we’re able to predict those outcomes, then there’s work that still needs to happen.'” [WJLA]
Editorial Lauds Lee Highway Renaming — “The symbolism that attends the struggle for racial justice and recognition could hardly be better served than by paying tribute, as the newly named roadway does, to John M. Langston, a man who, in the words of his biographer, ‘was Obama before Obama.’ A century and a half before, as it happens.” [Washington Post]
A man is in custody after allegedly fighting with police at the Pentagon City mall today.
The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. on an upper level of the mall near Jos. A. Bank, after police were dispatched for a report of a man trespassing in the shopping center.
“Arriving officers made contact with the suspect and during the course of the investigation, it was determined that he was wanted out of another jurisdiction,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage said.
Police say they used a Taser and pepper spray as the man tried to flee and struggled with officers.
“As officers attempted to take the suspect into custody, a struggle ensued, during which officers deployed a Taser,” Savage said. “The suspect then ran from the officers. OC spray was deployed and the suspect was taken into custody. He did not require medical transport and no officers were injured.”
Savage noted that the information about the arrest is preliminary. No additional details about the suspect nor the charges against him were given.
The nature of the trespassing accusation is also unclear, though businesses often ban individuals from their stores or properties after shoplifting attempts and other minor crimes, sometimes in lieu of pressing charges. After being banned, the suspect can be charged with trespassing if they return.
Big Ballston Restaurant Opening Today — WHINO, a 150-seat restaurant, craft cocktail bar and art gallery, is set to open its doors at Ballston Quarter today. [ARLnow]
County Considering Green Valley Curfew — “No arrests yet, but Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz says police are making progress after a June 6 shoot-’em-up in the Green Valley neighborhood… The matter became the topic of discussion at the June 12 County Board meeting, when one neighbor called on county leaders to impose a curfew at dusk for the park and school area. County Board member Katie Cristol has asked staff to return with an opinion on whether such an approach would be legal.” [Sun Gazette]
Police Planning for ‘National Night Out’ — “The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) invites community members and organizations to celebrate outdoor National Night Out (NNO) events on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. NNO is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our communities safer and improve quality of life.” [Arlington County]
APS Animal-Science Program Dwindling — “I am an 11th-grader at Washington-Liberty High School and a technical-animal-science student at the Arlington Career Center. The animal-science program is at risk. The number of animals in the program has been dwindling for years. The program has not been permitted to replace the recently deceased miniature horse. Only one goat is left, and he’s 17. The sole surviving ferret, at nine, is living on borrowed time. However, the administration wants to cut our programs even more, taking away our only goat and our four chickens.” [Sun Gazette]
W-L Student’s Vax Effort Lauded — “Before graduation, McBride spent countless hours convincing her classmates to get vaccinated against COVID-19. ‘I was making sure if vaccines were available for some of my friends, they were going to be able to get it and access it,’ she said. ‘I was very compelled by the thought that I want to be able to see my friends in the future, I want to make sure my friends are healthy, and the community is healthy, and their family is healthy in the future.'” [WJLA]
Man Arrested for Columbia Pike Robbery — “The female victim was walking to her parked vehicle when she observed the suspect sitting near by. As she approached the vehicle, the suspect allegedly ran towards her with his arms outstretched and demanded money. The victim backed away and the suspect ran across the street and approached another victim in a similar manner. Arriving officers canvassed the area and located the suspect.” [ACPD]
U.S. Postal Inspection officer at the N. George Mason Drive Post Office on Oct. 13, 2020
One of five individuals implicated in a scheme to steal mail from Postal Service boxes around Arlington County has pleaded guilty.
Aaron Kyle Johnson pleaded guilty in Alexandria federal court on May 28 in connection to the scheme, which lasted more than a year, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office tells ARLnow.
A statement of facts document entered with the guilty plea says that Johnson and his co-conspirators stole mail from blue mailboxes around Arlington, including those outside the post offices in Buckingham and on N. George Mason Drive, using a USPS master key known as an “arrow key.”
The document does not say how the suspects obtained the key and prosecutors did not provide additional detail after inquiries by ARLnow. In a discussion on an online forum among numerous residents who reported having their mail stolen, one resident reported having been told by law enforcement that the key was stolen from a postal employee at gunpoint.
The crime spree started in late 2019 and continued until March 2021, according to the document. There were numerous victims, including individuals and local businesses. ARLnow’s initial report detailing numerous reports of mail thefts, mostly from the George Mason Drive post office, was published in October 2020 after we photographed a U.S. Postal Inspection investigator kneeling besides one of the post office’s blue boxes.
The suspects, prosecutors say, would steal checks from mailed letters and fraudulently deposit them at local banks, using false identification and forgery. In one case, a $21,000 check from an Arlington business was stolen and “altered such that it was made payable to ‘John Martian,'” according to the document.
In early March 2021, Johnson and another defendant were found “in possession of approximately 150 personal checks and approximately 50 business checks drafted by individuals and businesses located in and around Arlington County, Virginia, many of which were stolen from the mail in or around Arlington County,” the document says. “Some of the checks were in the process of being altered.”
Johnson and another suspect also kept records of personally-identifiable information gleaned from stolen mail, prosecutors say.
The suspects “disposed of any mail that had no value to the defendant or his co-conspirators such that the mail” — which would have been anything from greeting cards to smaller bill payments — “could not reach its intended recipients,” the document said.
The scheme was perpetrated for financial gain, allowing Johnson to purchase “numerous luxury items,” among other things.
“Between no later than 2019 and in or around March 2021, the defendant used the proceeds gleaned from mail theft, bank fraud, and/or identity theft to enrich himself, including purchases of numerous luxury items, clothing, and apartment rentals,” said the statement of facts, which Johnson admitted to as part of his plea.
The scheme was almost foiled in February 2020 when the stolen key became stuck in a blue USPS collection box in Arlington. Johnson and his co-conspirators discussed what to do, and finally a few hours later one suspect was able to dislodge it, according to the document.
Prosecutors identified four other suspects in the case.
Keshawna Howard, who has a July 27 trial date; Jose Reyes, who is in law enforcement custody in Maryland; Malcom Ward, who was arrested this past Monday on bank fraud charges; and Miles Ward, Malcom’s brother, who died in March. The cause of Miles Ward’s death was not disclosed.
A U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesperson declined comment when reached by ARLnow in late May, citing an “active investigation.”
An armed carjacking and a police chase led to the arrest of four suspects — all under the age of 18 — over the weekend.
The incident happened around 8 p.m. on Sunday. Police say a victim was sitting in his car in a parking garage near the Pentagon City mall when the suspects approached and one drew a gun.
They allegedly ordered the victim out of the car, stole some cash, and then drove off, crashing through a fence in the parking garage. The suspects made it a few blocks away before being spotted by officers on S. Eads Street, according to Arlington County police. A brief chase ensued until the suspects crashed along Army Navy Drive, just west of Pentagon City, and all four were taken into custody.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is announcing the arrest of four juvenile suspects following an armed carjacking. All four juveniles have been arrested and charged with Carjacking, Conspiracy to Commit Robbery and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. The juvenile who was determined to be the driver of the stolen vehicle faces additional charges of Eluding and Destruction of Property.
At approximately 7:55 p.m. on June 6, police were dispatched to the 1200 block of S. Hayes Street for the report of an armed carjacking that just occurred. Arriving officers were flagged down by witnesses who provided a direction of travel for the vehicle. An officer, with emergency equipment activated, located the vehicle on S. Eads Street and attempted a traffic stop. The driver failed to comply, proceeded through red lights and eluded police. A vehicle pursuit was then initiated. The driver continued to make evasive moves and struck the curb in the 1300 block of Army Navy Drive causing the vehicle to come to a stop. All four suspects were then taken into custody.
The investigation determined that the victim was sitting inside his vehicle in a parking garage in the 1200 block of S. Hayes Street when the four suspects approached. One suspect brandished a firearm and demanded the victim open the door to the vehicle. The suspects then took an undisclosed amount of cash from the victim before fleeing the scene in his vehicle and driving through a fence that was blocking part of the garage.
This remains an active criminal investigation. 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 reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Man connected to GW Parkway crash arrested along N. Glebe Road just after midnight Sunday, May 30 (staff photo)
Approximate location of multi-vehicle crash along the GW Parkway on Saturday night (via Google Maps)
Man connected to GW Parkway crash arrested along N. Glebe Road just after midnight Sunday, May 30 (staff photo)
Man connected to GW Parkway crash arrested along N. Glebe Road just after midnight Sunday, May 30 (staff photo)
(Updated at 9:20 a.m.) A man who was allegedly involved in a significant crash on the GW Parkway was later stopped by police while walking along N. Glebe Road.
The multi-vehicle wreck blocked the GW Parkway in both directions between Spout Run Parkway and Chain Bridge Road for several hours this past Saturday night.
“At approximately 10:47 p.m., United States Park Police officers responded to a multi-vehicle crash southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway south of the First Overlook,” U.S. Park Police spokesperson Sgt. Roselyn Norment tells ARLnow. “Arriving units discovered four vehicles with significant damage on the north and southbound side of the GWMP. One vehicle travelling southbound was struck and sent across the median into northbound traffic.”
Several people were injured and taken to local hospitals, but none had life threatening injuries, Norment said.
An hour or so later, a person who police say was involved in the crash was taken into custody along N. Glebe Road, in the largely residential Old Glebe neighborhood — about a three mile walk from the crash scene.
“At approximately 11:33 p.m., police received a lookout from USPP regarding a subject involved in a crash in their jurisdiction,” said Arlington County Police Department spokesperson Ashley Savage. “ACPD officers later located the subject in the area of N. Glebe Road and N. Albemarle Street. He was detained and custody was transferred to USPP.”
“One operator was arrested for fleeing the scene of an accident with injury and reckless driving,” Norment said.
