arrest

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Military jets flying over Arlington (Flickr pool photo by Samer Farha)

Arlington Man Arrested for Murder — A 51-year-old Arlington man has been arrested and charged in the strangulation death of a man in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The alleged crime happened Saturday afternoon. The suspect was arrested by U.S. Marshals and Arlington County Police in Arlington; we hear the arrest took place at a McDonald’s restaurant, but so far that has not been confirmed. [WHAG]

Couple Hopes to Find Owner of Lost Ring — A school custodian and his girlfriend are searching for the owner of a lost gold wedding ring. Dennis Avery found the ring in June following an event at Glebe Elementary School. The ring has engravings that offer clues as to who the owner may be, including a date and a pair of initials. [WJLA]

Self-Driving Cars Come to Arlington — State officials, Virginia Tech researchers and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) demonstrated self-driving cars for the media on the closed-off I-395 HOV lanes yesterday afternoon. A press conference for the event was held in Pentagon City. [WTOP, Fox 5]

Part of Park Is Being Used for Parking — A portion of the 22-acre Jennie Dean Park along Four Mile Run near Shirlington is being used as a temporary parking lot for ART buses and vehicles from Shirlington-based public TV station WETA.County officials have promised residents that the portion of the park used will go back to being a park, but admitted they didn’t have any other good options for ART bus parking at the moment. [InsideNova]

Flickr pool photo by Samer Farha

BREAKING: Police Arrest Serial Sexual Assault Suspect

By ARLnow.com

ACPD arrest of sexual assault suspect (mug shot vs. sketch)

Arlington County Police have announced an arrest in a series of sexual assault cases that have had the community on edge since mid-summer.

Police say a 19-year-old Arlington man has been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted abduction in connection to at least three sexual assault cases. The man was arrested early this morning and has confessed to multiple attempted sexual assaults, according to police.

From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department arrested and charged a 19 year-old subject early this morning with two counts of attempted abduction with the intent to defile for his role in multiple sexual assault incidents. Melvin Perez Bonilla, 19, of Arlington, VA is currently being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

Bonilla confessed to multiple sexual assault attempts in the county during questioning at police headquarters and is believed to be responsible for a similar attack that occurred in August. Police are awaiting DNA analysis results from the state lab for that incident for confirmation of his involvement.

The initial attack occurred July 25, 2015 in the 1900 block of N. Scott Street at approximately 1:20 a.m. as the 25 year-old victim was walking alone in the Clarendon area. A second attack took place August 8, 2015 in the 1900 block of N. Highland Street at approximately 2:45 a.m. as a 29 year-old year victim was walking alone. A third attack occurred on September 29, 2015 in the 1200 block of N. Quincy Street at approximately 10:20 p.m. on a 23 year-old female victim as she was walking home.

The victims in each of these attacks assisted detectives by providing details of the events and the description of their assailant. A composite sketch based upon a victims’ description had previously been released. Detectives assigned to the Special Victims Unit and investigators assigned to the Tactical Unit worked with Metro Transit Police to obtain surveillance video and other information to identify the suspect. Tactical Unit officers took Bonilla into custody when they observed him exiting a Metro Bus in the Courthouse area in the early morning hours of October 7, 2015.

“Our officers have taken a dangerous individual off the streets and the community should feel a little safer knowing he is behind bars,” comments Daniel J. Murray, Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigations Division for Arlington County Police Department.

Anyone who has information regarding these incidents or concerning Bonilla is asked to call Detective Icolari at 703.228.4240 or email [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

Police: Man Chokes Clerk, Smashes Display Cases After Returning Engagement Ring

By ARLnow.com

Kay Jewelers store (photo via Kay Jewelers)An enraged man assaulted an employee and smashed glass display cases after returning an engagement ring to the Kay Jewelers store at the Pentagon City mall this morning, according to police.

Arlington County officers responded to the store just after 11:35 a.m., after receiving a frantic 911 call about an assault in progress.

Police say a homeless man, 34-year-old Monbain Brown, had earlier in the day returned a $4,000 engagement ring after having a change of heart about the purchase. He returned shortly thereafter and “engaged in a verbal altercation with one of the workers behind the display case because the money had not showed up in his account yet,” according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Brown became increasingly agitated during the argument before jumping the counter and beginning to strangle the female employee, Sternbeck said.

Mondaine Brown (photo courtesy ACPD)Customers inside the store watched the scuffle but did not intervene. Finally, a male employee came out and placed Brown in a chokehold, resulting in all three tumbling to the ground, according to Sternbeck.

After several minutes of Brown being held in the chokehold, said Sternbeck, a mall security guard arrived and asked the employee to let him go. At that time, Brown allegedly began chasing the female employee around the store. After being unable to catch her, Brown slammed his fist down on the jewelry display cases, breaking two of them, Sternbeck said. He then proceeded to smoke a cigarette inside the store and wait for police to arrive.

Brown was arrested and is being held without bond. He is charged with strangulation, destruction of property and assault and battery.

A surveillance camera caught the entire incident on video, Sternbeck noted.

Arlington Man Charged with Exposing Himself at Fairfax JCPenney Store

By ARLnow.com

Police car lights(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) A 52-year-old Arlington man was arrested at a JCPenney store in the Springfield Town Center mall yesterday morning and charged with indecent exposure.

Fairfax County Police say the man exposed himself to employees on two occasions, in the dressing rooms of Springfield Town Center stores, while shopping for lingerie.

From a FCPD press release:

Detectives charged a 52-year-old Arlington man with indecent exposure at a shopping mall dressing room and have connected the suspect to a similar incident last month.

Allen Jones, 52, of Longfellow Street in Arlington, reportedly exposed himself to a clerk at the [JCPenney] at Springfield Mall around 11:15 a.m. on Monday, October 5. The suspect was shopping in the women’s underwear section of the store and requested assistance from the clerk as he shopped and tried on the items. The incident reportedly took place in the changing room. The clerk immediately contacted police and store security.

Upon investigation, detectives linked the suspect to a previous incident on September 18 where the suspect similarly reportedly exposed himself to a clerk at a women’s lingerie store (Soma) in the Mall. The suspect was charged in connection with that event as well.

Jones was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

Detectives are seeking anyone with information or who may have had similar encounters with the suspect. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visiting www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

Clarendon Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested

By ARLnow.com

Bank robbery suspect Keith Burke (photo courtesy ACPD)Arlington County Police have arrested a suspect in the robbery of a bank in Clarendon earlier this week.

The TD Bank at 3101 Wilson Blvd was robbed Wednesday morning by a man who passed a note to the teller stating he had a weapon.

Police arrested 48-year-old Keith Burke yesterday afternoon after he exited the Crystal City Metro station. Police say Burke was “found in possession of a note similar to the one he passed the TD Bank teller.”

From an ACPD press release:

A bank robbery suspect was taken into custody by the Arlington County Police Department, with assistance from the Metro Transit Police Department, in the 200 block of S. 18th Street. Keith Burke, 48, of Washington, D.C., was arrested at approximately 2:00 p.m. on September 17, 2015 as he exited the Crystal City Metro station.

Burke was charged with bank robbery and is currently being held without bond. At the time of Burke’s arrest, he was found in possession of a note similar to the one he passed the TD Bank teller implying he had a weapon and demanding money.

At approximately 10:30 am on September 16, 2015, the Arlington County Emergency Communications Center was alerted of a bank robbery that had just taken place at the TD Bank, located in the 3100 block of N. Wilson Boulevard. The suspect remained at-large for a little over twenty-four hours.

“Our detectives were able to identify and locate this suspect in a timely manner as a direct result of our outstanding relationship and the ability to share resources with our partners at Metro Transit Police Department,” comments Daniel J. Murray, Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigations Division for Arlington County Police Department.

Man Jailed for Stabbing Brother in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police carA man is in jail after police say he repeatedly stabbed his own brother in a Courthouse apartment.

The incident happened around 3:45 p.m. Thursday, on the 2200 block of Fairfax Drive.

According to police, the man entered his brother’s bedroom while he was sleeping, locked the door and then pressed the knife against him while making threatening remarks. The brother then tried to defend himself and was stabbed three times, said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The victim was rushed to George Washington University Hospital and is expected to survive.

The suspect remained in the apartment and was taken into custody by police.

“Pablo Rivera Pena, 21, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with malicious wounding and abduction,” according to the crime report. “He was held without bond.”

So far there’s no word on a motive.

Three Arrested, One Tased After ACPD Spots Carjacked Vehicle in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com
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Three men were arrested last night after Arlington County Police spotted a stolen car in the Pentagon City area.

An officer located the vehicle, which had been stolen in a “strong arm carjacking” in Maryland, on 12th Street S., near Penatgon City mall. A few minutes earlier, around 7:30 p.m., a police license reader had spotted the car on nearby Route 1.

The three men inside the car tried to flee when police approached, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. All three were captured, but an officer used a Taser to subdue one suspect when he tried to resist arrest, Sternbeck said.

Per department policy, the man who was tased was brought to Virginia Hospital Center for evaluation.

In addition to facing possible charges in Arlington, the men were wanted for “a number of charges” in Maryland, said Sternbeck.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Merry-go-round at Arlington County Fair (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

Kitchen Fire at Zaika — A kitchen fire closed Zaika restaurant at Market Common Clarendon last night. Firefighters had to ventilate smoke from the Indian restaurant after quickly extinguishing the small blaze. [Twitter]

Nude Glebe Road Runner Identified — Police say the man arrested for running naked along Glebe Road while screaming at passing cars is Timothy Lowe. Lowe was previously arrested for doing pushups in the buff, in the middle of a street in the Nauck neighborhood. He also spoke out against alleged police harassment at a community forum last year. Police found a “large quantity of crack” after Lowe was arrested yesterday, said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

History of Arlington View Co-op to Be Preserved — Arlington County is working on a plan to help preserve the history of the George Washington Carver Cooperative Homes in the Arlington View neighborhood. The circa-1945 cooperative is set to be razed to make way for a new townhouse development after residents agreed to sell it to developer Craftmark Homes. [InsideNova]

East Falls Church Profiled — The Washington Post profiles the real estate market of East Falls Church, which will be undergoing some changes as the area around the Metro station eventually develops into a “neighborhood center district” over the next couple of decades. [Washington Post]

New APS Teachers Hired — Arlington Public Schools has hired 325 new teachers this summer to keep up with rising enrollments and staff retirements. [InsideNova]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Naked Man Arrested on S. Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA man stripped down and was running naked down the middle of S. Glebe Road this morning before being taken into custody by Arlington County police.

The incident happened around 10:30 a.m., on Glebe near 20th Street S.

Police say they initially received several calls for a man in his 20s or early 30s jumping on the hoods of cars in the area. Then, they received the first report of a naked man in the middle of S. Glebe Road yelling at passing cars.

The man was taken into custody without incident after police arrived on scene. His clothes were found in the median, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The arrest was witnessed by numerous drivers. The man, reported to be a habitual PCP user, was transported to Virginia Hospital Center “for observation.”

Man Arrested After Foot Chase That Ends on I-395

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police carA man has been taken into custody after leading Arlington County police on a foot chase that ended along I-395.

The chase started around 5:30 p.m. near S. Joyce Street in the Pentagon City area. The suspect led officers on a foot pursuit towards Washington Blvd and then along a southbound I-395 ramp, according to scanner traffic.

The man started running during a traffic stop, and may have had warrants out for his arrest, according to initial reports.

No injuries have been reported, though paramedics have been dispatched to the scene as a precaution.

Couple Faces Drug Charges After Parking Car and Fighting in the Street

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police carA fight over money led to an array of charges against a couple in Crystal City last night.

Police say the couple was having an argument about finances in a rental car around 6:30 p.m. They parked the car at the corner of 15th Street S. and Eads Street and proceeded to fight in the street, police say. The male suspect then “attempted to force the female back into the vehicle but was unsuccessful.”

Police were called and officers spotted marijuana and drug paraphernalia “in plain view inside the vehicle.” A search of the vehicle revealed a host of other drugs, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm.

The pair, both D.C. residents, were arrested. The woman charged with possession of marijuana. The man was charged with possession of marijuana, attempted abduction, domestic assault and battery, possession of MDMA with the intent to distribute and possession of methamphetamine.

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