(Updated at 3:15 p.m.) Police are on the lookout for a suspect in a brutal daylight stabbing near Clarendon.

A man was stabbed multiple times outside the Pio Pio restaurant at 3300 Wilson Blvd just after 1:30 this afternoon. He was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital in what’s now being described as life-threatening condition, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Police say the incident started when the victim, who was working in a nearby office building, spotted a man breaking into his car. The victim gave chase across Wilson Boulevard, and the two men got into a physical altercation outside Pio Pio. During the struggle the suspect took out a knife and stabbed the victim numerous times in the hands, shoulder, front, back and arms, according to Sternbeck.

Blood could be seen splattered on the walls and sidewalk outside of the restaurant.

After the stabbing the suspect took off south on N. Jackson Street, toward the Ashton Heights neighborhood. A police officer was flagged down by a witness at 1:38 p.m., Sternbeck said. Officers set up a perimeter and used a K-9 unit to try to track down the suspect, but police believe he may have stolen a white work van a few blocks away in order to flee the area. Officers are currently looking for the van, Sternbeck said.

The victim is being described as a 31-year-old resident of Montgomery County, Md. The suspect is described by police as a 28 to 32 year old Hispanic male, approximately 5’9″ and 150 lbs. He was wearing a white t-shirt that was likely ripped in the struggle, was well as dark blue jeans.

Warning: Readers might find one of the photos below disturbing.


A woman says woke up after a day of drinking to find a neighbor having sex with her as her boyfriend slept on a couch nearby.

The alleged incident happened early Sunday morning on the 300 block of N. Oxford Street in Ashton Heights. Police say the female victim and her boyfriend had been drinking earlier in the day at a cookout attended by some residents of their apartment complex. The pair later returned to their apartment and fell asleep on the couch.

According to police, the woman reported that she woke up in the middle of the night to find herself lying on the floor with someone having sexual intercourse with her. In the dark, the woman initially thought the individual was her boyfriend, but then discovered that it was the resident of a neighboring apartment who was on top of her, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The woman and the neighbor were acquainted and had met at the cookout earlier in the day, Sternbeck said. The woman’s boyfriend was reportedly sleeping on the couch next to her and only woke up after the alleged incident.

Arlington resident Federico Alfonso Umana Barrera, 35, was arrested and charged with sexual assault and forgery of a public document.

Update at 9:20 on 5/15/12 — Barrera has now been charged with rape, according to Sternbeck.


Residents in Virginia Square and Ashton Heights may see more police presence in the neighborhood tomorrow. The Arlington County Police Department advises residents not to be concerned, because it’s only a training exercise.

Law enforcement officers will be performing the training exercise in Oakland Park, which is located at the corner of Wilson Blvd and Oakland St. It’s slated to run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Residents who park in the area are advised to pay extra attention to signs on parking meters during that time. Many meters around the park will be designated for use only by those participating in the training.


A trio of Good Samaritans were rewarded for their heroic deeds with a fresh pizza delivered by the Arlington County Police Department.

Police officers dropped off the pizza and some commemorative plaques on Friday night as a way to say ‘thank you’ to three men who helped stop a late night attack in Ashton Heights over the summer.

According to police, two of the men were sitting out on their porch, waiting for a pizza delivery around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14, when they heard a woman scream. The woman, police say, was knocked to the ground by a 25-year-old man after repeatedly rebuffing his unwanted advances. Upon hearing the scream, the men chased down the suspect and held him until police arrived. The third man rushed to the victim to comfort her while awaiting police.

The suspect, Fidencio Gonzalez-Acetun, was arrested and charged with abduction. He’s currently awaiting trial.

During the course of their heroism, the men missed their pizza delivery. As a good-humored recognition of their small sacrifice, police delivered a hot, fresh pizza along with the plaques on Friday.

The men told NBC4 that the gesture “means a lot” to them.

Photo courtesy Arlington County Police Department


Some Arlington residents went all-out when it came to dressing up their homes for Halloween. Just before the kids started trick-or-treating last night, we stopped by two local streets that were said to have some of the best decorations around.

On the 700 block of N. Illinois Street in Bluemont, two homeowners were duking it out for the title of scariest house. One home was not only spook-ified on the outside, but the creepy decorations and frightful lighting continued well inside the front door as well.

The 700 block of N. Jackson Street in Ashton Heights was even more festive. One otherwise charming home was converted into a yard of horrors, with freshly-dug graves, cobwebs, leering ghouls and a menacing coffin. Just down the street, neighbors were out taking photos of the N. Jackson Street Cemetery — a house-turned-haunted-house featuring a real, rusted-out hearse, more freshly-dug graves and a small army of free-standing witches, ghosts and skeletons.

How do these compare to the best-decorated homes in your neighborhood?


A car flipped on its roof in residential Ashton Heights last night, but luckily no one was seriously hurt.

The accident happened on the 500 block of N. Nelson Street just before 8:00 p.m. The car flipped over after hitting another vehicle, though the collision itself did not significantly damage either car, according to a witness. The driver of the overturned vehicle was able to get herself out of the car and was not seriously hurt.

Photos courtesy @dadonymous


The Arlington County bomb squad was called out to a grassy lot next to Faith Lutheran Church (3313 Arlington Blvd) in Ashton Heights this afternoon to investigate what looked like a hand grenade.

A bomb technician eventually determined that the object — which was found lying in the grass well away from the church — was not explosive and the scene was cleared within an hour. Based on initial descriptions, the object was likely a toy or a replica hand grenade.


The annual Lyon Park-Ashton Heights house tour will be held this weekend.

This year’s event will mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of Ashton Heights. The tour will feature homes built between 1904 and 2009. Along the way there will be antique cars, retro costumes, old documents and demonstrations of green technology.

The tour will take place on Sunday between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. Here’s how organizers are describing it:

Ninety years after real estate developer Ashton Jones created the subdivision he named after himself and appealed to Washingtonians to move to one of the first commuter neighborhoods in Arlington, the Ashton Heights Civic Association kicks off its anniversary celebration with the annual Lyon Park-Ashton Heights Villas & Vistas house tour showcasing the area’s history and charm.

This year’s Villas & Vistas house tour will celebrate Ashton Heights’ 90th anniversary with proceeds benefiting the renovation of the Lyon Park Community Center, a 1920s historic structure. The tour features twelve houses spanning 1904-2009, from bungalows to colonials, and the way residents have adapted them over nine decades through remodeling and green opportunities. Tour participants also will experience some fun vintage surprises–old cars, retro costumes, and original house documents–along the way.  Owners will be on hand to demonstrate aspects of green technology, display building materials, point out original details, describe renovation/design parameters, and share product information (as well as fascinating stories about former owners.)  A limited number of the Ashton Heights Style Guide, an illustrative how-to on planning additions to period houses, will be available.

See a list of homes on the tour here.

Other events being held this year in honor of Ashton Height’s 90th anniversary include a neighborhood picnic, lectures on neighborhood history and “a celebration of long-time residents.”

Courtesy photo


(Updated at 8:20 p.m.) Arlington firefighters battled a house fire near Clarendon tonight.

Heavy fire and heavy smoke was first reported in a three-story house near the intersection of N. Ivy Street and 10th Street around 6:45 p.m. A second alarm was called and about 50 firefighters helped to extinguish the blaze.

The house, which contained three individual apartments, suffered damage throughout the structure. Ten residents were displaced by the fire and are receiving assistance from the Red Cross. Although each apartment was occupied at the time, all residents managed to escape safely, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesperson Lt. Gregg Karl. No injuries were reported.

The Arlington Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the blaze, Karl said.

Photos courtesy Ian Luria (top) and Garrett Peck (bottom). Hat tip to John Antonelli.


An Ashton Heights resident’s lush, well-designed front yard was just featured in Southern Living Magazine. And that resident happens to be none other than County Board member Jay Fisette.

The editors of Southern Living were so impressed by the transformation of Fisette’s yard from bland to beautiful that they featured it in a three-page spread in their April issue. Per the magazine’s folksy style, the language used in the article was — colorful.

“Jay Fisette and Bob Rosen have a nice house, but their front yard was as exciting as watching a frozen turkey thaw,” the article said. “A nearly featureless lawn bisected by a skinny front walk stretched between the Arlington, Virginia house and the street. It was, shall we say, a royal snoozer.”

Luckily, Fisette was approached one day by a neighbor, landscape designer Tom Mannion, who wanted to help him spruce the yard up.

“By addressing a few basic issues, Tom created a colorful, welcoming space that has easy access and stands out from its environs like a Bolshoi ballerina in a mattress store,” said the article.

Among the changes made: A “parking court” just off the driveway, a wider front walk, and plenty of colorful plants.

Fisette said that he’s heard from about a dozen people who have stumbled upon the article (it’s not available on the internet) including his mother and Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur. While downplaying the significance of the publicity — Jay wouldn’t go so far as saying the article was “an honor” — he did say the article was an enjoyable experience for himself and Rosen.

“It was fun for us,” Fisette said. “We were impressed by the article ourselves.”


You can still order chicken cacciatore and shrimp scampi at the former Pines of Italy restaurant at 237 North Glebe Road. But now you can also have it with baba ghannouj, chicken schwarma and baklava.

Cleopatra’s Mediterranean Bistro opened in March with little fanfare outside the immediate neighborhood and the local Arabic community. Serving up Middle Eastern food in addition to Italian carryovers from Pines of Italy, Cleopatra’s is as eclectic as it is unassuming. For those who care to indulge, there’s also a bar.

Cleopatra’s prices are exceedingly reasonable, and there are coupons available online to make a visit even more affordable.

During Ramadan (which runs through Sept. 10) the restaurant is offering a $9.95 Iftar buffet that features all-you-can-eat meat, seafood and vegetable dishes.

When Ramadan ends, lunch service will resume, as will the four-night-per-week live music and belly dancing and the late-night live entertainment on weekends.

Owner Sami Khan keeps Cleopatra’s open until 4:00 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. He says many young people will stop by after coming back from the downtown clubs. The restaurant usually draws a weekend crowd of about 100 people, mostly Middle Eastern and mostly in their 30s, he says.

More photos, after the jump.

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