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Police are investigating a pair of vehicular incidents in Rosslyn and Clarendon on Wednesday.

Around 12:30 a.m., a man driving an SUV started yelling at a female pedestrian, then got out of the car and brandished a gun, according to police. He then allegedly got back in and tried to run her over.

The victim was not injured and called police. It’s unclear what prompted the incident, which happened in the Rosslyn area, near H-B Woodlawn.

More, below, from an Arlington County Police Department crime report.

BRANDISHING, 2024-01240004, N. Quinn [Street] at 18th Street N. At approximately 12:33 a.m. on January 24, police were dispatched to the report of a person with a gun. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was walking in the area when a black SUV pulled up to her and the suspect, who was also the driver of the vehicle, began yelling at her. The suspect then parked the vehicle, exited and approached the victim making threatening statements. The suspect subsequently brandished a firearm at the victim before re-entering the vehicle and attempting to reverse into the victim. The victim was able to move to avoid being struck and the suspect fled the scene. No injuries were reported. A lookout was broadcast and responding officers canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results.

Later Wednesday night, a driver in Clarendon was attacked by two drunk men, who also damaged his car, according to ACPD.

No motive for the incident was given.

The suspects tried to run from officers but were both taken into custody after foot pursuits, police said.

ASSAULT BY MOB, 2024-01240294, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 10:39 p.m. on January 24, police were dispatched to the report of an assault in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was driving in the area when he became involved in a verbal dispute with the two male suspects who were on foot. The suspects allegedly then began banging on the victim’s vehicle, causing property damage, and assaulted him through the open driver’s side window. Responding officers observed both suspects run from the area and following foot pursuits, they were taken into custody. The victim and one suspect sustained minor injuries that did not require medical attention. [Suspect 1], 29, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Assault by Mob, Destruction of Property, Public Intoxication and Obstruction of Justice. [Suspect 2], 20, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Assault by Mob, Destruction of Property and Public Intoxication.


Fight near Clarendon caught on camera (courtesy Dave Statter)

An early morning fight near Clarendon was caught on camera over the weekend.

The brawl happened around 2 a.m. Saturday along the parking-lined section of Fairfax Drive at the western end of Clarendon. The video shows one person being knocked to the ground and a car ramming the side of another car, amid a fight that appears to be between two groups of people.

Police arrive on scene near the end of the video.

According to public safety watcher Dave Statter, one of the people to post a photo of the fracas on social media, it’s just the latest in a series of fights over the past month or so associated with Clarendon nightlife.

In addition to fights that take place outside, “there are also multiple police calls each weekend night for fights inside the bars in the 3100 block of Wilson and Clarendon,” Statter wrote last week.


Road construction on Columbia Pike near the Foxcroft Heights neighborhood

A New York State man is in jail after police say he pepper sprayed two construction workers yesterday morning.

The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday on Columbia Pike and S. Oak Street, near the Columbia Pike realignment and Arlington National Cemetery expansion project that is currently under construction.

Police were vague about the circumstances leading to the pepper spray being used, saying only that the 37-year-old suspect “allegedly initiated a verbal dispute with the two victims.”

The suspect fled on foot but was tracked down by officers and is now facing two counts of Malicious Wounding.

More, below, from the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2024-01020089, Columbia Pike at S. Oak Street. At approximately 11:32 a.m. on January 2, police were dispatched to the report of an assault that had just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect approached a construction site and allegedly initiated a verbal dispute with the two victims before deploying pepper spray. The suspect then fled the scene on foot and was located and taken into custody by responding officers. The victims were treated on scene for exposure to the pepper spray. [The suspect], 37, of Clarence, NY was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding (x2).


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A 26-year-old Virginia man is facing several charges after a dispute over a parking space over the weekend.

The incident happened Saturday afternoon, in the area of Penrose Square. Police say the man flashed a gun during the altercation.

More, below, from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report.

BRANDISHING, 2023-12300122, 2400 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 2:46 p.m. on December 30, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim and male suspect became involved in a verbal dispute over a parking space which escalated into a physical altercation during which the suspect allegedly brandished a firearm. The suspect fled the scene in his vehicle and was located by responding officers. A firearm was recovered. [The suspect], 26, of Stafford, VA was arrested and charged with Brandishing, Assault & Battery and Concealed Weapon Violation.

In other notable incident, which took place one day prior on Friday afternoon, a 31-year-old Virginia man is accused of kicking a police officer and trying to grab the gun of another.

From ACPD:

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-12290134, Fairfax Drive at N. George Mason Drive. At approximately 2:45 p.m. on December 29, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person with a knife. The preliminary investigation determined the victim was stopped in her vehicle when the male suspect allegedly ran towards her driver’s side door while displaying a knife. The victim drove away and called police. Responding officers located the suspect in the 4800 block of Fairfax Drive and attempted to take him into custody. The suspect refused to comply with the officers’ commands and actively resisted arrest. With the assistance of additional officers, the suspect was taken into custody during which he kicked an officer in the chest. The suspect provided officers with false identifying information but was subsequently positively identified. During a search incident to arrest, the suspect grabbed the holster of an officer’s firearm. Knives were recovered on the suspect. [The suspect], 31, of Manassas, VA was arrested and charged with Assault and Battery, Assault on Police, Attempt to Disarm Law Enforcement Officer of their Firearm, Identity Theft and Obstruction of Justice.

The evening of New Year’s Day, meanwhile, a man’s Canada Goose jacket and wallet was reportedly stolen by a teen boy at the Pentagon City mall. The teen was later apprehended near the Metro station, according to police.

GRAND LARCENY, 2024-01010144, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 5:58 p.m. on January 1, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was sitting with his jacket on the back of his chair when the juvenile male suspect ran by, grabbed his jacket and continued running out of the building. Responding officers canvassed the area and observed the suspect in the metro. The suspect then ran from the officers and, following a foot pursuit, he was taken into custody in the 1200 block of S. Hayes Street. The victim’s jacket, which contained his wallet and cash, was recovered. Petitions were obtained for the juvenile suspect for Grand Larceny and Obstruction of Justice.


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A 30-year-old man is facing a number of charges after an alleged break-in Monday in the Ballston area.

It happened around 4:15 p.m. yesterday on the 700 block of N. Glebe Road, home to a relatively new apartment building.

Police say the man entered a woman’s apartment but left after she confronted him. Officers then located the suspect in the building and took him into custody, after which he kicked two of the officers, Arlington County police said.

More, below, from an ACPD crime report.

Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was inside her home when the male suspect allegedly made entry into the unit. The victim verbally confronted the suspect who subsequently exited the residence.  Responding officers located the suspect in the residential building and took him into custody. During a search of his person incident to arrest, a knife was recovered. While in custody, the suspect was noncompliant and kicked two officers. [The suspect], 30, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Assault on Police (x2), Unlawful Entry, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Obstruction of Justice. He was held without bond.


An employee of a shop in Courthouse was beaten by a robber early Wednesday morning, according to police.

The robbery happened around 3 a.m. at the Tobacco Vape Cigars store at 2305 Wilson Blvd.

“The employee was inside the closed business when he heard the male suspect force entry into the store by shattering a glass door,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “The employee attempted to confront the suspect, who began collecting merchandise, and a physical altercation ensued during which the suspect struck the employee before fleeing the scene on foot.”

“Medics evaluated and released the employee on scene,” the crime report continued. “Responding officers broadcast a lookout and canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results.”

The smoke shop is located in a small building that formerly housed SuperStar Tickets.

The circumstances surrounding this morning’s robbery are somewhat similar to those of a high-profile case in Arlington from March 2020. A group of three people broke into a smoke shop in the Green Valley neighborhood during early morning hours, and an employee who was sleeping in the back shot one of them. The employee was charged with Malicious Wounding but found not guilty last year.

The wee hours of the morning ended up being a busy time for Arlington first responders today. Around the same time as the robbery was dispatched for police, firefighters were arriving on scene of a small fire at the Ethiopian Community Development Council building, just off Columbia Pike on S. Highland Street.


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It was an active weekend for Arlington County police.

A number of notable incidents were detailed in the latest ACPD crime report. Among them were a pair of assaults on police early Saturday morning.

In the first incident, an intoxicated suspect allegedly kicked an officer after ACPD was called for “vehicle stopped in the middle lane of traffic” on 23rd Street S. in Crystal City.

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-11110021, 500 block of 23rd Street S. At approximately 1:46 a.m. on November 11, police were dispatched to the report of a fight. Upon arrival, witnesses directed officers to a vehicle stopped in the middle lane of traffic. As officers approached to investigate, they came into contact with the male and female suspects. The female suspect disregarded officers commands and attempted to go back towards the vehicle. When officers attempted to detain her, she allegedly became combative and resisted before being taken into custody. As officers were detaining the female suspect, the male suspect became aggressive and attempted to interfere. Additional arriving officers detained the male suspect during which he resisted officers. During a search of the female suspect, she kicked a police officer. [Suspect 1], 29, of Washington, DC. was arrested and charged with Assault on Police, Obstruction of Justice and Public Intoxication. [Suspect 2], 25, of Greensboro, NC, was arrested and charged with Obstruction of Justice and Public Intoxication.

Another assault on police was reported later that morning along S. Four Mile Run Drive, after a victim was allegedly assaulted by a woman she knows.

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-11110041, 4200 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. At approximately 4:25 a.m. on November 11, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with injury. Upon arrival, it was determined the female suspect and female victim, who are known to each other, had a verbal dispute inside of a parked vehicle during which the suspect exited the vehicle and assaulted the victim through an open car window. Responding officers located the suspect on scene and while officers attempting to detain her, she allegedly struck a police officer. Medics responded and treated the victim of the initial assault on scene for non-life threatening injuries. [The suspect], 33, of Jacksonville, FL was arrested and charged with Assault on Police.

Later Saturday evening, police responded to the assault of two teen girls in Rosslyn by a teen boy armed with a taser, who remains at large.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING BY A CAUSTIC AGENT, 2023-11110171, 1500 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 5:53 p.m. on November 11, police were dispatched to the report of an incident involving a juvenile. Upon arrival, it was determined the two juvenile female victims were walking in the area when they were approached by an unknown group of juveniles. The juvenile male suspect then knocked Victim One to the ground, produced a taser and attempted to steal her personal belongings before the victims fled into a nearby business. The suspect then followed the victims into the business and tased Victim Two. The victims exited the business and ran from the area during which the suspect caught up with them, pepper sprayed Victim Two and followed them into a residential building where he poured a drink on Victim Two before fleeing the scene on foot. Medics responded and evaluated the victims on scene.

Finally, on Sunday night, a man walking in the Barcroft neighborhood was knocked to the ground by someone who ran up on them from behind. The victim suffered serious injuries, according to ACPD.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-11120208, 900 block of S. Buchanan Street. At approximately 10:23 p.m. on November 12, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was walking in the area when the unknown male suspect approached from behind, knocked the victim to the ground, physically assaulted him and produced a possible taser or stun gun. The suspect then stole the victim’s wallet before running from the scene. The victim was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Officers established a perimeter and searched the area with negative results. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.


Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

While many enjoyed pre-Halloween revelry this weekend, Arlington County police were kept busy with a variety of mayhem.

Several of the notable incidents happened early Saturday morning.

Just before 1 a.m., officers responded to a carjacking in Crystal City, in which a man is alleged to have forcibly stolen a car and a phone from a woman he knows.

From today’s APCD crime report:

CARJACKING, 2023-10280018, 23rd Street S. at S. Eads Street. At approximately 12:48 a.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of a dispute. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim and male suspect, who are known to each other, were inside the victim’s vehicle when they became involved in a verbal dispute, during which the suspect stole the victim’s phone. The suspect then threatened the victim and demanded the keys to her vehicle. The suspect took possession of the keys and the victim exited the vehicle. The suspect subsequently fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. No injuries were reported. Warrants for the suspect were obtained for Carjacking and Petit Larceny.

This is at least the 17th reported carjacking in Arlington so far this year, three more than the 2022 total of 14.

About an hour later, police responded to a bar in Clarendon for a 24-year-old D.C. woman who allegedly assaulted a bouncer.

After the bouncer declined to prosecute, the still-agitated suspect is alleged to have spit on a female officer. She was then arrested on the charge of Assault on Police.

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-10280034, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 1:43 a.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of disorderly conduct. Upon arrival, it was determined the female suspect was acting disorderly inside an establishment and asked to leave by security personnel. The suspect refused and allegedly assaulted the security personnel. A deputy working the Nightlife detail intervened and the suspect remained combative. Responding officers detained the suspect during which, she kicked one of them. The victim did not wish to prosecute for the assault and officers banned the suspect from the property. The suspect then reapproached an officer and spat on her. [The suspect], 24, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with Assault on Police.

About an hour after that, a hit-and-run dispatch led to the discovery of a man suffering a serious laceration and a car chase of the suspect in both crimes.

The suspect, a 24-year-old Arlington man, was finally taken into custody in the Columbia Forest neighborhood and now faces a slew of charges.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-10280046, 600 block of S. Carlin Springs Road. At approximately 2:52 a.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of a hit and run which was later determined to have occurred in Fairfax County, VA. Upon arrival, it was determined the reporting party, who is the owner of the vehicle struck in the hit and run, followed the suspect vehicle into Arlington and observed the male suspect stop in the 600 block of S. Carlin Springs Road and remove an individual from the vehicle before fleeing the area. Responding officers located the individual, an adult male, suffering from a laceration and immediately rendered aid before being transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. A lookout for the suspect vehicle was broadcast and an officer observed the vehicle traveling in the wrong direction and initiated a traffic stop. The suspect disregarded the officer’s emergency equipment and fled the area. Following a vehicle pursuit, the suspect vehicle came to a stop in the 5100 block of 10th Place S., during which the suspect exited and fled the scene on foot. Following a foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody without incident and determined to allegedly be under the influence. The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and the known suspect were in a residence in the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street when they became involved in a verbal dispute that escalated to a physical altercation during which the victim suffered the injury. [The suspect], 24, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding, Eluding, Driving Under the Influence, Obstruction of Justice and Driving Under the Influence on a Suspended License. He was held without bond.


Arlington County courthouse on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

An Arlington teen has been sentenced for assaulting five women in and around Courthouse last year.

One of the victims posted the conclusion to her story — a year in the making — on Reddit this week. The guilty teen is 17 years old and lives in the area between Courthouse and Rosslyn, the victim said, noting he had a stable home life.

Last year, she said, he ran up behind her, lifted up her jacket, grabbed her crotch and pulled at her pants. As the investigation progressed, she said, the assailant was discovered to have worn the same shoes in each assault and to have taken videos, which ended up matching the experiences of the five identified victims.

The teen pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and battery, according to a source familiar with the case. He is expected to spend 10 days in the Landmark juvenile detention facility in Alexandria, with 80 days of the 90 day sentence suspended.

Details about juvenile cases are typically not made public by police or prosecutors. ARLnow spoke with sources familiar with this case and with juvenile justice, in general, to fill in the cracks and provide context.

In addition to juvenile detention, the teen will have one year of probation and will undergo a psychosexual evaluation to determine if he needs therapy. He will be required to complete whatever is recommended.

If he does not complete this or has any run-ins with the law during probation, the rest of his 80-day suspended sentence could be imposed. That means he would wind up back in the juvenile detention facility or adult jail, if this happens after he turns 18.

“Since he’s a juvenile, the sentence is (in my opinion) fairly light,” the victim said.

Several Reddit users said they agreed with her, expressing their outrage, though the victim implied that the prosecution was not the reason for the light sentence.

“That said, I’m really appreciative of the Arlington PD and the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for both their doggedness and sensitivity,” she said, while adding that she never received contrition from her assailant.

“I think I’d be having an easier time with the light sentence if his apology hadn’t been so appalling — ‘I’m sorry if anyone was, like, offended or something. That wasn’t my intention. I don’t want people to think I’m like a monster or anything,'” she said, emphasizing the use of the word “offended.”

Court apologies often feel this way, said Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti.

“She wants to know ‘why her’ and she wants an apology for making her feel violated. Our system is not designed for this,” she said. “Our system is designed to separate the harmed party from the person who did the harm and to give ample opportunities for the person who did the harm to contest that.”

“Our system really makes people dig in their heels,” Dehghani-Tafti continued. “So that apology — and the sentencing — very frequently does not feel healing.”

(more…)


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A man was seriously injured after a hammer and knife attack in the Lyon Village neighborhood yesterday.

The Tuesday evening incident happened on the 1700 block of N. Calvert Street, a few blocks from Lyon Village Park, and involved two men who knew each other, police said.

Officers were not made aware of the attack until later that night, after the victim was treated at Inova Fairfax Hospital, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.

More from ACPD:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING (late), 2023-10170254, 1700 block of N. Calvert Street. At approximately 9:22 p.m. on October 17, police were dispatched to INOVA Fairfax Hospital for the late report of an assault that occurred in Arlington County. The preliminary investigation indicates at approximately 4:50 p.m., the male victim and male suspect, who are known to each other, became engaged in a verbal dispute during which the suspect allegedly struck the victim with a hammer. A witness separated the victim and suspect and a short time later, the suspect reapproached the victim, brandished a knife and struck the victim, causing a laceration. The suspect left the scene and the victim self-reported to the hospital with serious, non-life threatening injuries. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.


An Amazon delivery driver is facing charges after allegedly beating up a man in the Penrose neighborhood.

The incident happened Wednesday afternoon in a private townhouse development across the street from Penrose Square.

“At approximately 3:07 p.m., police were dispatched to the 2300 block of 9th Street S., for the report of an assault with injury,” Arlington County police spokeswoman Alli Shorb told ARLnow. “Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect, a delivery driver, was making deliveries in the area when he became involved in a verbal dispute with the male victim over a parking issue that escalated to a physical altercation during which the suspect allegedly assaulted the victim.”

”A witness separated the suspect and victim, who both remained on scene. The victim sustained minor injuries,” Shorb added.

Scanner traffic suggests that the victim was found bleeding and was evaluated by medics. Shorb said the suspect, a 30-year-old resident of Capitol Heights, Maryland, has been charged with assault and battery.

Colleagues of the driver resumed his deliveries after the arrest. One who spoke to ARLnow claimed the driver — who was operating an unmarked white delivery van — was harassed by a resident who questioned what he was doing in the private community.

Staff photographer Jay Westcott contributed to this report


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