assault

Crime Report: ACPD Seeking Witnesses for Aug. 1 Assault and Robbery

By Heather Mongilio

Arlington police carThe Arlington County Police Department is seeking witnesses that can provide more information about an “assault by mob” and robbery that happened on Saturday, Aug. 1 in Clarendon.

A 22-year-old man was attacked between 2-2:30 a.m. at the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Filmore Street. He was hit on the back of the head and lost consciousness, police say.

The man was transported to Virginia Hospital Center for treatment of injuries. His driver’s license, military ID and cash were stolen.

At least one witness came to the man’s aid, but he left the scene, according to a police report.

Anyone with information about the attack can contact Detective R. Munizza at [email protected] or 703-228-4171. Information can also be reported anonymously by calling the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

This week’s Arlington County crime report, after the jump.

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Police Investigating Another Nighttime Attack of a Woman in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

800 block of S. Frederick Street (photo via Google Maps)Arlington County Police are investigating yet another attack of a woman who was walking alone at night.

The incident happened on the 800 block of S. Frederick Street around 10:30 last night (Thursday) and is the fifth such attack in the past month.

“An unknown male subject carrying a stick grabbed a female victim’s wrist and attempted to drag her into the woods,” according to a crime report. “The suspect fled with the victim’s cellphone after she screamed for help.”

“The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his twenties, approximately 5’5″ tall, with a slim build and short hair,” the report continues. “He was wearing black pants and a black shirt at the time of the incident.”

The nature of the attack, the description of the suspect and the fact that he was scared off by the victim fighting back are all at least somewhat similar to four other such attacks that have happened since July 25.

On July 25, a man sexually assaulted a woman while walking home near Courthouse. On July 31 a woman running on the W&OD Trail was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. On Aug. 1 a woman in Buckingham was also grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. And this past Saturday, Aug. 8, a woman was approached from behind by a man who put a pillow case over her head and pushed her to the ground.

Police are “not willing to say… just yet” whether any of the attacks are related, but Special Victims Unit detectives were planning to talk to the victim today to gather additional details.

A police spokesman said ACPD has been stepping up its efforts to catch the alleged predator or predators who have been perpetrating these recent attacks, but the department can use tips from the public.

“We’re going to continue to put resources on the streets, in a plain clothes capacity along with additional patrol officers,” said Dustin Sternbeck. “We are looking for the public’s assistance with this as well.”

Photo via Google Maps

Woman Fends Off Attacker Near Lyon Village Park

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA woman was attacked near Lyon Village Park early Saturday morning, the fourth such attack in almost two weeks.

The attack occurred around 2:45 a.m., on the 1900 block of N. Highland Street. Police say the victim was walking home from the bars in Clarendon when a man approached her from behind, put a pillow case over her head and threw her to the ground.

The woman kicked the attacker several times and was able to scream “help,” prompting him to grab the pillow case and run off.

The suspect is described as an either black or Hispanic man, 5’8″ tall with an average build.

Police say the victim did not report the crime until the next morning, making it difficult to track down the suspect.

“We want to emphasize that anyone who’s a victim of a crime should dial 911 immediately,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Sternbeck said that the police department is devoting significant resources to investigating this and three other recent attacks on women.

On July 25, a man sexually assaulted a woman near Courthouse; she kicked him in the groin and he fled the scene. On July 31 a woman running alone on the W&OD Trail as grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground; she screamed and her attacker ran off. On Aug. 1 a woman in Buckingham was also grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground; she bit the attacker’s finger and he ran off.

Despite some variance in the suspect descriptions, Sternbeck said detectives are trying to determine whether the attacks may be related.

Crime Report: Irate CVS Customer, Man Arrested for Bleach Incident

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsIt was a relatively busy weekend for Arlington County Police, at least according to the department’s daily crime report.

On Saturday evening, police say a customer at the CVS in Buckingham went on a name-tag-ripping tirade when he found out the pharmacy was closed.

From ACPD:

ROBBERY, 150711067, 200 block of N. Glebe Road. At 7:15 pm on July 11, a subject became irate when told the pharmacy of CVS had closed and assaulted an employee, ripping his nametag off of his shirt. The subject left the store and was seen fleeing in a vehicle. The suspect is described as a white male in his sixties, approximately 5’8″ tall and 145 lbs. He was wearing green shorts, white polo shirt and sandals at the time of the incident.

On Sunday afternoon, a man in Nauck allegedly threw bleach on several people and then threatened them with a pair of knives, following a verbal argument.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING WITH A CAUSTIC SUBSTANCE, 150712030, 2400 block of S. Shirlington Road. At 1:55 pm on July 12, a subject threw bleach on several victims following a verbal altercation. The subject then brandished two knives and made threatening remarks. Darrell Bailey, 24, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with attempted malicious wounding by a caustic substance.

The rest of the daily crime report, after the jump.

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Police Pepper Spray Man in Crystal City Metro Station

By ARLnow.com

Metro transit police vehicle (file photo)Metro Transit Police pepper sprayed a man who allegedly assaulted a station manager and a police officer in the Crystal City Metro station this afternoon.

Arlington County paramedics were called to the station around 1:30 this afternoon, to treat the suspect after the pepper spray incident.

According to Metro spokesman Dan Stessel, then man had “rammed” the Crystal City station manager while attempting to run through the emergency gate to evade the transit fare. Metro Transit Police officers responded to the station and found the man sitting on the floor in the station entrance area, smoking a cigarette.

“As they began talking to the man, the suspect abruptly kicked one of the officers from his position on the floor,” Stessel said. “The officers moved in to make the arrest, and in that process, utilized [pepper] spray to gain compliance. The suspect was arrested without further incident.”

The man is being charged with assault, for bumping the station manager, and assaulting a police officer. The station manager was not injured.

File photo

Dog Bites Woman, Friend Pepper Sprays Dog Owner

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police carA woman was arrested over the weekend after allegedly pepper spraying the owner of a dog that attacked her neighbor.

The chain of events started Sunday evening on the 2400 block of S. Monroe Street, in Nauck.

Police say a woman was bitten in the face by a dog that belonged to a man who was renting a room in her house. The dog attacked the woman after she stomped her feet and tried to take a bone away from it, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The dog’s owner was not at home at the time.

The woman went to the hospital, received several stitches, then returned home and called police to report the dog bite.

Later that night, just past midnight, police were called to the house again. The owner of the dog had returned home and was sleeping when he awoke to find a woman standing next to him. The next thing he knew, the woman was pepper spraying him in the face, Sternbeck said.

Police responded to the house and found the woman, a next door neighbor and friend of the bitten homeowner, hiding in some woods behind the house, Sternbeck said.

The woman, who had reportedly been drinking earlier in the day, was taken into custody but on the way back to the police cruiser she tripped and struck her face on a fence, causing a black eye, according to Sternbeck. An officer was dragged down with the falling suspect and suffered a dislocated shoulder, he said.

Arlington resident Laura Dyckman was arrested and charged with breaking and entering with intent to assault, plus assault and battery by caustic substance. She was held on bond.

The dog, breed unknown, remained in the custody of its owner.

Crime Report: Assault Near the Pike

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A man was viciously punched in the hallway of a Columbia Pike-area apartment building early Wednesday morning, police say.

Two arrests were made in connection with the alleged crime. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 150415010, 1200 block of S. Courthouse Road. At 2:26 am on April 15, two subjects assaulted a victim in the hallway of an apartment building. The victim was repeatedly punched causing him to suffer a broken tooth that was embedded in his lip. Vannak Ki, 20, of Falls Church, VA and Joshua Hueston, 19, of Arlington, VA were arrested and charged with malicious wounding. They were held without bond.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Crime Report: Chokeholds and Knockouts

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA man was robbed by a team of thieves on Columbia Pike early Wednesday morning, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

Police say a male suspect put the victim in a chokehold while a female suspect went through his pockets and stole a cell phone.

From the ACPD:

ROBBERY, 150325003, 5100 block of Columbia Pike. At 12:38 am on March 25, an unknown male suspect placed the victim into a choke hold while a female suspect went through his pockets and stole his T-mobile cell phone. The male suspect was described as a black male in his 20’s, approximately 6’0 and 230 lbs. He was wearing a dark color baseball cap, dark long sleeve shirt and dark color pants. The second suspect was described as a black female in her 20’s. The suspects fled the scene on foot prior to officers arrival.

Last weekend, police found a man who had been knocked out, lying on the ground in Clarendon. A 49-year-old Woodbridge man was arrested and charged with malicious wounding.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 150322006, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At 12:30 am on March 22, officers located a 26 year old male victim on the ground and unresponsive. The victim was transported to George Washington Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Investigation revealed that the suspect assaulted the victim. Ivan Deloria, 49, of Woodbridge, VA, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding. The suspect was held with not bond.

The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.

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Crime Report: Grocery Store Robbery Foiled

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA 19-year-old McLean man was arrested Tuesday after a daytime robbery attempt at a grocery store.

The incident happened just after noon, at the Safeway on the 3700 block of Lee Highway. Police say a man implied that he had a weapon and demanded cash. The store’s manager was able to subdue the suspect and hold him until police arrived.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ROBBERY, 150217009, 3700 block of Lee Highway. On February 17 at 12:03 pm, a male suspect entered the Safeway and attempted to rob the store demanding money and assaulting the store manager and implied he had a weapon. The manager was able to detain the suspect until police arrived. Enkhamar Tserenorj, 19, of McLean, VA, was arrested and charged with robbery and assault & battery. He was held without bond.

Last Friday, just before Valentine’s Day, a man allegedly used a master key and bolt cutters to break into his ex-wife’s apartment in the Columbia Heights West community.

Once inside, police say the man assaulted the woman and her boyfriend.

BURGLARY/ASSAULT, 150214003, 700 block of S. Florida Street. At 11:53 pm on February 13, a male subject gained entry to his ex-wife’s apartment by using a master key and bolt cutters. The suspect forced his way into the bedroom and physically assaulted the 44 year-old female victim and her boyfriend. The suspect fled and was located by police at a relative’s house. Gonzalo Cruz, 45, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with burglary, possession of burglarious tools, destruction of property and assault. He was held without bond.

The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump. All named suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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Man Arrested for Attacking Woman in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:50 p.m. on 12/23/21) An apartment concierge helped stop a registered sex offender from attacking a woman Tuesday morning, according to police.

The incident happened around 8 a.m. at the new 19Nineteen apartments, on the 1900 block of Clarendon Blvd in the Courthouse area.

Police say a man grabbed a woman as she came to the front door of the building to see if her Uber driver had arrived. He allegedly threw the woman to the ground, at which time the building concierge tackled the man and held him until police arrived.

“The victim did not sustain physical injury but was clearly shaken when interviewed by our detectives,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Washington resident Jerome [Redacted], 32, was charged with abduction with the intent to defile. He was held without bond.

Central Library Machete Attacker Sentenced to Life in Prison

By Ethan Rothstein

Derrick Sutherland (photo via ACPD)(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) A jury has sentenced a man to life in prison without parole for the June 2013 machete attack on two homeless brothers outside Arlington Central Library.

Derrick Sutherland, 30, was convicted of aggravated malicious wounding for attacking twins Brian and Tim Kern while they were sleeping outside on June 24, 2013, sending both to the hospital with serious injuries. Sutherland was also homeless at the time, and he was “known to carry a machete,” according to police.

Arlington Circuit Court Chief Judge William T. Newman will hand down Sutherland’s final sentencing in an April 17 hearing, according to Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney John Lynch, who tried the case along with Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Lindsay Brooker.

“What broke this case open was some great police work,” Lynch told ARLnow.com this morning. “Officer Stephanie Rodriguez was on the ball that night, she went to where Brian was. She remembered that 48 hours earlier, she went to that very same place and encountered a guy with dreadlocks, a Jamaican accent and a pink shirt, and he was homeless.”

After searching for several hours, police located Sutherland near Wilson Blvd and N. Piedmont Street, a few blocks from where the attack took place. Within the previous six months, Sutherland had been convicted twice on weapons charges, once for carrying a concealed Bowie knife and once for brandishing a machete or Bowie knife, Lynch said.

Just days before the attack, three officers had encountered Sutherland and confiscated a machete, which Sutherland said he needed to protect himself. At two separate points since the attack, Lynch said, Sutherland was ruled mentally incompetent and had to be treated at a state mental facility in Staunton.

According to the Washington Post, Tim Kern suffered a broken collarbone and an injured knee during the attack. He also required staples in his shoulder and stitches in his arm. Tim also suffered a cut on the back of his neck that went through “his skin, his fat, his muscle all the way to the muscle surrounding the spinal cord,” Lynch said. “It was deep and it was long. I categorized it as an attempt to decapitate him.”

Brian Kern lost the vision in one of his eyes, and both of his wrists and three fingers were broken in the attacks. He also suffered large wounds to both of his hands, and Lynch said he had to learn how to write left-handed because of the injuries to his right hand.

Tim Kern died in a homeless shelter two months after he was attacked, but the machete wounds he suffered “did not contribute directly to his death.” He and his brother were 26 at the time. Brian, now 28 and living with a family friend, testified against Sutherland during the trial.

“The victim showed a lot of patience,” Lynch said. “June 24, 2013, was a long time ago. He showed courage throughout. Just surviving and getting up and testifying showed a lot of courage.”

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