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BREAKING: Yorktown High Teacher Charged with Indecent Exposure

By ARLnow.com

Yorktown teacher Thomas Lenihan and note to Yorktown HS families (photo, left, via FCPD)

A history teacher at Yorktown High School, has been charged with indecent exposure by Fairfax County Police after an incident in Tysons Corner Thursday night.

Police say Thomas Lenihan, 38, exposed himself to two teens in the locker room of the Sport & Health Club on Greensboro Drive. He was arrested on two counts of indecent exposure shortly thereafter.

Lenihan will be placed on administrative leave and will not return to Yorktown, families were told in an email, which also encouraged students who may have additional information about Lenihan to come forward.

More on the charges from the Fairfax County Police Department:

Officers were called to the 8200 block of Greensboro Drive, a Sports and Health Club, yesterday around 9:30 p.m. for a report of a man exposing himself to two juveniles in the locker room. The victims, 16 and 17 years old, told employees that a man had watched them in the shower and followed them around the locker room while exposing himself.

Officers located the suspect at the business and identified him as Thomas Lenihan, 38, of Falls Church. Lenihan is currently employed as a teacher in Arlington County at Yorktown High School. He was arrested, taken to the Adult Detention Center and charged with two misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure. He was released on a $5,000 bond.

Anyone who might have witnessed this incident is asked to contact the Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131, or contact Crime Solvers electronically by visiting www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES (274637).

UPDATED: Dog Dies in Apartment Fire Near Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) Arlington County firefighters are on the scene of an apartment fire in the North Highlands neighborhood, near Rosslyn.

The fire was reported on the 1600 block of 21st Street N., in the living room of a second floor apartment, just before 1:45 p.m.

The blaze was quickly extinguished. Firefighters located a dog that had been in the apartment and attempted CPR, but the dog was later pronounced dead, we’re told.

No person was inside the apartment at the time and no injuries were reported. Firefighters are currently ventilating smoke from the building and investigating the cause of the fire.

UPDATED: Car Chase Ends in Rosslyn, Police Track Down Driver

By ARLnow.com
1/11

Update at 9:30 a.m. — The suspect has been found hiding under a car in the area of N. Quinn Street and 18th Street N. and has been taken into custody, according to scanner traffic.

Update on 1/19/17 — Virginia State Police have issued the following updated statement regarding the chase and the suspect’s apprehension.

At 8:48 a.m., Wednesday (Jan. 18), Virginia State Police Sgt. C.J. Szupinka was conducting stationary HOV enforcement when he observed a 2005 Ford Focus entering the eastbound I-66 HOV lane at the 71 mile marker. The Ford was in violation of the HOV+2 regulation, as it had only one occupant. Sgt. Szupinka motioned to the driver, John R. Johnson III, to stop. Johnson pulled over in front of the sergeant’s patrol car. But as the sergeant approached on foot, the Ford kept rolling forward and then pulled away and into the mainlines of eastbound I-66. A pursuit was initiated with the Ford reaching speeds of up to 100 mph.

The Ford Focus took Exit 73 and due to its reckless driving and speed, the sergeant discontinued the pursuit for the safety of other motorists and pedestrians. Minutes later the vehicle was located abandoned on Nash Street near Lee Highway. The keys were still in the ignition and the engine was still running when the sergeant found it. Johnson had fled on foot.

With the assistance of Arlington County Police, State Police set up a perimeter and began searching for the subject by foot and through the use of a Virginia State Police K9 team. At 9:27 a.m., Arlington County Police discovered Johnson hiding under a vehicle in a parking garage near 19th and Quinn streets. Johnson was taken into custody without further incident.

Johnson, 44, of Maryland, was charged with one felony count of eluding police, reckless driving, the HOV violation and driving on a suspended license. He is being held without bond at the Arlington County Jail.

Earlier: Police have swarmed the area around N. Nash Street and the Holiday Inn hotel in Rosslyn to search for a driver who led Virginia State Police on a morning rush hour chase.

Initial reports suggest that state police were pursuing the suspect on I-66 for an HOV violation. The suspect exited the highway at Rosslyn and bailed out near the hotel.

Police are establishing a perimeter as they try to locate the suspect, who’s described as a black male wearing jeans and a gray hoodie.

Photos by Samantha Moore

BREAKING: ACFD Battles Apartment Fire on Lee Highway, Rescues Dog

By ARLnow.com
1/7

(Updated at 1 p.m.) Arlington County firefighters battled a fire in an apartment building on Lee Highway today (Tuesday) and rescued a dog in the process.

The fire was reported just after noon on the third floor — the top floor — of the apartments at 4356 Lee Highway, just east of the Lee Heights Shops in the Waverly Hills neighborhood.

The fire was on a balcony in the rear of the building, according to scanner reports, and had also spread to the ceiling of the units below.

As of 12:25 p.m., the fire department reported that the fire was out. No injuries were reported, though a dog was rescued from one of the apartments.

County road crews were called in after the fire was out to spread salt on portions of the roadway that had been drenched with water from the firefighting effort.

https://twitter.com/ACFDPIO/status/818878637575389185

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BREAKING: ACFD Responding to Arcing Insulator at Pentagon City Metro

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County fire truck(Updated at 6:05 p.m.) A large fire department response is arriving at the Pentagon City Metro station for a report of an arcing insulator near the station.

The electrical issue on the tracks was reported by a train operator. A rider said via Twitter that there was a haze and a smell of smoke at the station, which was reportedly being evacuated.

Blue and Yellow line service through Pentagon City is currently suspended. Commuters should expect traffic impacts near the station due to the emergency response.

Arriving firefighters are being told that the insulator is still smoking and that power is being shut down to one of the tracks, according to scanner traffic.

Update at 6:10 p.m. — The “situation has been mitigated,” according to scanner traffic, and fire department units are being placed back in service. Metro riders should expect residual delays and perhaps single tracking once service resumes.

BREAKING: Road Closed After Pedestrians Struck by Car in Tara-Leeway Heights

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Update on 12/14/16 — The driver of the car was cited for failure to yield, said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage. The victims’ injuries are reported to be non-life-threatening.

“Mother and child struck were walking in the crosswalk,” Savage said, describing the circumstances of the crash. “[The] vehicle driver reported not seeing the pedestrians.”

Earlier: Washington Blvd is currently closed at N. Inglewood Street due to a pedestrian-involved crash.

Initial reports suggest a 40-year-old woman and a child were struck by a car near the intersection, in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood, just after 6:15 p.m. A caller heard the sound of the crash, saw the woman lying in the street, and called 911, according to scanner traffic.

The woman was reported to have a leg injury and was bleeding from the head, while the child was found sitting on the sidewalk. Both were alert and conscious, but the exact extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.

The woman and the child were transported via ambulance to Inova Fairfax Hospital. That’s despite the crash happening not far from Virginia Hospital Center, which is considered less equipped to handle serious trauma patients.

Police remain on scene investigating the crash.There is a crosswalk at the intersection, but it’s unclear where the victims were struck.

Traffic is being diverted at N. Harrison Street and at Patrick Henry Drive.

Image via Google Maps

BREAKING: Cops Chase Stolen D.C. Police Car Down I-395 in Rush Hour Traffic

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 6:10 p.m.) D.C. police and Virginia State Police chased a stolen D.C. Housing Authority Police car down I-395 in heavy rush hour traffic Tuesday night.

Initial reports suggest a woman wanted for crack cocaine-related drug charges stole the police car in D.C. and then drove it onto I-395 in the direction of Virginia. The chase entered Arlington via the 14th Street Bridge around 5:30 p.m.

Arlington County Police did not engage in the pursuit, per department rules, according to scanner traffic.

A police helicopter was overhead, shining a spotlight down on the stolen car, as it continued to slowly make its way down traffic-clogged I-395. At least one multi-vehicle crash, near Washington Blvd, was reported during the pursuit.

Ultimately the suspect took the King Street exit into the City of Alexandria — going the wrong-way down the ramp, according to scanner traffic — and was boxed in by police.

The woman, who was reported to be pregnant, was quickly taken into custody. She was evaluated by medics for possible injuries.

Drivers should expect road and ramp closures on King Street at I-395. Numerous emergency vehicles remain on the scene as of 6:10 p.m.

Update at 3:10 p.m. — From an updated Virginia State Police statement:

The Virginia State Police have charged Jessica M. Pierce, 26, of Stafford, Va., with one felony count of eluding police, one felony count of unauthorized use of a vehicle, one felony count of grand larceny, reckless driving and one misdemeanor count of giving false identification to law enforcement. The charges resulted from Pierce’s crash in the City of Alexandria.

Virginia State Police were assisting the Metropolitan-DC Police Department with a pursuit that entered Virginia on Interstate 395, when the suspect vehicle – a Ford Explorer – crashed in Alexandria Tuesday evening (Dec. 13). At approximately 5:35 p.m., as the Ford Explorer was taking the ramp from westbound King Street to northbound I-395, the Explorer rammed a marked Metro PD police cruiser involved in the pursuit. The Metro PD officer was then able to pin the suspect vehicle against the Jersey wall.

The suspect driver, Pierce, was taken into custody without further incident and transported to Fairfax Inova Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

No police officers were injured in the crash. No other vehicles were involved in this crash.

The Virginia State Police is investigating the crash.

The Ford Explorer belonged to the DC Housing Authority Police Department.

UPDATED: Woman Struck By Car in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
1/3

An elderly woman has been struck by a vehicle at the intersection of 23rd Street S. and S. Fern Street.

The incident was reported just after 5 p.m.

Police arriving on scene said the woman was conscious, alert and talking to emergency responders, but was bleeding from the head. She is being transported to a local hospital via ambulance.

A traffic camera showed the woman lying in the street near the curb in front of Tortoise & Hare restaurant.

Westbound S. Fern Street is currently closed to traffic at S. Eads Street.

Update at 8:15 p.m. — The woman’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. S. Fern Street reopened to traffic shortly after 6 p.m.

BREAKING: Teen Struck By SUV Near Washington-Lee High School

By ARLnow.com
1/7

(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) A 17-year-old girl was struck by an SUV on Washington Blvd in front of Washington-Lee High School this morning.

The incident was first reported to 911 around 9:30 a.m. as a pedestrian lying in the middle of the street, mid-block, near the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Stafford Street. It was soon learned that the girl had been struck by a vehicle while crossing the street.

The girl suffered leg and facial injuries that were considered serious but not life-threatening, according to scanner traffic. She was covered in a thermal bag to keep her warm before she was loaded into an ambulance and transported to a local hospital.

Washington Blvd was blocked in both directions between N. Stafford and Randolph streets as a result of the emergency response.

No word yet on the exact circumstances of the crash nor whether any charges will be filed against the driver.

The stretch of Washington Blvd between N. Quincy Street and Glebe Road in Ballston has been a focus of pedestrian safety enforcement by Arlington County Police this year after a serious pedestrian collision involving a teen and a driver in April. Some pedestrians have said cars often do not stop for them along the four-lane road, even in crosswalks.

BREAKING: Three Arrested After Police Chase Ends on I-395

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) The northbound lanes of I-395 are partially blocked just past Glebe Road, approaching the Pentagon, after a police chase ended in the middle of the highway.

Initial reports suggest the car was being chased for an assault on law enforcement, possibly as a result of the car ramming a Fairfax County Police cruiser.

Fairfax County Police and Virginia State Police officers chased the car up I-395 until it reportedly lost control and was boxed in by several police cruisers. The chase ended around 12:25 p.m. Arlington County officers trailed the chase and helped to assist with traffic control, according to scanner traffic.

Three occupants of the car were instructed to come out with their hands up, and were arrested at police gunpoint without further incident. No word yet on what charges they may face.

As of 12:35 p.m., one lane of northbound I-395 had reopened to traffic after being completely blocked for a short time.

Update at 11:30 p.m. — The chase started when officers tried to pull over the car in connection to a theft from a department store in Tysons Corner, according to Fairfax County Police.

From FCPD:

Around 11:40 a.m. today (Tuesday, December 6), the Tysons Urban Team (TUT) team was investigating a larceny case at a department store in Tysons Corner Center. The suspects fled in a car. Officers located it nearby and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver did not stop and a pursuit was initiated. The pursuit traveled out of Fairfax County. Virginia State Police and Arlington County Police assisted us.The pursuit ended along I-395 and Washington Street. Initial information determined three people were taken into custody.

BREAKING: House Fire in Penrose

By ARLnow.com
1/30

(Updated at 9:25 a.m.) Firefighters from Arlington County and surrounding jurisdictions battled a house fire in the Penrose neighborhood this morning.

The two-alarm fire broke out in the basement of a home at the corner of S. Fillmore Street and 1st Road S. shortly before 8:30 a.m. The fire spread, prompting firefighting efforts in the attic as well as in the basement.

Just after 8:50 a.m., it was announced that the fire had been extinguished, though some light smoke was still coming from the home’s windows.

No injuries were reported. The home’s owner could be seen talking to fire investigators.

S. Fillmore Street, a commuter route, remained shut down between 2nd Street S. and Route 50 as of 9:25 a.m., as emergency vehicles remained parked across the road. Via its Twitter account, the fire department warned drivers to expect delays in the area.

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