(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) Arlington County and Alexandria firefighters are battling a small fire in a warehouse near Shirlington.
Initial reports suggest that a fire started in an area of the warehouse used for painting and then spread to the roof. One person was treated by medics for burns to his or her hands.
A rapid fire response task force was dispatched to the scene, in addition to a hazmat unit for a reported paint or chemical spill. Photos show signs for the party rental business DC Rental in the area of the warehouse where firefighters are operating.
The warehouse, at 2615 S. Shirlington Road, is located near I-395 in the Nauck neighborhood. Drivers should expect lane closures near the scene on S. Shirlington Road.
As of 2:30 p.m., the fire was reported out and firefighters were ventilating the building.
Update at 5:15 p.m. — Residents of the Avalon Clarendon apartments at Market Common Clarendon are being told they should consider booking a hotel room, as power for two of the three buildings is not expected to be restored until Wednesday. Management sent the following email to residents Tuesday evening.
Dear Residents,
While we are still awaiting additional details from Dominion Virginia Power on the full repairs, please know that we are actively working on a temporary solution. Our third party contractor is currently making every effort to get temporary power to the East and West buildings. They are working to get generators here tonight; however the connection process will take into tomorrow to complete. Please note that temporary power does not include elevators, hot water or A/C.
We recommend each resident to make the best decision for their own comfortability as far as staying in your home or searching for a hotel. While many hotels are booked, we have found 3 that may still have availability.
Hilton Arlington 703-538-6000
Hilton Garden Inn DC 202-783-7800
Hilton Garden Inn Shirlington 703-820-0440
We will have associates monitoring the stairwells and doors throughout the evening, available to escort residents up the stairs to their apartments, as well as our Concierge on duty at the Front Desk.
We will send additional updates as we receive them. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work through this.
Thank you,
Avalon Clarendon Team
Avalon Clarendon
2800 ClarendonBlvd. | Arlington, VA 22201
Update at 10:50 a.m. — The fire is contained, ACFD says. A number of road closures remain in the Clarendon area due to the emergency response and power outage.
Update at 10:20 a.m. — The fire is out and was contained to an electrical vault, according to Arlington County Fire Dept. spokesman Capt. Gregg Karl. No injuries have been reported. Power is being restored to parts of Clarendon (it was just restored to Le Pain Quotidien, pictured above, two blocks away) but the shopping center is expected to remain without power for an extended period of time.
Update at 10 a.m. — The smoke has largely dissipated as foam continues to be used to extinguish the flames. Another tanker unit is en route from Dulles International Airport, according to scanner traffic. According to Dominion, 933 customers in the area are currently without power.
Update at 9:40 a.m. — A foam tanker truck from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority fire department is attempting to extinguish the flames. Power is out to much of the Clarendon area.
Firefighters are battling a large fire at the Market Common Clarendon shopping center at 2800 Clarendon Blvd.
A “large electrical transformer has exploded and is on fire in the basement,” according to the Arlington firefighters union Twitter account. A second alarm has been sounded as the fire has grown.
A large, multi-jurisdiction fire response is on scene. Thick black smoke can be seen rising from the shopping center from miles around.
Stores at the shopping center include Crate and Barrel, Barnes and Noble and an Apple Store that’s currently closed for renovations.
Libby Garvey victory party at Rincome Thai Cuisine on Columbia Pike
Libby Garvey victory party at Rincome Thai Cuisine on Columbia Pike
Libby Garvey victory party at Rincome Thai Cuisine on Columbia Pike
Libby Garvey victory party at Rincome Thai Cuisine on Columbia Pike
(Updated at 10:25 p.m.) Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey has won the Democratic County Board nomination, despite a tough challenge from within the party.
With all precincts reporting, Garvey had 55 percent of the vote to 45 percent over challenger Erik Gutshall. The final vote tally was 8,362 to 6,878.
Today’s County Board primary featured typically low turnout for a local race — 11 percent of registered voters — although it was notably higher than last year’s primary turnout of 8 percent.
Voters who spoke to ARLnow.com outside the polls today said they admired Garvey’s willingness to go against “establishment” Democratic orthodoxy. It was Garvey’s fight against the Columbia Pike streetcar project and her endorsement of independent John Vihstadt over a Democratic candidate in the 2014 County Board race that was perhaps the biggest impetus for a primary challenge.
During the race, Gutshall — a small business owner and member of the Arlington Planning Commission member — criticized Garvey’s leadership, Democratic bonafides and her supposed lack of effective long-term planning.
Gutshall amassed a long list of endorsements from current and former Democratic elected officials, including state Sen. Adam Ebbin, Dels. Alfonso Lopez and Rip Sullivan, County Board member Jay Fisette and former Board members Mary Hynes, Walter Tejada and Chris Zimmerman.
Fisette was among those who stopped by Garvey’s victory party at a Columbia Pike restaurant Tuesday night.
“It’s a really high bar to run against an incumbent,” Fisette told ARLnow.com, citing Garvey’s name recognition from nearly two decades as an elected official. “I couldn’t be prouder of [Erik] as a candidate. I have great respect for him and I think he ran a great campaign.”
Fisette said he expects the Board to continue to work well together. In a press release, Arlington Democrats were quick to unify, with Gutshall endorsing Garvey.
“Tonight I endorse Libby Garvey for County Board and look forward to voting for her in November,” said Gutshall. “Now that the primary is over, it’s important that we come together as Democrats to ensure we keep Arlington blue, from the White House to the School House.”
“Libby Garvey is already a consensus building Chair of the County Board and we are honored to have her as our nominee,” said Arlington County Democratic Committee (ACDC) Chair Kip Malinosky.
Among those in attendance at Garvey’s victory party were Vihstadt, Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos, Arlington Treasurer Carla de la Pava, former School Board member Abby Raphael and former ACDC Chair Peter Rousselot.
Going precinct-by-precinct, Gutshall’s strongest support was along the Columbia Pike corridor and the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.
All precincts in- Garvey (winner) precincts in green, Gutshall precincts in blue: pic.twitter.com/2QpdkjeERG
— (((Ben Tribbett))) (@notlarrysabato) June 15, 2016
“I worked the entire county [but] there’s only so much I could do,” Garvey said of the Columbia Pike vote. “I’m going to continue to serve the entire county and in four years I hope to have everyone’s vote.”
“This is about all of us… diversity is our strength,” she said. In a statement, Garvey said she looks forward to continuing her work on the Board as a Democrat.
“I am proud to go on to November to represent you as the Democratic nominee for County Board. I have based my campaign, as I have my service, on my idea that Arlington is a great community, but we have the potential to be even better. It means working together to support each other in friendship, knowing that together we can achieve so much.”
Garvey will face independent candidate Audrey Clement in November’s general election.
(Updated on June 15) Arlington County Police area responding to a reported bank robbery in the county’s East Falls Church neighborhood.
The robbery occurred around 3 p.m. at the BB&T Bank branch at 6745 Lee Highway.
Initial reports suggest a man passed a note to a teller and demanded cash. The suspect fled on foot, empty-handed, after the teller refused the note, police said.
The suspect is described as a tall black male in his 20s, wearing a gray hoodie, sunglasses, gloves and a fake beard. No weapon was seen during the robbery.
The FBI said Wednesday that this robbery attempt was likely connected to a bank robbery in Rockville two weeks ago. Montgomery County Police released the following surveillance video from that robbery.
(Updated at 2:15 p.m.) Arlington County firefighters rescued a man who fell into a trench just in front of Fire Station No. 4 in Clarendon this afternoon.
The incident happened around 1:30 p.m., in the middle of 10th Street N., where utility work associated with an apartment construction project appears to be underway.
A man — reported to be a construction worker — fell 8 feet into a trench in the street, according to scanner traffic. An ACFD technical rescue team extricated him from the trench. He was transported via ambulance to George Washington University Hospital.
Portions of 10th Street N. were closed during the rescue. Lane closures are still in place for the construction activity.
Arlington County Police are on scene of a shooting on Columbia Pike.
Numerous shots were fired near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Monroe Street. One man was shot in the leg and has been transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
A resident who lives across the street from the shooting said she hear about 10 gunshots and then came outside to see the victim on the ground in front of the Burger King, screaming.
Police were initially dispatched to the scene for a report of several men threatening the owner of an automotive business on S. Monroe Street, near the Burger King.
Three suspects fled the area in a gray Dodge Charger, according to scanner traffic. Police chased that car northbound on I-395, but the suspects were able to outrun officers, who lost sight of the car before entering the District.
Columbia Pike is closed between S. Glebe Road and S. Quincy Street while police investigate, document the scene and interview several witnesses.
A Metro train got stuck in the Potomac River tunnel outside of the Rosslyn station this afternoon, leading to delays and a paramedic dispatch.
Metro evacuated passengers to the front of the disabled train — then through another train — and into the station, a video (below) shows. Metro requested that an Arlington County medic unit respond to the station as a precaution.
Orange, Blue and Silver line trains were single-tracking through station as a result of the incident. Passengers should expect significant delays.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Hector Olivera has been arrested and charged with assault and battery after a dispute with a woman at the team hotel in Pentagon City allegedly became physical.
The incident happened just before 7 a.m. today at the Ritz-Carlton at 1250 S. Hayes Street, next to Pentagon City mall.
Police say they were called to the hotel for a report of a woman having a dispute with a man. After they arrived officers found a woman with visible bruises, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
The woman was transported to Virginia Hospital Center for evaluation. Olivera, who is in town with the team for a series against the Washington Nationals, was taken into custody.
Late this afternoon Olivera went before an Arlington magistrate and was charged with assault and battery. His bond was set at $10,000.
Per standard Major League Baseball policy, Olivera has been placed on administrative leave, various outlets reported. Rosslyn-based WJLA first reported the story.
Here’s the statement from ACPD:
On April 13, 2016, at approximately 6:51 a.m., police responded to a dispute at the Ritz Carlton located in 1200 block of S. Hayes Street. A female victim alleged that a male suspect assaulted her. The female victim had visible bruising and was transported to Virginia Hospital Center with non-life threatening injuries. The male suspect remained on scene and was taken into custody. Hector Olivera, 31, of Miami, FL, was charged with assault and battery and bond was set at $10,000.
(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) A 17-year-old has been charged with murder following a fatal stabbing Friday night.
Police say the teen is a “relative” of the victim, and that the stabbing “resulted from a domestic incident that took place in a residence in the 3600 block of 3rd Street S.”
The deceased victim was identified as 46-year-old Arlington resident Dennis Adams. This was Arlington County’s first homicide of 2016.
From an ACPD press release:
On April 1, 2016 shortly after 8:00 p.m., Arlington County Police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of S. Glebe Road for an assault with injuries. Arriving officers located one juvenile male suffering from minor injuries. A police unit responding to the scene was flagged down by medics at the intersection of S. Glebe Road and 3rd Street S. where a second male victim suffering from numerous stab wounds was located. The second victim, Dennis Adams, 46, of Arlington VA was transported to George Washington University Hospital Trauma Center where he was pronounced deceased.
The juvenile male was able to provide police with a detailed account of the events that occurred on April 1. Through the course of the investigation, detectives uncovered a number of inconsistencies in the juvenile’s account of these events and other evidence that lead them to believe his account was fabricated.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit has determined that this stabbing resulted from a domestic incident that took place in a residence in the 3600 block of 3rd Street S. Detectives have charged a 17-year-old relative of the victim with murder and stabbing while committing a felony.
Anyone with information about this incident and/or who may have observed anything suspicious in the area is asked to contact Detective S. Bertollini of the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4243 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
(Updated at 11:35 p.m.) A woman was struck and pinned under a Metrobus in Crystal City tonight.
The incident happened just before 10:30 p.m. at the intersection of 15th Street S. and Eads Street.
Firefighters used heavy rescue equipment to raise the bus enough to free the woman. She transported via ambulance to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital. Her injuries are described as non-life-threatening, authorities said.
Police are still on scene investigating the incident.
#ACFD on scene of a pedestrian struck and pinned under a bus. S. Eads at S. 15th St. Technical Rescue Team dispatched.
