breaking news

BREAKING NEWS — Rollover Accident on Route 50

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:55 a.m.) Police and firefighters are on the scene of a two vehicle rollover accident on Route 50 near Park Drive.

The initial police investigation indicates that the driver of an SUV suffered a medical emergency and collided head-on with a Saab while going the wrong way on Route 50, according to Arlington County police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The SUV flipped on its side as a result of the accident, and the female driver had to be extricated by firefighters. She was taken via ambulance to a local hospital.

The driver of the Saab appears to have suffered only bumps and bruises.

All lanes of Route 50 are expected to be back open by 11:00 a.m.

1/9

Multi-Vehicle Accident on Wilson Boulevard

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) A multi-vehicle accident has closed a stretch of Wilson Boulevard near Clarendon.

One of the vehicles involved  — witnesses say it was a D.C. taxi cab — lost control while driving toward Clarendon on Wilson Boulevard. The vehicle slammed into a car just outside Arlington Autocare, causing one of the store’s windows to break. It continued through the intersection, took out a traffic light control box, smashed several cars in an auto dealership lot, and slammed into the side of the Doctor’s Building before coming to rest.

At least one person was transported to a local hospital. Initial reports suggest the accident may have happened when the cab driver suffered some sort of medical emergency.

The stretch of Wilson Boulevard between 10th Street and Washington Boulevard is currently closed. Traffic signals at the Wilson Boulevard and 10th Street N. intersection are expected to remain dark for at least several hours while crews work to install a new traffic control box. Police have set up cones in the intersection to allow traffic to flow through, without turning.

A man who was boarding up one of the windows at Arlington Autocare said there were customers inside the store at the time of the accident. According to the man’s account, the cab hit a car in front of the store which was then pushed into the store’s window, breaking it. Had that second car not been there, the man said, the cab may have plowed right into the store, injuring those inside.

1/9

BREAKING NEWS — FBI Investigation in Douglas Park

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agents are conducting a terrorism investigation at a house in Douglas Park.

The FBI, NCIS and Arlington County Police are on the scene on the 1600 block of S. Randolph Street. Earlier, agents could be seen talking to two men outside the home, where the FBI says it was executing a search warrant.

The FBI now seems to be focusing their search on a shed behind the house. Agents wearing latex gloves and face masks have removed dozens of shoe boxes from the shed and piled them in the backyard. Agents have also put up a blue tarp to help shield their investigation from the dozen or so TV, radio and newspaper reporters camped at the corner of S. Randolph Street and 16th Street.

ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck confirms this is an “offshoot” related to today’s arrest of a Moroccan man by the FBI. The man, identified as 29-year-old Amine El Khalifi, planned on conducting a suicide attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to federal prosecutors. El Khalifi was living in Alexandria but was in the country illegally, prosecutors say.

(See the full U.S. Department of Justice press release, after the jump.)

The home raided by federal agents today has been owned by the same man and woman since 1997, according to Arlington County property records.

A longtime family friend who only identified himself as “Fred” was visiting and said he doesn’t know why the FBI would be interested in the couple. He said they have grown children as well as grandchildren, and live a quiet life at home.

“I don’t understand,” he said. “They’re good people.”

Though it doesn’t specify the address of the house in question, a federal court affidavit mentions a “residence in Arlington, Va.” as a place where El Khalifi allegedly discussed terrorism activity. From the Justice Department press release:

According to the criminal complaint affidavit, in January 2011, a confidential human source reported to the FBI that El Khalifi met with other individuals at a residence in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 11, 2011. During this meeting, one individual produced what appeared to be an AK-47, two revolvers and ammunition. El Khalifi allegedly expressed agreement with a statement by this individual that the “war on terrorism” was a “war on Muslims” and said that the group needed to be ready for war.

1/17

 
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BREAKING NEWS — Metrobus Hits Cyclist on Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

A bicyclist was struck by a Metrobus at the intersection of S. Glebe Road and Lang Street this morning.

The bus was traveling eastbound around 9:15 a.m. when it apparently struck the cyclist in or near the intersection. The cyclist suffered a head injury but was conscious when he was loaded into an ambulance and brought to the hospital.

Impact damage was visible on the Metrobus’ windshield.

Arlington County police and Metro personnel were taking photos and measurements of the scene following the accident. Traffic on S. Glebe Road was snarled as police blocked blocked one and periodically both lanes during the investigation.

1/9

Northbound GW Parkway Closed Following Crash

By ARLnow.com

The northbound lanes of the GW Parkway are closed between the Airport Access Road and Slaters Lane in Alexandria following a serious crash.

Around 10:30 a.m., a vehicle somehow lost control and entered the median strip between the southbound and northbound lanes, near Daingerfield Island. The lone occupant, an adult male, was ejected from the vehicle, according to U.S. Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser. The victim was flown by Park Police to a local trauma center with what are being described as “serious injuries.”

An accident reconstruction team is on the scene documenting the crash. The southbound lanes just reopened, but the northbound lanes are expected to remain closed for “a couple of hours,” according to Schlosser.

Traffic heading to Reagan National Airport from Alexandria is encouraged to use Route 1 as an alternate route.

 

BREAKING NEWS — Paramedic Falls into Four Mile Run From I-395

By ARLnow.com

 

Update at 7:30 p.m. on 2/9/12 — The victim, paramedic Joshua Weissman, has succumbed to his injuries.

(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) An Alexandria paramedic fell about 30 feet from I-395 into Four Mile Run while responding to a call near Shirlington tonight.

Just before 6:30 p.m. emergency crews were called to I-395 near Shirlington Circle for two separate incidents: a three-vehicle crash in the northbound lanes and a vehicle fire in the HOV lanes, according to Virginia State Police

An Alexandria paramedic responding to the call stopped in the northbound lanes, alongside the HOV lanes, in an effort to reach the burning vehicle. We’re told the paramedic somehow fell through a small gap between the guardrails, between the northbound lanes and the HOV lanes, and landed in the creek. The gap is visible in the photos above.

The medic has been identified by police as 33-year-old Joshua Weissman, a seven year veteran.

Rescuers from Arlington and Alexandria were able to reach Weissman and extricate him from the water. CPR was performed, according to fire radio traffic. He was taken downstream to S. Cleveland Street and then transported via ambulance to Washington Hospital Center with what Thiel described as critical injuries. Authorities initially wanted to airlift the Weissman to the hospital, but were not able to due to the rainy weather, we’re told.

The northbound HOV lanes of I-395 were shut down for an extended period of time during and after the incident. As of 10:30 p.m., three lanes of northbound I-395 remained closed and traffic before the scene was still heavy.

The vehicle fire, meanwhile severely snarled traffic on southbound I-395 during the latter part of the evening rush hour. All HOV lanes were closed for at least a half hour during the fire response.

As of Thursday afternoon, Weissman was still in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Virginia State Police say they’re continuing to investigate the accident.

Photo (above, right) via Google Maps

1/9

Man Pleads Guilty to Firing Bullets at Pentagon

By ARLnow.com

The man accused of firing bullets at the Pentagon and other military installations in Northern Virginia pleaded guilty in federal court today.

Yonathan Melaku, 23, of Alexandria, pleaded guilty to three counts of: damaging government property, using a firearm during a crime, and attempted injury to veterans’ memorials. Prosecutors and defense attorneys have jointly asked for a 25-year sentence.

As part of the plea, Melaku admitted that on or around the early morning of Oct. 19, 2010 he fired multiple 9mm rounds at the Pentagon building. He also admitted to firing bullets at the National Museum of the Marine Corps (twice), a Marine Corps recruiting sub-station in Chantilly, and a U.S. Coast Guard recruiting office in Woodbridge. The shootings took place between Oct. 17, 2010 and Nov. 2, 2010.

Prosecutors say terrorism was the motive of the shootings. In a video, investigators say Melaku can be seen firing a handgun out of the passenger-side window of his car, then repeatedly shouting “Allahu Akbar.”

“Yonathan Melaku pled guilty to carrying out a calculated, destructive campaign to instill terror throughout our community,” U.S. Attorney MacBride said in a statement. “The video he filmed during one drive-by shooting is a chilling portrayal of his intent and the escalating danger he posed. Thanks to the FBI and their law enforcement partners, we were able to apprehend Mr. Melaku, develop the evidence that linked him to the shootings, and secure this conviction today.”

Melaku was arrested on June 17, 2011 after what’s being described as an unsuccessful attempt to vandalize the graves of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans at Arlington National Cemetery. At about 1:30 a.m., police spotted Melaku on the property of Ft. Myer. He attempted to flee, and dropped a backpack in the process.

Prosecutors say the backpack contained “numerous spent 9mm shell casings; four bags containing ammonium nitrate, and a spiral notebook with numerous Arabic statements referencing the Taliban, al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, ‘The Path to Jihad,’ as well as a list of several other individuals associated with foreign terrorist organizations.”

After he was taken into custody, Melaku admitted that he was trying to sneak into Arlington National Cemetery “to desecrate and injure the grave markers by spray-painting the markers with Arabic statements and by leaving the ammonium nitrate he was carrying at the sites of the grave markers.”

Later, prosecutors say, a list of parts for a bomb detonator was discovered in Melaku’s Alexandria home.

The FBI-led investigation received assistance from Arlington County Police, Virginia State Police, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, U.S. Park Police and other federal and local law enforcement agencies.

Glebe Road Closed Due to Gas Leak

By ARLnow.com

Update at 4:35 p.m. — The leak has been stopped. Police are reportedly preparing to reopen the southbound lanes of Glebe Road.

Update at 3:55 p.m. — From Arlington Alerts: “Both north and southbound Glebe Rd will be closed between N. Pershing Dr and N. Piedmont St through evening rush hour due to an outside gas leak. Please Avoid traveling in the area if possible.”

All lanes of Glebe Road are closed near N. Pershing Drive due to a gas main rupture.

Traffic is backed up in the area as police redirect traffic. Crews from Washington Gas are on the scene digging up part of Glebe Road in an effort to repair what’s said to be a 3 inch gas line.

Arlington County says Glebe Road is expected to remain closed for an “extended time” — possibly several more hours.

This is the second time this month that Glebe Road has been closed due to a gas leak. On Jan. 6 the busy commuter artery was closed for part of the evening rush hour after contruction crews accidentally ruptured a gas line at Glebe Road and N. Piedmont Street, two blocks away from today’s incident.

BREAKING NEWS — Gas Line Rupture Shuts Down Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Update at 8:00 p.m. — One lane of northbound Glebe Road opened around 6:00 p.m., according to Arlington Alerts.

Update at 5:00 p.m. — The gas leak has been stopped, firefighters are clearing the scene, and the southbound lanes of Glebe Road have been reopened. So far, northbound Glebe Road remains closed.

Update at 4:00 p.m. — Washington Gas has told firefighters that they have located the source of the gas leak and that it will be about another half hour until they can shut off the gas.

All lanes of Glebe Road have been shut down between Route 50 and N. Pershing Drive due to a gas line rupture.

Initial reports suggest that a major gas line was cut by a utility crew, necessitating extended road closures. Crews from Washington Gas are on the scene using digging equipment outside an apartment building at Glebe Road and N. Piedmont Street. The building has been evacuated and a strong odor of natural gas can be smelled a block away.

Police are on the scene directing traffic. Firefighters are monitoring gas levels in nearby storm drains and standing by with fire hoses in hand should something ignite the gas. Pedestrians, including school children walking home from school, aren’t being allowed on a two block portion of Glebe Road.

Drivers should plan for possible significant rush hour traffic impacts as a result of the closure.

1/12

BREAKING NEWS — Diener Murder Suspect Pleads Guilty

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) The man accused of stabbing Lyon Village resident Carl Diener to death has pleaded guilty.

Roger K. Clark III entered a guilty plea on first degree murder charges today, prosecutors said. Circuit Court Judge Joanne F. Alper accepted the plea this afternoon. A sentencing hearing is now scheduled for April 27.

Diener, a 57-year-old Lyon Village resident, was found lying dead on a Clarendon street early on the morning of Dec. 29, 2009. A dogged investigation finally resulted in the arrest of Clark and another man in June 2011.

The second suspect in the case was later released after charges against him were dropped.

Robbery Reported at PNC Bank in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Police are on the scene of a reported bank robbery at the Courthouse/Clarendon PNC Bank branch at 2601 Clarendon Boulevard.

Initial reports suggest that a man entered the bank, implied a weapon and demanded cash. He fled after taking the money and was last seen heading in the direction of the Clarendon Metro.

Police are currently searching for the man and interviewing witnesses at the bank.

Update at 2:45 p.m. — Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the robbery.

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