breaking news

BREAKING NEWS — Person Hit By Train At Clarendon Metro Station

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 6:30 p.m.) A person has been hit by a train at the Clarendon Metro Station.

Emergency vehicles have surrounded the station, shutting down N. Highland Street and partially blocking Clarendon and Wilson Boulevards. Public access to the station has been cut off.

Technical rescue crews from the fire department and from Metro managed to free the victim, who was reported to be trapped under the train. The victim has been rushed to a local hospital via ambulance.

Riders on the striking train were not able to exit the train until 6:15 p.m., almost 75 minutes after the victim was struck. A woman who had a minor medical emergency while on the striking train was earlier taken to an ambulance via stretcher. The remaining passengers are now walking out of the station. Many are heading on foot to their destinations further up the Orange Line.

Firefighters were preparing to distribute water to those passengers at the end of the platform, according to riders. While the air in the trains was described as hot and stale, riders we spoke to said no one panicked.

“It was very cordial,” one man said.

Metro riders have reported significant delays throughout the Orange Line. Shuttle service has been requested between Rosslyn and Ballston, according to Metro. Very crowded conditions have been reported at the Rosslyn Metro station. Arlington County police have responded to the station to assist passengers, according to department spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal.

Arlington County says the Clarendon station may remain closed for “several hours.”

Update at 7:20 p.m. — Orange Line trains are now running on both tracks through the Clarendon Metro station, according to WMATA.

Update at 7:35 p.m. — Roads near the station have reopened.

Update at 8:25 p.m. — The following photos were taken shortly after emergency responders arrived at the station.

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BREAKING NEWS — Pedestrian Dead After I-395 Accident

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 7:20 p.m.) A pedestrian was struck and killed on northbound I-395 near Glebe Road this afternoon, according to Virginia State Police.

The fatal accident happened just after 4:00 p.m. Police say a man had crossed all southbound and HOV lanes of I-395, and was in the midst of crossing the northbound lanes when he was struck.

The victim, identified by police as 64-year-old Arlington resident Fekadu Ledi, was hit by a car in the far right lane. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

All lanes have reopened at the accident scene. The accident caused significant rush hour delays on I-395 and Glebe Road, as police shut down all but one northbound lane of I-395, as well as a heavily-traveled ramp from Glebe Road.

Head of Signature Collection Firm Pleads Guilty

By ARLnow.com

A political strategist whose firm was hired to help a ballot initiative in Arlington has pleaded guilty to two counts of election fraud.

Shawn D. Wilmoth was the president of Signature Masters, the company paid to collect signatures for the 2010 petition drive that sought to change Arlington County’s form of government. The initiative, which failed due to an insufficient number of valid signatures, was sponsored by Arlington’s police and fire unions and supported by the local Republican and Green parties.

Wilmoth was arrested this past April in Michigan and accused of instructing employees to fraudulently sign petition pages. He was extradited to Arlington in May and has been held without bond since. Today, Wilmoth pleaded guilty. A statement of facts entered as part of the plea reveals that Wilmoth hired two ex-cons, who were ineligible to collect petition signatures under state law, and asked them to not only collect signatures but to sign as a witness on dozens of petition sheets filled with signatures they did not collect.

As part of the plea deal, Wilmoth was given two concurrent 5 year sentences, with 4 years and 8 months suspended on the condition of good behavior and repayment of court and extradition costs, according to Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Andy Parker. Wilmoth was also sentenced to 3 years of supervised probation. Parker said he would likely be released from jail today after being credited with time served.

The two ex-cons hired by Wilmoth, Cheryl Simmons and William Cockerham, both pleaded guilty to voter fraud earlier this year.

BREAKING NEWS — House Fire on Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Update at 4:20 p.m. — Due to some miscommunication, police are apparently scrapping plans to open up one lane in each direction, and will only be opening the southbound lanes for now. They hope to reopen the northbound lanes of Glebe Road near the fire scene around 5:00 p.m.

Update at 3:55 p.m.— The fire is out and most emergency responders are clearing from the scene.

South Glebe Road is being shut down just east of Arlington Ridge Road due to a house fire.

Arlington and Alexandria firefighters are on the scene of the fire, on the 3200 block of S. Glebe Road. The lone occupant of the house reportedly made it out safely.

Drivers should expect significant traffic issues in the area.

One of the fire department units responding to the fire was involved in an accident at the intersection of S. Glebe Road and West Glebe Road.

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BREAKING NEWS — Earthquake Hits D.C. Area

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:00 p.m.) A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has hit the D.C. area.

Reports of the ground shaking came in from throughout the county, the region and the eastern seaboard. The epicenter of the quake was located between Charlottesville and Richmond, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

“Be advised, we just suffered an earthquake,” Arlington County 911 dispatch said over police and fire radio channels, just after the quake hit at 1:51 p.m. So far, no major damage or significant injuries have been reported in Arlington.

Multiple reports of building evacuations throughout the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor led police to caution about pedestrians in the roadway. Vornado has made the decision to close all its building in Arlington, including the county’s office building at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, according to Arlington County spokeswoman Mary Curtius. The building is staying open for election workers.

Numerous gas leaks are being reported. More than 250 Dominion customers in Arlington are without power as of 5:00 p.m.

The Arlington Emergency Operations Center has been activated, Curtius said. Traffic is heavy on I-66 and I-395 in Arlington as workers head home for the day.

The county’s 911 center was “flooded with calls” after the earthquake, Curtius said. Most of the calls were anxiety related, and no injuries directly related to the earthquake have been reported. Additional emergency personnel were called in and 911 calls are dying down now, Curtius added.

There are reports of minor damage to parts of old buildings, like brick chimneys, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. She said the Arlington County courthouse and police department were evacuated while the Fire Marshal checked out gas lines to the building. During the evacuation, many emergency personnel were standing outside the police station on 14th Street with radios in hand.

Firefighters are checking for damage to overpasses. All flights out of Reagan National Airport were suspended while runways are checked for damage, officials said. Flights are now operating, but with delays. As of 2:45 p.m., Terminal A of Reagan National was being evacuated due to an odor of gas. Terminal B and C are still open.

The Pentagon was also evacuated after the quake, according to news reports. NBC News is reporting that several water pipes burst in the building, flooding the floor below.

Arlington Public Library says that books fell off shelves, and multiple residents have told us about small items falling on the ground during the temblor.

According to county election officials, today’s voting will continue as normal, with polls closing at 7:00 p.m. All voting centers are open, but voting has been moved outside at the George Mason University center.

Cell phone service was jammed shortly after the quake as residents called loved ones. Service is back up but spotty, according to various accounts on Twitter.

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BREAKING NEWS — Arlington PD Arrests Suspected Bank Robber

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:20 a.m.) Arlington County Police have arrested a man suspected of robbing up to six banks in Arlington this summer.

D.C. resident Peter Cifala, 57, was arrested on Friday and charged with one count of bank robbery.

“Though the suspect is charged with one robbery at this time, the robbery is believed to be related to a series of five other bank robberies that occurred over the past three months in Arlington County,” police said in a statement.

Authorities say Cifala was nabbed thanks to tips and increasingly detailed surveillance images.

“The pictures got progressively better,” police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal said. “The investigation was greatly assisted by citizens who called the police department with tips, and a tip from the Arlington County Sheriff’s Department”

“We’re happy,” Nosal added. “[The arrest] is going to be reassuring for bank employees and people who go into banks.”

Cifala was apprehended with the help of the Northern Virginia Violent Crimes Task Force, police said. He’s currently being held in the Arlington County Detention Center.

Cifala has a long rap sheet that includes more than 20 criminal convictions in Virginia, including nine separate grand larceny, attempted larceny and petit larceny charges in Arlington between 1991 and 2002.

Update at 1:45 p.m. — We’re told that a sheriff’s deputy in the Arlington County Detention Center’s booking room recognized the most recent surveillance photo of Cifala.

Bike Accident Involving Police Car Along Custis Trail

By ARLnow.com

A bicyclist struck an Arlington County police cruiser on Lee Highway this afternoon as the cruiser was responding to a bicyclist struck by a car a couple of blocks away.

The cyclist was heading downhill on the Custis Trail, toward Rosslyn, at the time of the accident. He struck the front bumper of the police cruiser as it was entering westbound Lee Highway from N. Oak Street, tumbled to the ground and suffered a bloody head wound. The wound was said to be superficial and the cyclist was conscious when medics arrived to treat him.

There is a painted stop sign on the trail just before the intersection.

It’s unclear if the cyclist was wearing a helmet at the time, but none was spotted near the scene. He was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

The police officer involved in the accident was responding to a bicyclist who was reported struck by a car at Lee Highway and N. Quinn Street, also along the Custis Trail. The cyclist in that accident reportedly only suffered minor injuries.

BB&T Bank Robbed in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) Police are investigating yet another bank robbery in Arlington.

The BB&T Bank branch at 3001 N. Washington Blvd in Clarendon was robbed this afternoon by a man described as an older white male. The suspect fled on foot after the robbery.

The man is thought to be the same serial bank robber who’s suspected in four other bank robberies in Arlington this summer, including a robbery of the same Clarendon BB&T bank branch in June.

This is the eighth bank robbery in Arlington this summer. The last robbery happened on Aug. 9 on Lee Highway.

Update on 8/17/11 — See surveillance images of the suspect here.

Man Arrested After Brazen ATM Robbery in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) A man has been arrested after a brazen daytime robbery attempt just outside the county government building in Courthouse.

The crime was called into police around 1:10 p.m. Initial reports suggest the man put a female victim in a choke hold after she entered her PIN number into the Arlington County Federal Credit Union ATM in Courthouse Plaza, just steps from the main entrance of the county government building and across the street from the Arlington County Police headquarters.

The woman reportedly ran away while the man attempted to use her ATM account. It’s unclear whether he withdrew money from the machine.

Several people then started chasing the suspect into the residential Lyon Village area, just north of Courthouse, according to police radio traffic and a witness. Police eventually took over the chase and arrested the man in a yard just near Key Elementary school.

One of the people who initially helped to chase the suspect was an employee in the county’s Commissioner of Revenue office, according to county spokeswoman Mary Curtius. The employee heard the victim scream and then gave chase, Curtius said.

UPDATED: Bank Robbery Reported on Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:00 p.m.) Police are investigating a robbery at the United Bank at 5335 Lee Highway.

The bank was robbed just before 2:15 this afternoon. The suspect is being described as a 5’9″ white male, possibly of “Hispanic or Middle Eastern background,” about 50 years of age. The suspect implied, but did not display a weapon.

Armed police officers surrounded the bank for a few tense minutes while they awaited word on whether the suspect was still inside the bank. As it turns out, the suspect fled on foot before police arrived on scene.

The bank is located at the corner of Lee Highway and N. Harrison Street, next to a Harris Teeter supermarket and two blocks from a BB&T bank that has been robbed twice this summer. This is the seventh bank robbery in Arlington since the beginning of June.

Arlington Police issued the following statement about the robbery this afternoon.

ARLINGTON, VA. – The Arlington County Police Department’s Robbery Unit is seeking the public’s help to identify a man who robbed an Arlington bank this afternoon.

The suspect entered the United Bank in the 5300 block of Lee Highway at approximately 2:10 p.m. on Tuesday, August 9, 2011. He implied that he had a weapon and demanded money. After receiving cash, the suspect fled on foot.

The suspect is described as a white male, possibly of Hispanic or Middle Eastern background, brown hair, approximately 50 years old and 5’9” with a thin build. At the time of the robbery he wore a dark striped polo shirt, khaki pants, a light colored “driving” hat and sunglasses.

Anyone who has information about this robbery or the identity of the suspect is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703 228-4242, or Detective Donald Fortunato at (703) 228-4197. Det. Fortunato can also be reached by email at [email protected].

Collapse at Construction Site Threatens Nearby Apartments

By ARLnow.com

Update at 1:35 p.m. — See this post for the latest on the road closures surrounding the site.

Roads are closed in Rosslyn after a retaining wall partially collapsed at a construction site on the 1500 block of Clarendon

A large retaining wall at the Sedona and Slate apartment construction site gave way following this evening’s heavy rains, allowing earth and debris to spill into the construction pit. The collapse raised fears of an even bigger structural collapse.

Clarendon Boulevard will be closed between Pierce Street and Oak Street “for the foreseeable future,” according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Lt. Gregg Karl. Parts of Ode Street and several other roads in the area are also closed.

The Swansen Apartments, at 1625 N. Ode Street, has been evacuated while structural engineers determine whether the building is in danger of collapsing as a result of the failed retaining wall. The building sits on the edge of the landslide that occurred after the wall collapse.

Residents of the Swansen Apartments, who spoke to ARLnow.com on the condition of anonymity, said that they’ve noticed widening cracks in the building’s basement and in the pavement of the parking lot adjacent to the building within the past two weeks. The residents said they recently saw workers measuring the cracks.

About 10 apartment residents have been displaced and will be placed in temporary housing, Karl said. He said other residents found alternate housing on their own. Between 20 and 35 people live in the building, according to resident and fire department estimates.

As of 11:00 p.m., Clark Construction, the primary contractor on the Sedona and Slate project, had around a dozen employees on scene assessing the situation. Arlington County engineers were also on scene, Karl said. The Red Cross arrived to assist displaced residents, and the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department arrived to provide food and drink to emergency workers.

So far, there has been no indication that there’s any danger to a large construction crane at the site.

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