Body armor and guns recovered after arrest (via ACPD)
Police recovered body armor and multiple guns after an alert officer spotted a stolen vehicle near Columbia Pike.
It happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday, near the Dominion Plaza apartments on S. Courthouse Road.
Arlington County police say the officer “located a parked, unoccupied stolen vehicle,” then waited until three people returned to it. Two women were detained while a male suspect — who was wearing body armor — tried to run away, according to ACPD.
The suspect was taken into custody after a foot pursuit and officers subsequently found three guns, pepper spray, and possible drugs, police said. A photo of the haul, including the ballistic vest, was posted online today.
The 29-year-old suspect, a Manassas resident, is now facing an array of charges, including vehicle theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
STOLEN VEHICLE (Significant), 2024-01240218, S. Courthouse Road at 12th Street S. At approximately 5:01 p.m. on January 24, an officer conducting patrols in the area located a parked, unoccupied stolen vehicle. Three individuals returned to the vehicle, during which two female subjects were detained. The third individual, the male suspect, attempted to flee the scene on foot. Officers initiated a foot pursuit and took the suspect, who was wearing body armor, into custody. During the course of the investigation, officers recovered three firearms, a ballistic vest, suspected controlled substance, and pepper spray… [The suspect], 29 of Manassas, VA was arrested and charged with Possession of a Firearm by Felon (x3), Grand Larceny Motor Vehicle Theft, Receiving Stolen Firearm, Wearing Body Armor while Committing a Crime, Carry Concealed Firearm (x2) and Obstruction of Justice. The investigation is ongoing.
Yesterday, an investigation into a stolen vehicle resulted in the recovery of three firearms, a ballistic vest, suspected narcotics, and pepper spray. Another great example of our officers keeping our community safe!https://t.co/lwPo2xiUtmpic.twitter.com/d4ZOS1OMii
Local comedian, Rahmein Mostafavi, taps an iPad as if it’s a microphone (courtesy of Rahmein Mostafavi)
Comedians will again battle ChatGPT in an event at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Columbia Pike tomorrow (Thursday).
Local comedian Rahmein Mostafavi will host the interactive comedy show “Comedian vs. Machine” at the theater at 2903 Columbia Pike. He will be flanked by two other comedians helping him “carry the funny” — Baltimore comic Josh Kuderna and D.C.-based comic Becca DiLuzio.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. for a 7 p.m. show start time.
This won’t be Mostafavi’s first time battling artificial intelligence. He hosted a comedy show against ChatGPT last September — an experience that he says taught him “what segments worked best and more about how the technology needed to be used to maximize timeliness and efficiency.”
Mostafavi, while preparing for the show, shared with ARLnow that he believes comedians can use AI and other technology to their advantage.
“As comedians, we observe everything happening in the world. Politics. Society. Self,” said Mostafavi, “AI is a new entity we are all experiencing for the first time. So as comics, we will add our [point-of-view] about it in our jokes because it’s part of our reality, ironically.”
Although AI can write essays, email newsletters and generate images, Mostafavi says that for him, the new technology is just a “fun alternative” that will not change his approach to comedy.
And while there is a great deal of concern about how AI might replace artists, or at least steal their work, Mostafavi says he believes AI does not stand a chance against him and his comic entourage.
“Human experience is a must for top-level comedy,” said Mostafavi. “AI can write basic jokes but it will never be human.”
An SUV ran into a building on Columbia Pike early Saturday morning (photo courtesy anonymous)
An SUV ran into a building on Columbia Pike early Saturday morning (photo courtesy anonymous)
The driver of an SUV slammed into a building along Columbia Pike early Saturday morning.
It happened around 1:40 a.m. on the western end of the Pike in Arlington, near the massive “Pike” sculpture.
Video of the incident, posted by local public safety watcher Dave Statter, shows the SUV driving at a high speed down S. Jefferson Street before crashing into a commercial building at 5555 Columbia Pike.
No serious injuries were reported. So far, there’s no word on any charges against the driver.
Watch this: An SUV driver coming down the hill on S. Jefferson around 1:40 this morning went straight on Columbia Pike instead of turning. In its path was the two-story commercial building at 5555 Columbia Pike built in 1962. Despite ending up partially inside the building there… pic.twitter.com/LigwkPDwmu
Co-founders of The Pinball Basement, Fred Freimark (left) and Jason Good (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A new pinball arcade on Columbia Pike is putting a spin on the traditional pay-per-play arcade experience.
Nestled inside ACME Pie Company at 2803 Columbia Pike, The Pinball Basement is a membership-based arcade that caters to both pinball wizards and newcomers to the game.
Players can enjoy unlimited gameplay without needing cash or coins for $40 a month or $10 a day.
Co-founded by pinball enthusiasts Fred Freimark and Jason Good, the arcade in Penrose is outfitted with nine themed machines, ranging from classics such as Jurassic Park to modern hits including Deadpool.
Good, who embraced the pinball world within the last decade, and Freimark, a lifelong player, first crossed paths last January while playing in a local pinball league at CarPool in Ballston.
They quickly bonded over their shared love of the game, and a few months after their initial meeting, Freimark — who owns 18 pinball machines and has a full-time job as a loan officer — shared with Good his long-held dream of opening a standalone arcade.
Good, who purchased a pinball machine during the pandemic, was familiar with how to fix the machines and suggested teaming up to turn Freimark’s dream into reality.
“Fred was running out of space for his machines, so I kind of pitched the idea; I was like, ‘Well, why don’t we open an arcade,'” Good said.
Freimark and Good envisioned a family-friendly standalone pinball arcade where pinball enthusiasts of all skill levels could gather.
They wanted to avoid opening an arcade inside a bar, where most of Arlington’s pinball machines are located. This includes Galaxy Hut in Clarendon, Highline RxR in Crystal City, Punch Bowl Social in Ballston and Quarterdeck in Ft. Myer Heights, according to pinballmap.com.
“All the other pinball places are in bars,” Freimark said. “Families and younger kids can be here, and it can be a whole new generation of people that are comfortable taking their kids to play pinball.”
Co-founders of The Pinball Basement, Fred Freimark and Jason Good, play pinball (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Pinball is making a comeback in America. As part of this nostalgia-driven revival, Good and Freimark say they have witnessed a surge in demand for neutral venues where experienced players can hone their skills and beginners can learn the ropes.
Instead, in most venues today, playing pinball is almost an impulse decision, says Good, where players drop $1 in to play but have “no idea what they’re doing or what’s going on.”
Good wants to change that with his venue.
“I’ll be here 90% of the time… to teach people how to play,” he said. “I want it to be a hangout. I want it to be a place where people can come a couple of nights a week and learn pinball skills.”
The aspiring pinball entrepreneurs spent several months spent researching and scouting potential locations to house 50-100 machines inside but kept striking out. Then, last November, Sol Schott, the owner of ACME Pie Company approached them about leasing the space adjacent to his shop, previously home to Papillon Cycles, which closed earlier that same month.
The leasing price was too high for Freimark and Good so Schott pitched another idea: turning a section of his pie shop into an arcade.
“My whole idea with Acme was it to kind of be like, a community center,” Schott told ARLnow. “When I talked to them about the pinball thing, I was like, ‘Oh, well, that’d be really cool because I already had some pinball machines in there.”
The Pinball Basement initially let people play for free during its soft launch in December but has since transitioned to its fee-based model. The hours are the same as ACME Pie except on Saturdays, when the venue becomes an exclusive space for members from 5-9 p.m.
Since the opening, Schott reports his shop has already seen an increase in foot traffic. He noted the arcade has particularly appealed to younger audiences, including single parents with children who are teaching their kids to play while enjoying a slice of pie.
“Maybe you’ll get the occasional person sitting at the bar and get a piece of pie and a cup of coffee or soda or whatever, but it was a small percentage,” he said. “And there’s more of that now.”
A ‘Coming Soon’ banner displayed at the site of future deli on Columbia Pike on Jan. 10, 2024 (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A new delicatessen is slated to take over the space formerly occupied by Rappahannock Coffee on Columbia Pike.
Gi Lee, the longstanding owner of the coffee shop, announced his retirement last month, marking the end of a two-decade run.
Previously, ARLnow reported that another café was expected to succeed Rappahannock, with the building’s landlord predicting a December opening.
But in a surprising twist, Jose Lopez, the new tenant, revealed that the former coffee shop, located at 2406 Columbia Pike, will instead be serving up deli fare, from Philly cheesesteaks to club sandwiches. There will still be coffee, however.
Barring any delays in receiving his permits from the county, Lopez, a Maryland resident and co-owner of the Honduran restaurant El Catrachito in Olney, says he plans to open the deli around the end of the month. Its official name will be “Columbia Pike Deli.”
The former Rappahannock Coffee signage has been taken down, and in its place, a “Coming Soon” banner now adorns the entrance. While the space will look largely the same as it had under Lee, Lopez said he plans to give the walls a fresh coat of paint and install new flooring.
When asked about his decision to open a deli, Lopez, who immigrated to the U.S. from Honduras in 1999, shared that he previously spent 16 years working at a deli in Maryland before opening his own restaurant.
“It’s my passion,” he said. “I enjoy working with the customers, working with a co-workers and I like to to cook.”
The new deli will join several other restaurants that have opened within a half-mile stretch of Columbia Pike over the last year, including Mpanadas, the Spanish tapas restaurant Sabores and Japanese restaurant Ryu Izakaya.
Another, 2910 Kitchen & Bar, is expected to open sometime this month.
A 26-year-old Virginia man is facing several charges after a dispute over a parking space over the weekend.
The incident happened Saturday afternoon, in the area of Penrose Square. Police say the man flashed a gun during the altercation.
More, below, from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report.
BRANDISHING, 2023-12300122, 2400 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 2:46 p.m. on December 30, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim and male suspect became involved in a verbal dispute over a parking space which escalated into a physical altercation during which the suspect allegedly brandished a firearm. The suspect fled the scene in his vehicle and was located by responding officers. A firearm was recovered. [The suspect], 26, of Stafford, VA was arrested and charged with Brandishing, Assault & Battery and Concealed Weapon Violation.
In other notable incident, which took place one day prior on Friday afternoon, a 31-year-old Virginia man is accused of kicking a police officer and trying to grab the gun of another.
From ACPD:
ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-12290134, Fairfax Drive at N. George Mason Drive. At approximately 2:45 p.m. on December 29, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person with a knife. The preliminary investigation determined the victim was stopped in her vehicle when the male suspect allegedly ran towards her driver’s side door while displaying a knife. The victim drove away and called police. Responding officers located the suspect in the 4800 block of Fairfax Drive and attempted to take him into custody. The suspect refused to comply with the officers’ commands and actively resisted arrest. With the assistance of additional officers, the suspect was taken into custody during which he kicked an officer in the chest. The suspect provided officers with false identifying information but was subsequently positively identified. During a search incident to arrest, the suspect grabbed the holster of an officer’s firearm. Knives were recovered on the suspect. [The suspect], 31, of Manassas, VA was arrested and charged with Assault and Battery, Assault on Police, Attempt to Disarm Law Enforcement Officer of their Firearm, Identity Theft and Obstruction of Justice.
The evening of New Year’s Day, meanwhile, a man’s Canada Goose jacket and wallet was reportedly stolen by a teen boy at the Pentagon City mall. The teen was later apprehended near the Metro station, according to police.
GRAND LARCENY, 2024-01010144, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 5:58 p.m. on January 1, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was sitting with his jacket on the back of his chair when the juvenile male suspect ran by, grabbed his jacket and continued running out of the building. Responding officers canvassed the area and observed the suspect in the metro. The suspect then ran from the officers and, following a foot pursuit, he was taken into custody in the 1200 block of S. Hayes Street. The victim’s jacket, which contained his wallet and cash, was recovered. Petitions were obtained for the juvenile suspect for Grand Larceny and Obstruction of Justice.
All was not quiet in Arlington this past Christmas weekend.
Arlington County police responded to several notable incidents, including a man who allegedly ate at a Courthouse area restaurant, left without paying, and then flashed a gun at an employee.
The dine-and-dash incident happened around 2 p.m. this past Saturday on the 1900 block of Clarendon Blvd, the same block as Sushi Rock restaurant.
“At approximately 1:56 p.m. on December 23, police were dispatched to the report of a person with a gun,” said an ACPD crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect dined at the business and exited without payment during which an employee confronted him. The suspect lifted his shirt exposing what appeared to be a firearm before leaving the scene on foot.”
“Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results,” the crime report continues. “No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.”
The next day, around 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve, a driver was robbed by two armed male suspects who took his wallet and phone, police said.
“The victims were in their parked vehicle when two male suspects approached on foot, brandished firearms and demanded the driver’s wallet and phone,” ACPD said. “The suspects then fled the scene in a maroon SUV. No injuries were reported. Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspects yielding negative results.”
Located at the corner of S. George Mason Drive and the Pike, the 1,450-square-foot sushi restaurant celebrated its grand opening last month, taking up residence on the ground floor of the mixed-use development next to the Harris Teeter and the Vietnamese eatery Pho Saigon Pearl.
Andy Park, the owner, previously owned and sold a sushi restaurant in Illinois before moving to Northern Virginia in late 2020. He spent the last three years working at Ariake Japanese Restaurant in Fairfax before opening Bluefish.
A prominent “Grand Opening” banner has been displayed above its entrance for several weeks, welcoming diners to savor its various sashimi and sushi rolls, such as the Red Dragon, made with spicy tuna, soft shell crab, cucumber and spicy mayo.
So far, however, Park says the restaurant has not been getting the foot traffic it hoped.
“We didn’t do any advertising,” he told ARLnow. “People don’t know we’re open.”
Centro Arlington, which replaced the long-standing Columbia Pike Village Center in 2019, is a six-story complex that also houses medical and professional offices, an Orangetheory fitness studio, a veterinary practice and apartments.
As a newcomer to the local dining scene, Bluefish faces some competition on the Pike.
In October, Japanese street food and sushi restaurant Ryu Izakaya opened on the ground floor of the Days Inn. Last year another Japanese eatery, Takohachi, opened down the Pike at Penrose Square after relocating from the now-redeveloped Westmont Shopping Center.
Police response to multiple stabbings on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy Matthew Young)
Police response to multiple stabbings on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy Matthew Young)
Police response to multiple stabbings on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy Matthew Young)
Police response to multiple stabbings on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy Matthew Young)
Three people were seriously hurt in a fight that resulted in multiple stabbings Friday night.
The stabbings happened around 6 p.m. in a residential building on the 5100 block of Columbia Pike, in the Arlington Mill neighborhood, according to Arlington County police. Five people, who all knew each other, were fighting in a stairwell when three were stabbed, ACPD said.
The victims — two men and a teen boy — were rushed to local trauma centers and are all expected to survive, after being found wounded in three separate locations. One of the men was initially reported to be in critical condition.
The stabbings prompted a large police response at multiple scenes and some partial road closures. Police have not announced any arrests and said today that they’re still investigating.
More, below, from an ACPD press release.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a stabbing that occurred in the Arlington Mill neighborhood on the evening of December 15, 2023.
At approximately 6:08 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of a stabbing in the 5100 block of Columbia Pike. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male subject suffering from a laceration and immediately began rendering aid. Responding officers canvassed the area and located an additional adult male subject in the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street and a juvenile male subject in the 5000 block of 8th Road S. also suffering from lacerations and rendered aid. Medics responded and all three patients were transported to area hospitals with serious injuries. At this time, all three patients are in stable condition and their injuries are considered non-life threatening.
The preliminary investigation indicates a physical altercation between approximately five subjects, who are known to each other, occurred in a stairwell inside a residential building in the 5100 block of Columbia Pike, during which the three individuals sustained their injuries. During the course of the investigation, a knife was recovered.
This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information or home surveillance that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.
Variedades Catrachas restaurant on Columbia Pike (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Variedades Catrachas restaurant on Columbia Pike (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A new restaurant specializing in traditional Honduran and Salvadoran cuisine is opening on Columbia Pike tomorrow.
Located at 3709 Columbia Pike, Variedades Catrachas is expected to welcome its first customers starting at 5 a.m. this Friday, the owner Jessica Canas told ARLnow.
Offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menu includes a variety of items such as soups, tacos, enchiladas, tamales and several egg-based dishes.
Canas also owns a Honduran restaurant in Alexandria called Las Catrachitas but this is her first foray into the Arlington food scene.
Variedades Catrachas joins the Pike’s bustling scene for Central and South American cuisine, including the recent additions of Mpanadas, Sabores and Taqueria el Poblano.
The restaurant will be open from 5-2 a.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday; 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday; 6-2 a.m. on Saturday; and 7-2 a.m. on Sunday.
2910 Kitchen & Bar on Columbia Pike (staff photo by James Jarvis)
After a several-month delay, 2910 Kitchen & Bar is gearing up to open next month on Columbia Pike pending final permit approvals, according to the restaurant owner.
The family-owned American-style eatery takes its name from its Columbia Pike address, previously the site of P. Brennan’s Irish Pub. The cavernous, two-level bar and restaurant closed its doors in 2017 and remained vacant until last year.
Initially, 2910 Kitchen & Bar had set its sights on a summer opening. However, husband-and-wife owners Raheel “Ray” Khan and Griselda Giselle Fernandez say they had to postpone the launch after discovering some issues with the building, which caught the attention of the county’s historic review board.
“The previous tenants had done a couple of things they shouldn’t have,” Khan told ARLnow. “Until those issues were fixed, we were not able to move forward.”
Several “opening soon” signs are displayed in the windows, and the number “2910” now occupies the space where the old P. Brennan’s sign once stood.
The restaurant interior has undergone some dramatic changes, including revamping the staircase, redoing the bar and adding chandeliers. The restaurant will have an upstairs VIP area, complemented by a more casual dining option on the lower level.
The renovations are nearly done, Khan says, and he’s just waiting for a final inspection.
The menu will include classic American cuisine, including steak and pasta dishes, but the dishes and desserts will rotate seasonally, says Khan.
Earlier this year, Khan and his wife brought on Rob Szydlowski as their executive chef. He has helped with more than 50 restaurant openings over his career, including several Well-Hung Vineyard restaurants in southern Virginia.
If all goes well, Khan hopes to open 2910 Kitchen & Bar soon after the new year.
“We’re hoping for Jan. 8 to do the soft opening, but if not, then the middle of January,” he said.
