Arlington County Police are on scene of a possible barricade situation in the Douglas Park neighborhood, just south of Columbia Pike.
Police have blocked off part of 16th Street S., between Glebe Road and S. Monroe Street.
“Lots of police cars and a cop on a loudspeaker that keeps asking for a guy to come to the door,” an anonymous tipster told ARLnow.com just before 7 p.m. “[They’re saying] we’re not going anywhere… just come out.”
“ACPD is working to have a wanted subject safely exit a residence,” said police department spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “There is no larger threat to community.”
Update at 8:50 p.m. — “The suspect has safely been taken into police custody,” Savage said. “Police remain on scene investigating.”
Someone behind the wheel of a car crashed into another car in a parking lot off of Columbia Pike this afternoon, before crashing into a nearby storefront.
The collision happened at the TitleMax Title Loans business at 3045 Columbia Pike just after 2 p.m. today.
The driver of the car, who didn’t want to give her name, said the vehicle lurched forward three times on its own while she was at the wheel. It then collided with a second car and smashed the front window of the store.
A handful of customers at the next-door McDonald’s told ARLnow.com they heard a loud bang. One person suffered a minor injury in the crash, according to scanner traffic. Authorities did not close any roads nearby.
A Subway restaurant, an Allstate insurance agent and the Ethio Cafe are in the same plaza. None of the other stores were affected by the crash.
After an argument Sunday evening on Columbia Pike, a woman deliberately struck a man with her car.
That’s according to Arlington County Police Department crime report. The incident happened just before 7 p.m. in the area of the Arlington Mill Community Center and the Columbia Pike Plaza shopping center.
The woman and man knew each other, police said. He was hurt by the collision but is expected to be okay. Warrants were issued for the driver’s arrest.
From ACPD:
UNLAWFUL WOUNDING, 2017-02050199, 5000 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 6:50 p.m. on February 5, officers responded to the report of an assault and battery. Upon arrival it was determined that a male victim was standing outside a vehicle while talking to an occupant of that vehicle. Following a verbal dispute between two known individuals, the female driver accelerated causing the male victim to fall backwards and suffer non-life threatening injuries. The male victim was transported to Fairfax Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Warrants have been obtained. The investigation is ongoing.
The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, including some that we’ve already reported, after the jump.
A convertible caught fire along Columbia Pike this afternoon, prompting a brief closure of the eastbound lanes of the Pike.
The fire broke out just before 3:15 p.m., as the car was parked on S. Edgewood Street, near the entrance to the Rite Aid.
Arlington County firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, in the car’s engine compartment. The eastbound lanes of Columbia Pike have since reopened, though Edgewood Street remains closed as a tow crew works to haul away the car.
Model of new design for Columbia PIke transit stops
Prototype “Super Stop” bus stop at Columbia Pike and Walter Reed Drive (file photo)
Transit Development Plan staff presentation slide
It has been four years since Arlington County and WMATA opened the infamous$1 million bus stop at the corner of Columbia Pike and Walter Reed Drive. So where are the rest of the upgraded transit stations planned for the Pike?
They’re coming, starting next year, the county says.
“The County Board approved $13.3 million for the planned 23 stations in Arlington’s FY 2017-2026 Capital Improvement Plan,” says a county webpage for the project. “Construction of the transit stations is expected to begin in 2018 and proceed in phases through 2021.”
“That schedule still holds,” Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokesman Eric Balliet confirmed to ARLnow.com on Monday. “Design of site-specific improvements for the first six stations is underway. Design and construction for the remaining stations will be coordinated with the County’s plans for Columbia Pike street improvements and utility undergrounding.”
The per-station cost is still pegged around $575,000, well under the cost of the original prototype station. Originally, the stations were planned to serve the Columbia Pike streetcar, but with that project’s cancellation the stations will now serve WMATA and ART buses.
County staff is expected to present proposed revisions to its Transit Development Plan for the Pike in the second quarter of this year, with possible improvements to bus service along the corridor.
Crash on Columbia Pike at S. Dinwiddie Street (photo courtesy @CFCA_Arlington)
Traffic backups from crash on Columbia Pike at S. Dinwiddie Street
Multiple ambulances are responding to a crash between a Red Top taxicab and a sedan in the middle of Columbia Pike at S. Dinwiddie Street.
The accident happened around 3:45 p.m., near the Arlington Mill Community Center. Several ambulances were dispatched to the scene for 3-4 people reporting injuries, none of which were considered serious, according to scanner traffic.
Columbia Pike is down to one lane in each direction and backups for westbound rush hour traffic extend nearly to George Mason Drive, according to traffic cameras. Drivers should expect significant delays in the area.
Update at 4:50 p.m. — The lanes have reopened, according to scanner traffic.
A woman opened her window last night only to find a man exposing himself several feet away.
The incident happened around 10 p.m. on the 1400 block of S. George Mason Drive, south of Columbia Pike.
Police say the suspect, a white male wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, ran away after the window was opened.
More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2017-01170265, 1400 block of S. George Mason Drive. At approximately 10:07 p.m. on January 17, officers responded to the report of an indecent exposure. A female victim opened a window inside her residence and observed a male subject, several feet from the window, exposing himself. The suspect fled the scene in an unknown direction. He is described as a white male, wearing a blue t-shirt, grey sweatpants, and a dark colored winter hat. The investigation is ongoing.
The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, including some that we’ve already reported, after the jump.
A man struck another man in the head with a coffee mug on Columbia Pike Friday night.
The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. on the 2000 block of the Pike, east of Penrose Square the “town center” row of businesses.
The altercation involved two men who knew each other, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report. The victim was taken to Virginia Hospital Center with non-life threatening injuries.
From the ACPD report:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2017-01060359, 2000 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 9:37 p.m. on January 6, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with injury that had just occurred. Following a verbal altercation between known individuals, the male subject allegedly struck the male victim in the head with a coffee mug. The male subject fled the scene prior to police arrival. The male victim was transported to Virginia Hospital Center with non-life threatening injuries. The investigation is ongoing.
The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, including some that we’ve already reported, after the jump.
Coffee With a Cop Today — The Arlington County Police Department’s district teams are holding “Coffee With a Cop” events today. The event “has no agenda or speeches” and “is a chance to ask questions, voice concerns and get to know the officers and neighbors in your district.” [Arlington County]
Washington Blvd Closure Tonight — Expect lane closures and a 30-minute full closure of Washington Blvd (Route 27) over Route 110 overnight tonight. VDOT is replacing an aging bridge over Route 110; the project is expected to wrap up in 2018. [Twitter]
Boulevard Woodgrill Staff to Marble and Rye — Marble and Rye on Columbia Pike has hired “the entire executive staff” from the former Boulevard Woodgrill in Clarendon, a restaurant rep says. The hires include longtime Boulevard executive chef Paul Murad and longtime general manager Kent Lawson. The hires, we’re told, “will provide a significant upgrade in service and menu options” and will help Marble and Rye “compete with other popular destinations in Clarendon, Ballston and Shirlington.”
Neighborhood College Applications Being Accepted — “Learn how to become a neighborhood advocate and effect change through Arlington County’s free Neighborhood College program, which will meet on eight consecutive Thursday evenings beginning March 16, 2017.” [Arlington County]
Burrito Bros, the former Pedro and Vinny’s at 2599 Columbia Pike
Richard Arnez (right) still slings the same burritos
Arnez took down the Pedro and Vinny’s sign last week
A beloved burrito stand on Columbia Pike has split off from its parent company and adopted a new name.
The business formerly known as Pedro and Vinny’s (2599 Columbia Pike) is now a standalone eatery called “Burrito Bros.” The change happened about a week ago, according to Richard Arnez, who co-owns Burrito Bros with Roger Coronel.
“We were kind of like a franchise,” Arnez explained. “But we just wanted to be independent.”
Since the name change, most customers haven’t noticed anything different, Arnez said. After all, they’re there for the burritos, not the branding. There are some slight changes, though. For instance, Arnez said he had to give up the recipes behind the sauces when he left the Pedro and Vinny’s family.
A visit to the restaurant yesterday revealed the burritos are indeed more or less the same as before. The sauces — though still piquant — do taste slightly different now.
Still, some longtime fans might wonder whether in-house animosity could have led to the break-up. Is a burrito battle looming on the horizon?
Probably not, said Pedro and Vinny’s owner John Rider, who still staffs the original burrito cart in downtown D.C. each day. The split was merely a business decision, he explained.
“There’s no animosity with the situation,” Rider said. “I wish him the best of luck.”
Still, Rider said he feels a twinge of pain every time he drives past his former Columbia Pike restaurant and sees it without its familiar sign.
“I was hoping that Richard would open more Pedro and Vinny’s,” Rider said. “It’s too bad it happened, but it wasn’t my choice.”
There’s no guarantee Rider, who has vowed to open another brick and mortar location, won’t return to his old stomping grounds. In fact, he said he’s eyeing a Columbia Pike storefront just down the block from Burrito Bros.
“I love Arlington. Those customers are awesome,” Rider said. “We’re looking around that area, but I don’t know where we’re going to end up.”
Frozen yogurt fans who frequent the Menchie’s at Penrose Square will now have to go cold turkey.
The company closed its store at 2405 Columbia Pike on New Year’s Eve, according to a Menchie’s representative. The froyo shop opened roughly four years ago.
“We closed the location because it simply wasn’t making any money,” said company representative Camey Turpin. Menchie’s has no plans to open another location in the area anytime soon. The closest Menchie’s store is along U Street in Northwest D.C.
It wasn’t immediately clear what might replace the business. Arlington County has not recently issued any building permits for that address.
