crime

Crime Report: Bomb Threat at Police Headquarters

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsSomeone phoned in a bomb threat to the county’s Emergency Communications Center in Courthouse yesterday afternoon.

The threat prompted a sweep of the building, which houses Arlington County Police headquarters and local courts. No explosives were found.

From an ACPD crime report:

BOMB THREAT, 160920028, 1400 block of N. Courthouse Road. At approximately 1:19 p.m. on September 20, an anonymous subject called in and stated there was a bomb in the building. Multiple units responded to the scene and conducted a search for a device with negative results.

Also in this week’s crime report is a case where a language barrier foiled a robbery.

The incident happened on the 4700 block of Columbia Pike on Friday afternoon. Police say the victim couldn’t understand what the suspect was saying, although he did apparently imply that he had a weapon.

ATTEMPTED STRONG ARM ROBBERY… At approximately 3:15 p.m. on September 16, an unknown male approached a male victim and made threats implying that he had a weapon. There was a language barrier between the suspect and the victim. The suspect fled on foot. While on scene an additional victim came forward alleging a similar described suspect attempted to rob him of his personal belongings. The suspect is described as a light skinned male, possibly Middle-Eastern or Hispanic, approximately 5’8″ tall with a large build. He had a bald head and was wearing an orange shirt and black shorts. The investigation is ongoing.

The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, including a few that we’ve already reported, after the jump.

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Crime Report: Man Engaged in Lewd Act in Car Near Wakefield High

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police carA girl saw a man masturbating in his car next to Wakefield High School on Friday afternoon, just after school dismissal.

The incident happened around 3 p.m. on the 1300 block of S. Dinwiddie Street.

From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

LATE EXPOSURE, 160912021, 1300 block of S. Dinwiddie Street. At approximately 3:05 p.m. on September 9, a juvenile female witnessed an unknown male subject masturbating in his vehicle. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his thirties. He was driving a light gray older model four door sedan. The investigation is ongoing.

The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, including a number of items that we’ve already reported, after the jump.

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Crime Report: Man Tries to Steal Motorcycle, Claims to Be Firefighter

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police carA Maryland man was arrested Monday after he allegedly tried to steal a motorcycle in the Pentagon City area.

The incident happened just after noon, a block from the Fashion Centre mall.

Police say the suspect, 34-year-old Michael Black, inexplicably claimed to be a volunteer firefighter after being stopped by officers, even going so far as to flash a fake badge.

From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

GRAND LARCENY OF AUTO (Significant), 160829019, 1700 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 12:15 p.m. on August 29, officers responded to the report of a suspicious person moving a motorcycle. The subject fled the scene prior to police arrival. A lookout was broadcast and a subject matching the victim’s description was located in the immediate area. Michael Delonte Black, 34, of Oxon Hill MD, was arrested and charged with grand larceny of auto, possession of burglarious tools, impersonating a firefighter, and destruction of property.

The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, after the jump.

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Cops Share New Video in Hit- and-Run That Killed Arlington Man

By Andrew Ramonas

D.C. police have released another video of a car sought in a hit-and-run crash that killed an Arlington man last week.

David Narvaez, 29, died after someone in a car ran into him in the West End neighborhood of the District this past Friday. He was crossing the road at New Hampshire Avenue and M Street NW about 2:45 a.m. when the driver hit him.

The video police distributed this week shows a dark-colored sedan traveling in the area. Cops also put out new photos of the car.

A news release adds:

The vehicle has a light colored, possibly yellow, rear license tag, and the vehicle has damage to the drivers’ side hood, fender, and windshield.  The right front passenger is described as having a light complexion.

The Metropolitan Police Department is asking anyone with information about this case to call the police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.

Video via YouTube/D.C. Metropolitan Police Department

Crime Report: Man’s Hand Slashed in Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)A man’s hand was slashed Monday night, in what was originally reported to be an accident but may have been the result of a fight.

The incident happened around 10 p.m. Monday in a restaurant on the 500 block of 23rd Street S., in Crystal City. Police and medics responded, but were told that an accident caused the injury.

The next morning, police were called again and told that the injury was the result of an assault, not an accident.

Two restaurant employees “were involved in a verbal altercation that turned physical,” said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “The victim was washing a knife at the time of the altercation and suffered a laceration to the hand which required medical treatment.”

From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

LATE MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 160823025, 500 block of S. 23rd Street. At approximately 10:11 a.m. on August 23, officers responded to the report of a late assault with a weapon. Upon investigation, officers determined that the incident occurred the night prior when a male victim suffered a laceration to the hand following a verbal altercation. Police and medics had previously responded to the location on August 22 at approximately 10:00 p.m. but the incident was reported as an accident requiring medical attention. The victim was transported by medics to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, after the jump.

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Congressional Staffer from Arlington Faces Tax Charges

By ARLnow.com

Lanier Avant (Photo via cbcfinc.org)Lanier Avant, the chief of staff for Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and a House Homeland Security Committee staff director, has been charged with failing to file his tax returns for five years.

Avant, who lives in Arlington, falsely claimed he was exempt from federal tax withholding, prosecutors say. He made more than $170,000 per year during tax years 2009-2013, but did not file a tax return during that time, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Avant faces up to five years in prison. From a press release:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Isaac Lanier Avant, of Arlington, who is currently employed as a staffer by the U.S. House of Representatives, has been charged with five counts of willfully failing to file a tax return.

According to the criminal information and affidavit, Avant has been employed as a staff member of the U.S. House of Representatives since approximately 2002.  For tax years 2009 through 2013, Avant earned annual wages of over $170,000, but did not timely file a personal income tax return for any of those years. In May 2005, Avant filed a form with his employer that falsely claimed he was exempt from federal income taxes.  Avant did not have any federal tax withheld from his paycheck until the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) mandated that his employer begin withholding in January 2013.

Avant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Caroline D. Ciraolo, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, made the announcement.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Hanly and Assistant Chief Todd Ellinwood of the Tax Division.

Photo via cbcfinc.org

Armed Robbers Force Man to Swim Across Potomac River Near GW Parkway Overlook

By Tim Regan

GW Parkway First Scenic Overlook, photo via Google Street ViewA pair of gun-wielding robbers forced a man to swim across the Potomac River after robbing him at a scenic spot along the George Washington Parkway yesterday evening.

The robbery happened last night near the first scenic overlook on the GW Parkway some time between 6 and 7 p.m., according to U.S. Park Police.

Two thieves armed with a gun took a man’s cell phone and wallet before telling him to swim across the Potomac, police said. The man was able to swim to the D.C. side of the river, where he told police what happened.

Though a search led to the detainment of two people, police released them “as they could not be positively identified as the attackers.”

A U.S. Park Police officer involved in the search was airlifted to the hospital due to “heat-related distress” but did not suffer any serious injuries.

Authorities are still searching for the robbers and have asked anyone with information regarding the crime to come forward.

More from a U.S. Park Police press release:

The United States Park Police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred last night near the first scenic overlook on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The victim was relieved of his wallet and cell phone before being forced to enter the Potomac River and told to swim across.

After reaching shore on the DC side of the river, the victim alerted police who immediately began a search of the area. Two suspects were detained and eventually released without charges as they could not be positively identified as the attackers.

During the course of the search, a USPP officer suffered heat-related distress and was transported by helicopter to a local hospital. The officer was later released without incident.

There is no further information at this time. If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact our detectives at 202-610-8730.

Photo via Google Maps

UPDATED: Arlington Man Killed in D.C. Hit-and-Run Car Crash

By Tim Regan
Photo via D.C. Police

(Updated at 12:21 p.m.) Someone behind the wheel of a car ran into and killed a 29-year-old Arlington man before driving away in Northwest D.C. early this morning.

The fatal hit-and-run crash happened at an intersection in the District neighborhood of West End around 2:45 a.m.

Arlington resident David Narvaez was crossing the street at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and M Street NW when someone driving a car hit him and then sped away, D.C. Police said.

Narvaez was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities in D.C. are on the lookout for a dark colored vehicle (seen in the above video) in connection with the crash.

More on the hit-and-run crash from the Metropolitan Police Department:

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Major Crash Unit are investigating a traffic fatality that occurred on Friday, August 19, 2016 at approximately 2:40 am.

A pedestrian was crossing the street in the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and M Street, Northwest, when he was struck by a vehicle that was heading southbound on New Hampshire Avenue, Northwest.

The driver of the vehicle involved failed to stop and continued driving.  The pedestrian was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced.

The decedent has been identified as 29-year-old David Narvaez of Arlington, Virginia.

This case remains under investigation.  The Metropolitan Police Department is asking anyone with information about this case to call the police at 202-727-9099.  Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.

Crime Report: Gunshot and Bomb Threat

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA bomb threat called into the Arlington County courthouse building yesterday prompted a sweep with bomb-sniffing dogs.

An unknown male caller phoned in the bomb threat Tuesday afternoon. No explosives were found.

From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

BOMB THREAT, 160816032, 1400 block of N. Courthouse Road. At approximately 1:20 p.m on August 16, an unknown male subject called an office within the courthouse building and made a bomb threat. A K-9 sweep of the building was conducted with negative results. There is no suspect(s) description.

On Monday night, a resident in the Radnor/Fort Myer Heights neighborhood, near Rosslyn, reported hearing a loud “pop” inside their home.

Police arrived and found that a single gunshot had been fired into the residence. From ACPD:

MISSILE INTO OCCUPIED DWELLING, 160815043, 1200 block of N. Rhode Street. At approximately 9:17 p.m. on August 15, two residents heard a loud pop inside their residence. Upon police investigation, it was determined that a single gunshot round had entered the residence causing minor damage. Police conducted checks in the area and found no similar incidents. There is no suspect(s) description and the investigation is ongoing.

The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, after the jump.

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Crime Report: Cops Nab Would-Be Burglar

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)Thanks to an alert citizen and some quick action, Arlington County Police were able to apprehend a would-be burglar near Shirlington early Monday morning.

Police say a 20-year-old man was arrested after smashing a window at a store on the 4000 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive, then fleeing when a witness spotted him in the act.

From an ACPD crime report:

BREAKING & ENTERING, 160808005, 4000 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. At approximately 4:00 a.m. on August 8, officers were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person. A witness observed a suspect smash a window to a store and then flee when he saw the witness. Responding officers located and apprehended the suspect in the area. Duwan Marquise Terry, 20, of Arlington VA, was arrested and charged with breaking & entering and burglary. He is being held on no bond.

The crime report highlights from the past week, after the jump.

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Police Nab Men Who Shot Pellet Gun at East Falls Church Metro

By Tim Regan

Police car (file photo)Arlington County Police have arrested two men for using a pellet gun to shoot holes into a kiosk window outside of the East Falls Church Metro station and shatter a glass enclosure at a nearby bus stop last night.

The crime occurred at the Metro station just after 11:30 p.m. last night, police said.

Two men shot a pellet gun at a kiosk window at the Metro station, puncturing the glass three times, police said. They also allegedly fired the pellet gun at a bus stop on North Sycamore Street, breaking its glass enclosure.

Officers originally responded to a report of two suspicious men looking into vehicles on the 2200 block of N. Somerset Street. When they arrived, they heard a gunshot and located the two suspected shooters.

In addition to the pellet gun, one of the men had a loaded gun in his possession at the time of arrest, police said.

From an ACPD crime report:

POSSESSION OF CONCEALED WEAPON (Significant), 160721003, 2200 block of N. Somerset Street. At approximately 11:38 p.m. on July 20, officers responded to the report of suspicious males looking into vehicles. Arriving officers heard the discharge of a firearm and located two suspects. Nico Wilson, 32, of Fort Washington MD, was arrested and charged with possession of a concealed weapon and discharge of a firearm. Carlos Parker, 18, of Temple Hills MD, was arrested and charged with destruction of property and possession of a concealed weapon.

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