death investigation

Video: Bystanders Walk Past Accident Victim While Getting on the Bus

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Police Department has released video tonight from a Metro bus that stopped at the scene of fatal pedestrian accident earlier this month.

The video was taken on the evening of July 1. Just minutes prior to the start of the video, a man had been struck by a car on Columbia Pike near the intersection with Four Mile Run Drive, which was darkened due to power outages in the area following the June 29 derecho.  The video shows the bus pulling up to the scene, which was next to a bus stop. The man’s bloodied body — blurred out by police — is lying on the sidewalk.

With the bus stopped, passengers file past the man’s body. Although someone had called 911 — lights from police cars heading to the scene can be seen in the background — not a single person stops to check on the man, who was either dead or dying. A woman carrying shopping bags walks right by, without hesitation. One man crosses himself after getting on the bus.

Police say they released the video in a “good faith effort” to get witnesses to the accident to step forward. Detectives are not looking to charge anybody in the video with any wrongdoing — they just want them to “come forward and say ‘this is what happened, this is what we saw,'” according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

“The intent is solely to get these witnesses to… assist police in the reconstruction of what happened that night,” Sternbeck said. “The intent is not to say these individuals are accountable for anything.”

Sternbeck noted that the driver of the striking vehicle “has been very cooperative,” but the case is still open. Charges could still be filed if the driver is thought to be at fault.

The victim of the accident has been identified by police as 35-year-old Edgar Francisco Aguilar of Arlington. He was pronounced dead on scene, according to Sternbeck.

Any witnesses are asked to contact Det. Icolari at 703-228-4240.

UPDATE (2): Fatal Hit and Run Near the Pentagon

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) Arlington County Police are investigating a fatal hit and run accident near Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon.

Around 6:00 this morning, police say an adult male was struck by a vehicle on southbound Route 110 near the ramp to Washington Boulevard. A witness reported seeing a man’s body in the roadway and a vehicle stopped near it. When officers arrived, the vehicle was gone, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The victim has been identified as Robert Shepard, a 62-year-old military veteran from Lawrence, Mass. Police said Shepard had a history of mental illness and was reported “missing and endangered” by his girlfriend in Massachusetts about 2 weeks ago. He was wearing camouflage pants at the time of the accident, according to Sternbeck.

The force of the impact propelled the Shepard’s body about 60 feet from the point of collision, Sternbeck said. Investigators say they’re currently working several leads, including traffic camera video, to try to track down the striking vehicle.

Two lanes of Route 110 and the ramp to Washington Boulevard were closed immediately following the accident. Investigators remained on scene through the morning rush hour, causing significant backups on Route 110.

 

UPDATED: Pedestrian Killed by Car on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:25 a.m.) A pedestrian was killed by a car on a section of Columbia Pike partially darkened by the area’s widespread power outages.

The man was struck by a Honda heading westbound on the Pike near intersection with Four Mile Run Drive, where the traffic signal and some street lights are dark due to the power outages. We’re told that the victim was transported to a trauma center in Fairfax County and was pronounced dead.

The fatal accident happened occurred around 9:30 p.m. after the driver did not stop at the intersection, despite the fact that all darkened traffic signals are supposed to be treated as a four-way stop. The female driver remained on scene after the accident and was described as “very cooperative.” As of this morning no charges have been filed, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Columbia Pike was closed in both directions between Buchanan Street and Dinwiddie Street for several hours after the accident. Motorists were advised to avoid the area.

 

Man Found Dead Outside Arlington Funeral Home

By ARLnow.com

 

A man, believed to be homeless, was found dead today behind the Arlington Funeral Home in Virginia Square.

The man was found unresponsive behind a dumpster in the funeral home parking lot around 10:30 this morning, according to police. Officers arrived and determined that the man had passed away. Detectives are still on scene investigating the man’s death, though so far there’s no word of anything suspicious.

A man who said he was an acquaintance of the deceased said the man’s name was Lenny and he was in his 40s. Lenny was homeless and sometimes slept in front of the nearby St. George’s Episcopal Church, the acquaintance said.

The funeral home, located across from Arlington Central Library at 3901 Fairfax Drive, is closed and will eventually be torn down to make way for a new office building.

Woman Dies After Fall from Ballston Parking Garage

By ARLnow.com

A woman died Saturday after falling from the parking garage at Ballston Common Mall.

The woman fell from an unknown level of the parking structure and landed on the sidewalk on the N. Randolph Street side of the garage. The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The incident remains under investigation.

The incident happened around 5:25 p.m. on Saturday, as St. Patrick’s Day revelers were heading to local bars. Several passersby witnessed the fall, we’re told.

This is the second time in the past two years that someone has fallen to their death from the county-owned public parking garage.

Dangerous Gaps Remain Between I-395 Lanes

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:10 p.m.) Dangerous gaps still remain between the I-395 bridges that run over Four Mile Run, near Shirlington.

Virginia Department of Transportation officials say they’re waiting for the results of a state police investigation into the death of Alexandria paramedic Joshua Weissman before deciding what to do about the gaps. As of today the investigation is “still ongoing,” according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

Weissman fell through one of the gaps while trying to reach a burning vehicle in the HOV lanes of I-395 on Feb. 8. He fell some 20 to 30 feet into the creek and was knocked unconscious, authorities said at the time. Weissman later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

From below, the two gaps are clearly visible between the mainline of northbound I-395, an HOV ramp, and the HOV lanes themselves. Beneath the gaps are the Four Mile Run bike trail, a rocky berm littered with debris from the homeless individuals who sleep under the bike trail, and a shallow section of Four Mile Run with a jagged concrete structure in the middle.

The gaps pose the biggest danger to police and firefighters, who often will reach an incident in the HOV lanes via the mainline of I-395. If the incident happens to be on the bridge, as it was in the case of the Feb. 8 car fire, those public safety personnel will have to either hurdle over the gap or walk around it, in order to reach the scene and come to the aid of the victims.

One police official tells ARLnow.com said the gaps are “really not a problem in daylight” but can be especially dangerous at night. There are other gaps between lanes along I-395, including in the area of S. Joyce Street in Pentagon City, the official said, adding that he’s personally aware of at least two close calls involving officers nearly falling through the gaps.

Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz says that placing a grate between the spans may help eliminate the danger.

“It seemed to me that something like a grating… might be a cheap and adequate solution to that problem,” Schwartz said. He added, though, that it “makes sense” for state police to conclude the investigation before “rushing out to do something that in the end might not be a complete solution.”

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Soccer Field to Close for Summer — The synthetic turf field at Virginia Highlands Park, used extensively for soccer games, is expected to be closed for much of the spring and summer so that the turf can be replaced. [Sun Gazette]

Church to Celebrate 50th Anniversary — St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (4250 N. Glebe Road) will be holding a concert next weekend to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12. [Falls Church News-Press]

Arlington Man Killed by Dump Truck — Prince George’s County Police are investigating the death of an Arlington County man who was hit by a dump truck in Capitol Heights on Wednesday evening. [Gazette.net]

Man Found Dead in Rosslyn

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) A parking attendant was found dead in Rosslyn this morning.

A security guard found the man without a pulse and not breathing at the entrance to a garage at the Waterview Building (1919 N. Lynn Street). Police were called around 5:45 a.m.

The death appears to be medical-related, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Worker Dies at American Service Center in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

A long-time employee of American Service Center in Ballston (585 N. Glebe Road) died on Saturday in what’s being described by as a tragic workplace accident.

The 56-year-old employee, whose identity has not yet been publicly released, was attempting to move some cars around a service area using a stackable lift when the accident happened.

“It appears the lift came down on him,” said Arlington County Police Department spokesman Lt. Joe Kantor. “We still don’t know how it happened yet, that’s part of the investigation. It’s being classified as an industrial accident at this time.”

Police received multiple calls reporting the accident just before 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the initial dispatch. The employee, who suffered significant head trauma, was pronounced dead on the scene.

The man had worked for American Service Center for about 20 years, Lt. Kantor said.

File photo

Police Arrest Man for Deadly Hit and Run on Route 50

By ARLnow.com

A Maryland man has been arrested and charged in a fatal hit and run on Route 50.

Police say 42-year-old Marc D. Hicks of Oxon Hill, Md. was driving the truck that struck and killed Zorigoo Munkhbayar as he was walking down Route 50 near Rhodes Street in the early morning of Sept. 16. Hicks did not stay at the scene of the accident, according to police.

Munkhbayar, an Arlington resident and Yorktown High School graduate, was later found laying in the roadway by a passerby, who called 911. The 23-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

Arlington County Police detectives were led to Hicks by evidence from the striking vehicle left at the scene. Hicks had been driving a truck for a Northern Virginia-based delivery company at the time of the accident, according to police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. The company — which was not named — did not have knowledge of the crime and was “very helpful with the investigation,” Nosal said.

Hicks is currently being held without bond at the Arlington County Detention Center.

“Police ask that anyone who may have additional details about this collision, contact Detective Paul Marseilles at (703) 228-4237,” police said in a press release. “Detective Marseilles can also be reached via e-mail at [email protected].”

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.

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