developing story

Gun Store Touting Largest Selection Inside the Beltway Coming to Lyon Park

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A gun store offering “the largest selection of firearms inside the D.C. Beltway” is planning to open next month in Lyon Park.

NOVA Armory is coming to the ground floor of 2300 N. Pershing Drive, near Route 50 and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Much of the store’s interior appears to already be built, based on a photo on NOVA Armory’s website.

The store says it expects to open in March, pending final licensing.

“NOVA Armory will provide D.C., Maryland and Virginia residents the lowest priced firearms guaranteed,” said a recorded announcement that plays when you call the store’s phone number. “With our one-of-a-kind showroom, you will be able to handle hundreds of firearms without the need for a salesperson.”

A county permit application indicates that the store has been granted a local business license and the land use go-ahead from Arlington’s planning department

“RETAIL-FIREARMS SHOP,” says the county staff comment on the permit application online. “PER ZA AND G. ACURIO IN COUNTY MANAGERS OFFICE TREAT AS ANY OTHER RETAIL SHOP.”

Last year an effort by a store called NOVA Firearms to open a location in Cherrydale resulted in a community outcry and national media attention. Eventually the store’s would-be landlord, facing community pressure and protests, cancelled the lease.

While similar in name, a Yelp listing for NOVA Armory (below) states that it’s not affiliated with Nova Firearms. The permit holder for the business, however, is listed as Dennis Pratte, a McLean gun dealer who at one point was reported to be the owner of Nova Firearms. A different man was said to be the owner of Nova Firearms during last year’s Cherrydale controversy.

From Yelp:

The owners of NOVA Armory have been in the firearms industry for 20 years. They are active hunters and sporting arms enthusiasts that have decided to open a state-of-the-art showroom that allows customers to view and handle secured arms without the need of a sales person, thereby allowing you to shop in peace. While we will have consultants available to address your questions, we want to offer you a new and unique way to shop for your next firearm.

We will also offer free firearms transfers if we cannot provide you the same firearm for a cheaper price. We hope to be your go-to firearms resource.

Finally, while similar in name, we are not affiliated with any other firearms shops in the VA, DC or MD areas.

DEVELOPING: Power Outage, Traffic Light Issues Reported Along Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 3:15 p.m.) Several traffic signals are out around Clarendon following a power outage that briefly affected much of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

The outage was reported around 12:30 p.m. in Courthouse, Clarendon, Virginia Square and Ballston. Power was quickly restored in most places, though Dominion says just over 200 customers are still without power.

Restoration is at least initially expected between 4-6 p.m., according to Dominion’s website.

Traffic lights are out at the following intersections in and around Clarendon, according to scanner traffic. Police are setting up cones to help direct traffic.

  • 10th Street and Washington Blvd
  • 10th Street and Wilson Blvd
  • 10th Street and Fairfax Drive
  • 10th Street and Barton Street

More traffic signals are being reported out along Fairfax Drive and, separately, at the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Lee Highway. An earlier traffic light outage at Washington Blvd and N. Kirkwood Street has reportedly been resolved.

As for what caused the power outage, one Twitter user in Courthouse reported hearing a “loud noise” before losing power, while others reported a tree down on wires and blown transformers at the intersection of 10th Street and N. Barton Street, near Barton Park.

Also, a smell of natural gas is being reported at 10th Street and Washington Blvd. The fire department and Washington Gas is responding to the scene.

https://twitter.com/MalVictoria3/status/702550401560813568

File photo

DEVELOPING: House Fire Near Washington-Lee HS

By ARLnow.com
1/11

(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) Arlington County firefighters are on the scene of a house fire on the 1300 block of N. Nelson Street, a block from Washington-Lee High School.

The fire department was called around 10:15 a.m. after residents and passersby spotted smoke coming from the home’s attic.

The fire was extinguished quickly and no one was injured. Three people, including one disabled man, escaped from the house during the fire and are expected to be temporarily housed by the Red Cross.

The house has three apartments. Its roof partially buckled during the fire.

DEVELOPING: Armed Robbery at Lyon Park Gas Station

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsArlington County Police are on the scene of a reported armed robbery at a gas station in Lyon Park.

The robbery occurred just after 5 p.m., at the Blue Ridge Partners gas and service station on the 2700 block of N. Pershing Drive, at the intersection with Washington Blvd.

Initial reports suggest that two men robbed the store, with one man displaying a small chrome pistol. Then men took cash, an iPhone and Newport cigarette cartons, before fleeing on foot to a nearby black SUV with tinted windows and Maryland tags and then driving off.

Both suspects are described as black males in their 40s with average builds. The first suspect is described as 5’9″, wearing a Washington Redskins jacket. The second is described as 5’10” with a black jacket and a black ski cap.

No one was injured in the robbery.

DEVELOPING: Armed Robbery Near Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Sunoco robbery suspect (photo via ACPD)(Updated at 2 p.m.) Arlington County Police have swarmed the area around Ballston in search of two armed robbery suspects.

The Sunoco gas station at the corner of N. Glebe Road and Washington Blvd was robbed earlier this afternoon by two suspects, one of whom has a gun, according to police.

While police try to track down the suspects, nearby Washington-Lee High School has been placed in “secure the school” mode, which usually means that exterior doors are locked and students are not allowed outside.

Around 2 p.m., police released a surveillance image of a robbery suspect, taken inside the Sunoco’s convenience store.

UPDATED: Road Closures, School Security Heightened Due to Shots Fired Investigation

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsUpdate at 1:55 p.m. — Fairfax County Police say they’ve determined that the shots fired call was the result of an active shooter drill. Road closures are being lifted and police are clearing the area.

Wakefield High School and Claremont Elementary are in a heightened state of security due to an investigation into shots fired across the county line.

Fairfax County Police say they’re investigating a shots fired call from the area around Skyline Towers and the Target on Route 7. The address is reportedly that of a federal law enforcement office.

“We are investigating a report of shots heard at 5109 Leesburg Pike,” FCPD said in a tweet. “Nothing confirmed. No suspect, no victims located at this point.”

Wakefield and Claremont have been placed in “secure the school” mode, according to scanner traffic. Arlington County Police have also shut down the intersection of George Mason Drive and Route 7, preventing traffic from entering Fairfax County.

Tweets from during the incident:

UPDATED: Fire Department Response at East Falls Church Metro

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6:15 p.m. — The disabled train has been cleared and trains are no longer single tracking past the station, Metro says.

Earlier: A large scale fire department response has been dispatched to the East Falls Church Metro station for a report of smoke on a train.

Metro says that a Largo-bound Silver Line train has offloaded at the station after suffering a brake problem. Trains are now single tracking past the station.

Light smoke reportedly filled at least one of the train cars, according to scanner traffic.

DEVELOPING: Arlington County Nearly Out of Road Salt

By ARLnow.com

Salt truck (file photo)(Updated at 6:00 p.m.) Arlington County has nearly run out of road salt during today’s snow storm.

We hear that county roads crews have been unable to fully treat some treacherous stretches of roadway this afternoon due to the salt shortage, leaving drivers stranded on hills and frustrating police officers trying to reopen roads where there have been accidents.

Jessica Baxter, spokeswoman for the Dept. of Environmental Services, confirmed the salt shortage in an email to ARLnow.com this evening.

It’s been a really rough winter season, not only in our region but across the nation. The County is experiencing end of season low inventory levels of salt. Stock piles from our regional contractor are near depleted. We received mid-season resupply, but it was not enough due to the severity of this winter. We’re doing everything we can to receive additional tons as soon as possible.

Crews are working around the clock and their primary effort will be to plow snow from the streets. We’ll use salt conservatively and supplement with sand.

The problem is apparently impacting some other jurisdictions in the region as well. Additional information from Baxter:

We utilize a regional contract [for salt]. Almost all salt in our region comes from the port of Baltimore. We believe all jurisdictions are working carefully to manage their remaining supply.

Arlington has two salt storage facilities, one north side and one south side. Our maximum capacity is about 8,000 tons. We start the season each year at full capacity and refill during the winter.

About 5-6 inches of snow has fallen on Arlington so far today, with the snowflakes beginning to taper off. The snow has caused numerous accidents, stranded drivers, temporarily blocked roads and even the GW Parkway, and forced businesses to close early.

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Teen Seriously Injured in Bike Accident

By ARLnow.com

The steep S. Walter Reed Drive hill (photo via Google Maps)A teenage girl has suffered serious injuries in a bike accident on a steep downhill portion of S. Walter Reed Drive.

Police believe the girl ran into the back of a stopped SUV near the intersection of Walter Reed and S. Randolph Street, at the bottom of a steep hill. The girl suffered a serious head and facial injuries and was rushed to the trauma center at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

The girl was reportedly wearing a helmet. The driver of the SUV remained on scene, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The accident happened around 3:30 p.m. As of 4:45 p.m., investigators were still taking photos and measurements at the scene.

Photo via Google Maps

DEVELOPING: ACFD Responds to Smoke Reported in Metro Tunnel

By ARLnow.com
1/7

(Updated at 10:40 a.m.) A large fire department response has been dispatched to the Ballston Metro station for a report of smoke in a Metro tunnel.

Metro called the fire department, reporting smoke in one of the tunnels between the Ballston and Virginia Square stations. Power has been cut to the track as firefighters investigate.

Metro says trains are single-tracking between Clarendon and Ballston stations as a result.

Firefighters in the tunnel are reporting a smoldering pile of trash along the third rail. There’s also a report of an arcing insulator.

The large emergency response comes after Monday’s fatal Metro incident outside the L’Enfant Metro station, in which smoke filled a disabled Metro train in a tunnel.

As of 10:40 a.m., fire department units were starting to clear the scene. Metro maintenance personnel are now working on the track problem. No additional smoke or fire has been reported.

Metro is advising Orange and Silver Line riders to expect delays.

DEVELOPING: Yellow Line Metro Line Service Suspended

By ARLnow.com

Pentagon City Metro station(Updated at 6:50 p.m.) Yellow Line Metro service has been suspended due to heavy smoke in the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station.

Metro has suspended Yellow Line service from between Pentagon City and Mt. Vernon Square. Green Line service is also suspended.

According to Arlington scanner reports, a Yellow Line train is disabled somewhere between the L’Enfant and Pentagon Metro stations. Medics responded to the Pentagon station due to reports of at least one person having difficulty breathing on the train, but the train is being evacuated in D.C. (photos below) and Arlington units have since been released.

A “mass casualty incident” was declared and rescues were being made at L’Enfant, according to the D.C. firefighters union. The mass casualty designation is likely due to the riders stuck on the disabled train, inside a smoke-filled tunnel. The fire that was the source of the smoke has since been extinguished.

Metro General Manager Richard Sarles told NBC 4 Tuesday evening that dozens of people have been taken to the hospital, including two people who are in critical condition at George Washington University Hospital. One person died as a result of the incident, Sarles said.

During the incident, Arlington firefighters responded to an electrical room at the Rosslyn Metro station for a report of smoke. It’s unclear if that smoke might have traveled through the tunnels from L’Enfant or is the result of a separate incident. Units on the scene say there’s a smell of smoke but no evacuations are necessary.

Blue, Orange and Silver Line trains are continuing to run through L’Enfant station without stopping, according to Metro. Still, riders should expect major evening rush hour delays.

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