Fairfax County

BREAKING: Three Arrested After Police Chase Ends on I-395

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) The northbound lanes of I-395 are partially blocked just past Glebe Road, approaching the Pentagon, after a police chase ended in the middle of the highway.

Initial reports suggest the car was being chased for an assault on law enforcement, possibly as a result of the car ramming a Fairfax County Police cruiser.

Fairfax County Police and Virginia State Police officers chased the car up I-395 until it reportedly lost control and was boxed in by several police cruisers. The chase ended around 12:25 p.m. Arlington County officers trailed the chase and helped to assist with traffic control, according to scanner traffic.

Three occupants of the car were instructed to come out with their hands up, and were arrested at police gunpoint without further incident. No word yet on what charges they may face.

As of 12:35 p.m., one lane of northbound I-395 had reopened to traffic after being completely blocked for a short time.

Update at 11:30 p.m. — The chase started when officers tried to pull over the car in connection to a theft from a department store in Tysons Corner, according to Fairfax County Police.

From FCPD:

Around 11:40 a.m. today (Tuesday, December 6), the Tysons Urban Team (TUT) team was investigating a larceny case at a department store in Tysons Corner Center. The suspects fled in a car. Officers located it nearby and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver did not stop and a pursuit was initiated. The pursuit traveled out of Fairfax County. Virginia State Police and Arlington County Police assisted us.The pursuit ended along I-395 and Washington Street. Initial information determined three people were taken into custody.

Two Shot in McLean After Arlington Party

By ARLnow.com

Fairfax County police car lightsTwo people were shot during a drive-by shooting in McLean early Sunday morning, following a fight at a party in Arlington.

The shooting occurred on Dolley Madison Boulevard (Route 123), near the entrance to the GW Parkway, around 4 a.m.

“Preliminary information suggests that this incident stemmed from an altercation between several people at a party somewhere in Arlington County earlier in the night,” Fairfax County Police said in a press release. “One group left the party in a vehicle and when they reached Dolley Madison Boulevard and Kirby Road, another vehicle pulled alongside and fired several shots, striking two occupants in the first vehicle. The unidentified suspect vehicle then fled the scene.”

“Little is known about the two victims at this point, other than they drove themselves to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries,” the press release continued. “There is no suspect or vehicle description at this time.”

The Fairfax County Police helicopter assisted with the response to the shooting, but was unable to locate the suspects. Police are asking that anyone with information about the shooting call them at 703-691-2131 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Swimming at the Dominion Hills pool (Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick)

Fairfax Wants Arlington’s Tourism Dollars — Fairfax County wants Arlington’s crown as the biggest tourism center in Virginia. “It’s our goal to beat out Arlington, and we’re going to continue giving it all we’ve got,” said Fairfax’s tourism chief, who is pushing for the county to build a new convention center. [InsideNova]

Free House in South Arlington — Here’s some truly affordable housing: a historic, all-steel Lustron house is being offered for free in south Arlington, to anyone willing to haul it away. [Twitter]

Super Pollo Wins Commuting Competition — Super Pollo in Ballston has won a county-sponsored competition “designed to encourage the Hispanic workforce to use modes of transportation other than driving alone when commuting to work.” [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick

TRAFFIC ALERT: WB Route 50 Closed Due to Bank Robbery

By ARLnow.com

Route 50 closed due to bank robberyUpdate at 7 p.m. — All roads are back open again.

Update at 6:30 p.m. — Route 50 is closed in both directions again, according to WTOP and Fairfax County Police.

Update at 6 p.m. — Route 50 has reopened to traffic in both directions, WTOP reports.

Meanwhile, Metro commuters also had to deal with delays during this evening’s commute. A disabled train at the Courthouse station prompted single tracking and serious delays on the Orange and Silver lines.

Westbound Route 50 has been closed at N. Manchester Street, near Kenmore Middle School, due to a bank robbery investigation in Seven Corners.

The robbery was reported this afternoon at the TD Bank at 6198 Arlington Blvd. Initial reports suggest that the suspect told bank employees he had a bomb, then left a suspicious package in the bank before fleeing the scene.

Route 50 is closed near the bank, as Fairfax County police and the bomb squad investigate. Arlington County Police have closed westbound Route 50 at N. Manchester Street, not far from the county line, and as of 5:15 p.m. had also shut down access to westbound Route 50 from Glebe Road.

DEVELOPING: Child Found Dead in Back of Car in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

ACFD Arlington County ambulance (file photo)Update at 6:05 p.m. — Charges have now been filed in the case.

Fairfax County Police are investigating the death of a two-year-old girl who was found in the back of a car in Pentagon City.

Medics were called to the front of the Pentagon City mall, on the 1100 block of S. Hayes Street, around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a child who was unresponsive in the back of a car and was being administered CPR. The girl was later pronounced dead.

An investigation determined that the girl had likely died in Annandale after being left in the back of the car all day by a caretaker.

From the Fairfax County Police Department:

Our initial investigation has determined that a male acquaintance of the child’s mother was supposed to drop three children off at two locations on the morning of April 20. It appears he dropped off two older children, ages 10 and 15, and then returned to the home in Fairfax County, not realizing that the two-year-old remained on the back seat of the car. Sometime later, the acquaintance got back in the car to pick up the children’s mother. When he arrived at her location in Arlington County, he looked in the back seat area of the car and saw the child. When he discovered that she was unresponsive, he immediately called 911.

So far, no charges have been filed in the case. The two older children are staying with a relative pending the results of the investigation.

“As detectives continue their investigation, they will consult with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County for a determination of criminal liability,” said police.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

"Uh oh" (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

Arlington School Administrator Dies — Kathleen Meagher, the director of secondary education for Arlington Public Schools, has died at the age of 53 as a result of a scuba diving accident. Meagher, who joined APS in 2014 after serving as a school administrator in Palo Alto, Calif., was vacationing with her partner in St. Kitts and Nevis, in the Caribbean. [Washington Post, Daily Democrat]

TSA May Stay in Arlington After All — A judge’s ruling has opened up the door to the Transportation Security Administration potentially keeping its headquarters in Arlington. The TSA is currently headquartered in Pentagon City, and was set to move to Alexandria, but may now be able to consider the Stafford Place complex in Ballston, from which the National Science Foundation is moving in 2017. [Washington Business Journal]

Difficult Primary for Poll Workers — Arlington County elections officials are preparing for what might be a challenging primary. With intense interest in the presidential primary, turnout is expected to be heavy. There are 13 Republicans and three Democrats that have qualified for their respective primaries. And a loyalty pledge that’s being mandated by the Republican Party of Virginia may cause confusion and animosity at the polls. [InsideNova]

Va. DMV to Allow Smiling, Sort Of — The Virginia Dept. of Motor Vehicles is lifting its ban on smiling in driver’s license photos, kind of. New rules will allow smiling, but only without showing teeth. [WJLA]

A Streetcar Named Regret in Fairfax Co. — A Fairfax County official is still lamenting Arlington’s cancellation of the Columbia Pike streetcar project. Supervisor Penelope Gross said the streetcar “was going to be important to maintain the viability of Skyline.” The streetcar was to run through the Skyline section of Fairfax County, improving prospects for the vacant and partially-vacant office buildings there. Fairfax County is currently trying to figure out what to do about so much vacant office space. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

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:

Arlington Man Charged with Exposing Himself at Fairfax JCPenney Store

By ARLnow.com

Police car lights(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) A 52-year-old Arlington man was arrested at a JCPenney store in the Springfield Town Center mall yesterday morning and charged with indecent exposure.

Fairfax County Police say the man exposed himself to employees on two occasions, in the dressing rooms of Springfield Town Center stores, while shopping for lingerie.

From a FCPD press release:

Detectives charged a 52-year-old Arlington man with indecent exposure at a shopping mall dressing room and have connected the suspect to a similar incident last month.

Allen Jones, 52, of Longfellow Street in Arlington, reportedly exposed himself to a clerk at the [JCPenney] at Springfield Mall around 11:15 a.m. on Monday, October 5. The suspect was shopping in the women’s underwear section of the store and requested assistance from the clerk as he shopped and tried on the items. The incident reportedly took place in the changing room. The clerk immediately contacted police and store security.

Upon investigation, detectives linked the suspect to a previous incident on September 18 where the suspect similarly reportedly exposed himself to a clerk at a women’s lingerie store (Soma) in the Mall. The suspect was charged in connection with that event as well.

Jones was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

Detectives are seeking anyone with information or who may have had similar encounters with the suspect. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visiting www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Line at Pedro and Vinny's on Columbia Pike

ITT Tech Protest Only Included One Student — A protest outside ITT Tech’s shareholder meeting in Rosslyn earlier this week reportedly included only one person who had actually been a student at the for-profit school. The rest were from advocacy groups and a labor union. [Inside Higher Ed]

New Food Delivery Service Comes to Arlington — DoorDash, an online food delivery business that promises to get food to your door in 45 minutes or less, has launched in Arlington. DoorDash joins similar food delivery services like Seamless and Eat24 in entering the Arlington market. [WUSA 9]

Arlington Teacher Recognized at the White House — Arlington Career Center teacher Thomas O’Day was one of 10 educators nationwide to be honored as a 2015 Career and Technical Education Innovator. O’Day, who has been teaching television production at the career center for 27 years, received his recognition at an event hosted by the White House. [Arlington Public Schools]

New Affordable Housing Video — The group Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) is producing a series of videos in support of affordable housing efforts in Arlington. The first video profiles Marcos Rubio, a janitor at H-B Woodlawn who currently commutes from the Springfield area. [Vimeo]

House Fire in Alcova Heights — A small house fire broke out on the 3800 block of 6th Street S. in the Alcova Heights neighborhood around 7:00 this morning. The fire was extinguished and no one was hurt. [Twitter]

Fairfax County Approves Seven Corners Plan — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week approved a sweeping redevelopment plan for the Seven Corners area, near Arlington. The plan, which was fought by residents in nearby single family home neighborhoods, calls for several thousand new homes, a revamped street grid and new shops and restaurants. [Washington Post]

UPDATED: Escaped Bank Robbery Suspect Captured

By ARLnow.com

Wossen Assaye (photo via Fairfax County Police)

Final Update (noon) — According to the Fairfax County Police Department, Assaye has been apprehended in southeast D.C., during a traffic stop, without incident.

Update at 10:00 a.m. — Per a police broadcast, the vehicle referenced below has been found but Assaye remains at large. He has reportedly carjacked another vehicle, a dark gray Hyundai Elantra with the plate XTU-5024. It was last seen in the area of Little River Turnpike in Annandale.

Earlier: Wossen Assaye, the bank robbery suspect arrested by the FBI in Arlington on March 20, has escaped from a hospital in Fairfax County.

Police say Assaye was at Inova Fairfax Hospital after an apparent suicide attempt. Early this morning he reportedly overpowered a private security guard, took his gun and escaped. A shot was fired during the struggle but no one was injured.

Police say Assaye, who’s 6’0″ and 170 lbs, stole a silver 2002 Toyota Camry with Virginia tags XZP-8513 and is still on the loose. He was wearing nothing but a hospital gown at the time of his escape. According to Reston Now, the hospital has been placed on lockdown.

On March 20, Assaye was apprehended at his father’s apartment at The Carlin retirement home in Buckingham. Police say Assaye may now be on the run with his girlfriend.

Assaye is suspected of robbing a dozen banks, making his escape from the robberies on a bicycle. Arlington County issued the following alert about Assaye’s escape this morning.

Early this morning a prisoner, being guarded by a security officer, managed to escape from Inova Fairfax Hospital. The suspect is Wossen Assaye, a male, 6′, 170 lbs who was last seen wearing a hospital gown. The suspect is armed and considered dangerous. Please use an abundance of caution and check with your local news for additional information and a photo of the suspect.

ACPD Planning Sobriety Checkpoint Friday

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police carThe Arlington County Police Department is planning a cross-jurisdictional sobriety checkpoint Friday night.

The department did not specify where exactly the checkpoint would be, but did say that Fairfax County would also be conducting its own checkpoint in conjunction.

From an ACPD press release:

On Friday, March 6, 2015 the Arlington County Police Department will conduct a joint sobriety checkpoint with assistance from the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, and the Fairfax County Police Department across two jurisdictions. These enforcement efforts are in support of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) National crackdown program on drunk driving that focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.

Officers will stop all vehicles passing through the checkpoint and ask to see the licenses of drivers. Any driver suspected of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be directed to a safe area off the roadway for further observation and possible testing for intoxication.

The maximum penalty in Virginia for the first conviction for driving under the influence is 12 months in jail, a $2,500 fine and a 12-month suspension of driving privileges.

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