(Updated at 9:10 p.m.) Arlington County police are investigating after a large fight at Yorktown High School yesterday.
The fight reportedly broke out Monday morning and resulted in multiple students suffering minor injuries. Parents later showed up at the high school, we’re told, after which police were called.
Police released few details in response to an inquiry from ARLnow.
“At approximately 12:04 p.m., police were dispatched to the 5200 block of Yorktown Boulevard for the late report of a fight on school property,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
Medics were also dispatched to the school to treat the injured students.
Savage said police are investigating the incident.
Confirming a tip also received by ARLnow, Fox 5 reported Tuesday night that police were called by parents, not by the school, following the fight. The School Board voted in June to relocate School Resource Officers — sworn Arlington County police officers that were previously stationed at schools.
An Arlington Public Schools spokesman did not respond to a request for comment sent Monday afternoon.
NEW: Video obtained by @LindsayAWatts shows brawl at Arlington's Yorktown HS. Police are investigating, but school admin didn't call them. Turns out they don't have to. I'll explain at 10/11. Fight first reported by @ARLnowDOTcom@fox5dcpic.twitter.com/Cck6Va20ec
A fracas at a local hotel on New Year’s Day prompted a large police response early Friday morning.
The incident happened during some sort of New Year’s Eve party at the Embassy Suites hotel in Crystal City, on the 1300 block of Richmond Highway. Police responded after a report of a fight, and encountered “a large crowd in the lobby of the building and multiple fights in progress throughout the hotel.”
A 21-year-old Dumfries resident was subsequently arrested for allegedly having a concealed gun without a permit.
From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
WEAPONS VIOLATION, 2021-01010006, 1300 block of Richmond Highway. At approximately 12:30 a.m. on January 1, police were dispatched to the report of a fight. Upon arrival, officers located a large crowd in the lobby of the building and multiple fights in progress throughout the hotel. While dispersing the crowds, officers made an observation consistent with that of a concealed weapon on the male suspect’s waistband and made contact with the individual. It was subsequently determined that he was in possession of a concealed firearm without a valid permit. Martine Neal, 21, of Dumfries, Va., was arrested and charged with Carrying a Concealed Weapon and held on an unsecured bond.
At the same location, nearly two hours later, police responded after two people were reportedly attacked “by a group of approximately ten male suspects.” From ACPD:
ASSAULT BY MOB, 2021-01010038, 1300 block of Richmond Highway. At approximately 2:18 a.m. on January 1, police were dispatched to the report of a fight in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined a verbal dispute occurred between parties inside a hotel room. As the two victims attempted to have the other party leave the room, they were assaulted by a group of approximately ten male suspects. The suspects fled the area prior to police arrival. Both victims suffered minor injuries and were transported by medics to an area hospital for treatment. There is no suspect descriptions. The investigation is ongoing.
Also in today’s ACPD crime report, a woman who was cleaning a room in a business had to break a window with a chair in order to flee a man who allegedly locked the door, took off his pants and touched her inappropriately.
The name of the business was not specified, but it happened on the 3300 block of Lee Highway, which is home to the Inns of Virginia hotel and several other businesses.
ABDUCTION WITH INTENT TO DEFILE, 2021-01020061, 3300 block of Lee Highway. At approximately 10:20 a.m. on January 2, police were dispatched to the report of an assault just occurred. Arriving officers located the suspect exiting a room and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined that the victim was cleaning a vacant room within a business when the male suspect allegedly entered the room and locked the door behind him. The victim then attempted to unlock the door, however, the suspect got between her and the door and re-latched it. The victim attempted to unlock the door several more times unsuccessfully. The suspect began to touch the victim inappropriately, then removed his pants, at which time the victim was able to break a window to an exterior hallway outside with a chair and escape the room. She sustained minor injuries during the incident. Khalil Martin, 27, of Washington, D.C. was arrested and charged with Abduction with Intent to Defile, Burglary with Intent to Commit Larceny/Assault & Battery, Sexual Battery, and Drunk in Public. He was held on no bond.
(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) Arlington County police and medics have responded to Clarendon after a promotion for free cheesecake got out of control.
Police were called to the area of the Cheesecake Factory at 2900 Clarendon Blvd earlier today for a report of a large crowd and heavy traffic in the area. Around 1 p.m., another dispatch went out for a fight in progress at the restaurant, though officers did not find an active fight when they arrived.
The culprit: the Cheesecake Factory is giving away free slices of cheesecake in honor of its 40th anniversary, but only to those who order on Doordash. The result, according to an Arlington County Police spokeswoman: an unruly crowd of delivery drivers inside the restaurant, trying to pick up orders, and a rash of double parking around the Clarendon area.
The scene was “a little hectic” and officers were working to bring order and “calm the situation down,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.com.
During the fracas, according to Savage, one person refused police commands to leave the restaurant and a struggle with officers ensued. That person was arrested and is expected to be charged with disorderly conduct, Savage said. He requested to be transported to a local hospital by medics for evaluation of possible injuries.
@ARLnowDOTcom lots of police activity at the Clarendon cheesecake factory. Possibly tied to free cheesecake day. One ambulance, fire chief vehicle, and a dozen cruisers
Here is what the Cheesecake Factory said about the promotion on its website:
In celebration of our 40th anniversary, on December 5th only starting at 11:30AM local time, we’re giving away 40,000 FREE slices* of cheesecake! Get a free slice* of cheesecake when you order delivery through DoorDash! Use promo code FREESLICE at checkout. Get it while you can because an offer this sweet won’t last long!
As an added bonus, DoorDash is offering $0 delivery fee** on all of The Cheesecake Factory delivery orders from December 5 – 11! No promo code needed!
There are socialmediareports that the promotion has caused chaotic scenes at other Cheesecake Factories across the country.
Later Wednesday afternoon, photos and video emerged on Twitter that appeared to show the arrest and some of the chaos inside the restaurant.
Arlington police arrested a Texas man after a fight broke out near the Clarendon Metro station Saturday night (July 21).
Police charged 41-year-old Kenneth George Griffin with one count of malicious wounding, after he was involved in a scuffle along the 3100 block of Wilson Blvd in Clarendon.
They believe the fight broke out when “a verbal dispute between known individuals escalated and became physical when the suspect pushed the victim to the ground, causing a laceration,” according to a county crime report.
He’s now being held without bond, and has a preliminary hearing on the matter set in Arlington General District Court on Aug. 31.
Full details on the incident from the crime report:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2018-07210228, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 8:45 p.m. on July 21, police responded to the report of an assault with injury. Upon arrival, it was determined that a verbal dispute between known individuals escalated and became physical when the suspect pushed the victim to the ground, causing a laceration. Kenneth Griffin, 41, of Pasadena, TX, was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding. He was held on no bond.
Sam Jensen gives a friend a pep talk in between rounds (courtesy of Sam Jensen)
Steel fighters competing (courtesy of Sam Jensen)
Steel fighters competing (courtesy of Sam Jensen)
Steel fighters discussing tactics (courtesy of Sam Jensen)
Sam Jensen a bit relaxed between rounds (courtesy of Sam Jensen)
Steel fighters preparing for a round (courtesy of Sam Jensen)
Arlington residents Zoheir El-Eita and Sam Jenson flew to Arizona early this morning, after carefully packing 60-75 pounds of steel armor and stowing away their weapons into their checked luggage.
The two medieval steel fighters are set to compete this weekend at the Armored Combat League’s National Championship in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., and a little finesse is necessary to get their gear across the country. Jensen, 27, studied up on exactly what he could and could not bring on board the flight, and weighed everything ahead of time.
The pair won’t be the only ones with a packing problem; the competition, from March 9-11, brings 49 fighters from across the country to “execute real medieval combat techniques to earn a spot in an international arena” while wearing medieval armor and using medieval weapons, according to a championship press release. They’ll be fighting with the Atlantic First Swords, a mid-Atlantic regional team.
Tournament play consists of one-on-one fights, three-on-three fights, five-on-five fights, and an “ultimate rush” fight of 16-on-16.
“Oh gosh, how do I describe it?” Jensen laughed before diving into an explanation of tournament technicalities. The overall goal is to fight the other team into submission, according to Jensen, by either “hitting someone so hard that they don’t feel like standing up any more or forcibly throwing them to the ground.”
Points are scored when players win a round, and a team needs 11 points to win. Rounds can last anywhere from 20 seconds to eight minutes, and the most rounds that Jensen has ever undertaken at once was either 23 or 24, but that isn’t normal.
“A man with 260 pounds of mass at a fairly quick rate will knock most people down,” said Jensen, so these melee rounds tend to last a minute.
The teams follow almost the same rules from French tournaments in the 1300s, with modern modifications for safety.
“I’d say we’re playing it a bit safer than the 14th century French were,” he added.
Successful steel fighters are chosen to represent the United States at an international championship in May in Scone, Scotland, about 45 miles north of Edinburgh.
While some of the local steel fighters may have discovered the sport through attending Renaissance fairs, Jensen was introduced by a friend living across the country who invited him to a tournament outside of Philadelphia.
Jensen was quickly hooked, and a month later he was getting his “butt kicked, but was absolutely hooked” and quit his pack a day smoking habit to get in better shape. He had been working odd jobs, at one point as a bouncer at D.C.’s Madhatter tavern, but nothing had been clicking.
“I was at a point in my life where, it’s cliche, but I was feeling listless,” he said. “I didn’t have a hobby or a passion, but I thought that this could be it.”
“If anything, I wish I’d found it sooner.”
Though he’s currently studying accounting and finance at Northern Virginia Community College, he meets every Tuesday and Thursday to train at Ashburn’s Silver Eagle Group Shooting Range with his usual, seven member team, the DC Juggernauts.
Jensen doesn’t think he’ll make it to the international tournament in Scotland, but that isn’t what’s important to him. The friendships made and the feelings of camaraderie and competition are enough for him — and he isn’t even sure if there is a physical prize to be won, anyway.
Police outside A-Town Bar & Grill on 3/12/17 (photo courtesy Brad L.)
(Updated at 4:15 p.m. on 12/23/21) A wild fight outside Ballston’s A-Town Bar & Grill last night resulted in two suspects being tased by police, including one man who was brawling while wearing a Pikachu onesie.
The incident happened around 9 p.m. on the 1000 block of N. Randolph Street. According to police, it started when the man in the Pikachu costume, Steven [Redacted] tried to pick a fight with the bouncers at A-Town after being kicked out of the bar’s weekly “Sunday Funday” festivities.
[Redacted] “became aggressive with the door staff and Mr. Reid attempted to intervene,” according to what may be the longest item ever on an Arlington County Police Department daily crime report (below).
Police arrived and tried to break up the fight between [Redacted] and [Redacted], according to the crime report. The men allegedly stopped fighting with each other and started fighting with police. Both suspects were tased during the fracas and [Redacted] tried to flee, but both were eventually taken into custody and no one was seriously injured, police say.
More from the ACPD crime report:
ASSAULT & BATTERY ON POLICE, 2017-03120191, 1000 block of N. Randolph Street. At approximately 8:58 p.m. on March 12, police were dispatched to the report of a fight in progress. The arriving officer located the subjects, later identified as Steven [Redacted] and Marcus [Redacted], and provided verbal commands to cease the fight. The subjects allegedly ignored the commands and the officer physically separated them. As the officer was attempting to detain [Redacted], [Redacted] advanced and struck the officer, pushing him to the ground. When Mr. Reid advanced towards the officer a second time, the officer deployed his taser. As officers were attempting to place handcuffs on Mr. Reid, he continued to forcefully resist while attempting to stand. An officer deployed their taser and the subject was taken into custody without further incident.
Additional officers responded to [Redacted] location who was attempting to flee the scene. Officers ordered the subject to stop and get on the ground. When he refused, officers went hands on in an attempt to detain the subject. [Redacted] struggled with the officer and was able to place him in a stranglehold. The officer was able to free himself, deploy his taser and the subject was taken into custody without further incident. Both subjects were evaluated by medics and did not sustain serious injuries. The investigation revealed that the initial incident began after [Redacted] was removed from a restaurant, became aggressive with the door staff and Mr. Reid attempted to intervene.
Marcus [Redacted], 31, of Arlington VA was arrested and charged with assault and battery on police, obstruction of justice and drunk in public. Steven [Redacted], 27, or Arlington VA was arrested and charged with assault and battery on police, strangulation, disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice and drunk in public. Both were held in the Arlington County Detention Facility on No Bond.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of the crime report interchanged the subjects names in the first paragraph. The report has been corrected at approximately 3:00 P.M. on March 13, 2017.
A fight between two students but also involving one student’s parents broke out Monday morning just outside of Yorktown High School.
Arlington County Police responded to the school just before 11:30 a.m. for a report of a fight involving students, adults and a large crowd. The situation was deemed to be under control shortly after officers arrived on scene.
ACPD on scene at Yorktown High School for a reported fight outside of the school. So far no injuries or active fighting reported.
But police say this was more than just a standard-issue fight between two students. It was the result of an “ongoing dispute” and it involved two parents of one of the students and allegations of racial slurs being used.
“The incident stemmed from an ongoing dispute between students at Yorktown High School,” said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “There was a verbal altercation which turned physical when one juvenile subject struck the juvenile victim in the face. The victim did not require medical transport. At this time, there are no criminal charges but our School Resource Officer continues to work with the students, families and Yorktown High School administration regarding the incident.”
The parents “were involved in the dispute but not the physical fight, that was between two juvenile students,” Savage said, in response to an inquiry by ARLnow.com.
“There was alleged use of racial slurs during the verbal argument,” Savage added. “We have not been provided with any video of the incident.”
A post in a popular online message board for local mothers suggests that racial slurs were used by the student’s father, and that cell phone video of the fight exists, but the actual circumstances could not be confirmed by ARLnow.com, only the allegations.
Arlington Public Schools spokesman Frank Bellavia said school administration “is aware of the incident and is working with the families involved to address the situation.”
(Updated at 4:10 p.m. on 12/23/21) A man’s night out in Clarendon took a turn for the worse when he allegedly tried to fight a bouncer who was kicking him out of a Wilson Blvd bar.
The incident happened around 1:40 a.m. Sunday morning.
Police showed up and tried to restrain the man, who proceeded to resist and kick the officers, according to a crime report.
From ACPD:
ASSAULT ON POLICE x2, 161023003, 3100 block of N. Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 1:40 a.m. on October 23, a fight ensued inside a restaurant. Multiple officers approached a subject who was wrestling a bouncer and attempted to remove him. In the process of being removed, the subject bit two bouncers. When the subject was handcuffed, officers attempted to remove him from the premises but he wrapped his legs around a support pole and refused to let go. He continued to not comply and kicked two officers in their faces. Dylan Monroe [Redacted], 25, of an unknown address, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding, assault on police, assault & battery, disorderly conduct, and drunk in public.
Gunston Could Get New Baseball Diamond — Arlington County officials are considering renovating a baseball diamond at Gunston Middle School, replacing it with a lighted artificial turf field. A public meeting about the project, is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 7-9 p.m. at the Gunston community center. [Arlington County]
TJ Elementary Design Approved — The Arlington School Board has unanimously approved schematic designs for the new elementary school planned for the Thomas Jefferson Middle School site. Construction on the $59 million project is expected to begin in July and wrap up in time for the 2019-2020 school year. [InsideNova]
More Details About W-L Fight — A large fight at Friday night’s Washington-Lee High School football game, first reported by ARLnow.com, involved “at least 20 parents and students” and “was the result of a dispute between two families,” unrelated to the game, according to police. Officers used pepper spray to break up the fight. One adult was arrested during the game. [Washington Post]
A large fight broke out at tonight’s Washington-Lee High School football game, prompting police to use pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
No significant injuries were reported, said Arlington County Police spokesman Capt. Bruce Benson. Those involved in the fight — students, reportedly — were evaluated but did not require medical treatment.
Washington-Lee’s football team was at home tonight, facing McLean High School. Police requested extra officers for security at the end of the game.
As of 9:45 p.m. no arrests had been made, Benson said.
Update at 11:55 a.m. — In addition to the fight during last night’s game, there was also a strong-arm robbery reported after the game. Police searched for the teenage suspect but were unable to locate him. The following email about the robbery was sent to the Cherrydale neighborhood listserv this morning.
My son was robbed after the Homecoming game at Washington Lee. It was right by the bike racks in front of the school on Stafford street, the guy asked for change for, and when my son took out the money to check, the boy snatched the money and ran, and when he yelled and tried to follow him, suddenly a group of the perpetrators friends showed up. I am glad the he did not engage, and instead went looking for a police officer.
The perpetrator had a Black Beanie cap, a grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans, he might have been only 15-16 years old. Even though only about $20 was snatched from my son, I hope the police follow up, as this totally is a sign of organized activity. Per police others were robbed last night as well.
A man fired several gunshots in the air a block from a main entrance to the Pentagon reservation, according to an Arlington County Police crime report.
The shots were fired during a fight between two groups outside the Doubletree hotel on Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City.
No one was hurt and so far no arrests have been made, according to police.
From the crime report:
DISCHARGE OF A FIREARM, 160925005, 300 block of S. Army Navy Drive. At approximately 1:00 a.m. on September 25, police were dispatched to the report of shots fired. The investigation revealed a physical confrontation between two groups had ensued and one male subject discharged a firearm several times into the air. The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 6’2″ tall and wearing a black cap, light blue shirt, and blue jeans. There were no injuries reported.
