Fort Myer Heights

ACPD Investigating Additional Indecent Exposure Incidents

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6 p.m. — ACPD says that the same suspect is believed to be responsible for at least nine separate indecent exposure incidents, all in the same general area.

“The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his 20’s or 30’s, 5’8″ to 5’10” tall with a medium build,” police said in an updated press release. “In several incidents, the suspect was reported to be wearing dark clothing with a hat or hood pulled tight around his face.”

Earlier: Two additional indecent exposure incidents were reported over the weekend and the suspect might be a repeat offender.

Like previous incidents, both happened in the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhood, near Rosslyn and Courthouse, and involved a suspect wearing a hoodie with the hood up.

The first was reported around 10:30 p.m. Sunday on the 1900 block of Clarendon Blvd, while the second was reported just before 11:30 p.m. Sunday on the 1200 block of N. Meade Street.

In the second instance, the man exposed himself and started masturbating in front of a woman in a parked car.

Asked yesterday if the cases might involve the same suspect, an Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman said both have been “referred to our Special Victims’ Unit for additional investigation and to determine if the cases are linked.”

The department is asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect.

More from an ACPD crime report:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2018-05060211, 1900 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 10:25 p.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a possible exposure. The witness described the individual as a possible black male wearing a dark hoodie. No additional information was provided by the witness regarding the incident. Upon arrival, officers established a perimeter and canvased the area with negative results. The investigation is ongoing.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2018-05060226, 1200 block of N. Meade Street. At approximately 11:20 p.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a possible exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined that the female victim was inside her parked vehicle when she observed an unknown male suspect approach her vehicle. Once in front of her vehicle, the suspect exposed himself and began masturbating. The victim then drove away. The suspect is described as a male, approximately 6’0″ tall and weighing 165 pounds. He was wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled tight around his face at the time of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

Police Seek Public’s Help Identifying Repeat Indecent Exposure Offender

By Bridget Reed Morawski

(Updated at 8:05 p.m.) The Arlington County Police Department is asking for tips from the public to identify a man they say has repeatedly exposed himself in the Radnor-Ft. Myer Heights neighborhood, near Courthouse and Clarendon.

The suspect is reported to have approached several victims while exposing himself.

Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s, standing at 5’8″ to 5’10” tall with a medium build. The suspect, during several incidents, reportedly wore “dark clothing with a hat or hood pulled tight around his face.”

Police have linked five separate indecent exposure incidents on four different days to the same suspect “based on witness interviews and evidence collected.”

The incidents, according to police, occurred at the follow dates, times and locations:

  • January 26, 2018, 10:35 p.m., N. Rolfe Street at 16th Street N.
  • February 9, 2018, 9:48 p.m., 1800 block of 16th Street N.
  • February 13, 2018, 11:00 p.m., 2700 block of Clarendon Boulevard
  • March 3, 2018, 11:58 p.m., 16th Street N. at N. Rhodes Street
  • March 3, 2018, 11:35 p.m., 1900 block of Clarendon Boulevard

The incidents all occurred within approximately a mile of one another, more or less along Clarendon Boulevard. Other indecent exposure incidents have been reported nearby in recent weeks, but were not included in the ACPD press release. However, a police spokesperson tells ARLnow that detectives’ preliminary investigation leads them to believe these two most recent incidents will also end up being included in the same case based on the location and suspect description.

More from the press release:

The Arlington County Police Department is sharing these crime prevention tips to help keep you safe as you travel in the area. Remain alert and aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever possible, walk with another person and stay in well-lit, high traffic areas. Limit your use of devices that may distract you or impede your vision or hearing. If you see something suspicious or are the victim of a crime, contact the Emergency Communications Center as soon as possible by calling 703-558-2222 or 9-1-1 in an emergency.

If anyone has information on the identity of this individual or details surrounding these incidents, please contact Detective J. Echenique of the Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

Photos: Trash Truck Smashes into Cars Near Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 12:10 p.m.) A trash truck smashed into a half dozen cars near Rosslyn this morning.

The crash was reported just after 11 a.m., at the intersection of N. Nash Street and the Arlington Blvd access road, in Ft. Myer Heights.

The truck was going up the steep hill on N. Nash Street when it lost its momentum and started rolling down, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Ben O’Bryant.

On the way down it struck five vehicles, destroyed part of a stone wall and came to a stop in an apartment building parking lot. It also pushed at least one vehicle over a retaining wall and onto the street and sidewalk below.

Police and firefighters are on scene and the intersection is closed to traffic during the cleanup. The driver of the truck is currently being evaluated for injuries, O’Bryant said.

Photos via @idlelupino, Google Maps

UPDATED: Hundreds Without Power in Rosslyn, Courthouse Area

By ARLnow.com

Update at 9:45 a.m. — Power has not been fully restored. According to the Dominion website, 282 customers are still without power. Restoration is currently expected by 1 p.m.

Earlier: Hundreds of Arlington residents are without power in the Courthouse and Rosslyn areas.

About 780 Dominion customers are in the dark on a frigid Sunday night, according to the power company’s website. The outage is between Route 50 and Clarendon Blvd, within the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights civic association boundaries.

The cause of the outage is reported to be under investigation and restoration is estimated between 7-11 p.m.

UPDATED: SWAT Team Responds to 911 Call Reporting Hostage Situation, Finds Nothing

By ARLnow.com
1/2

(Updated at 10:45 a.m.) Numerous Arlington County Police officers, SWAT team members and the county bomb squad were on the scene of an incident in the Radnor/Fort Myer Heights neighborhood Thursday morning.

Police were spread across several blocks, in the area of several apartment buildings and the Quarterdeck restaurant. Several roads were closed in the area.

A resident described the incident to ARLnow.com as a “possible hostage situation.” Later Thursday morning, police confirmed that they had received a 911 call from an individual falsely claiming to be holding a family hostage.

More from an ACPD press release:

At approximately 6:05 a.m. on August 17, the Emergency Communications Center received an anonymous call from a subject claiming to be holding a family hostage in the 1200 block of Ft. Myer Drive. Due to the elevated level of threat by the caller, the Arlington County Police Emergency Response Team and Arlington County Fire Bomb Squad were deployed. Members of the SWAT Team made contact with the occupants of the residence and during the course of the investigation, it was determined that no crime had occurred. A protective sweep of the residence was conducted with negative results. The all clear was given at approximately 8:48 a.m.

Reporting false information to the police is a crime. The investigation into the identity of the caller is ongoing. Anyone with information related to this investigation should call the Arlington County Police Department at 703-558-2222. Tips can also be provided anonymously to Arlington County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.

The incident may be a case of “swatting,” which is defined as “the action or practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.”

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified today’s day of the week as Wednesday instead of Thursday.

Rosslyn, Clarendon Construction Projects in Various Stages of Completion

By Chris Teale
1/12

(Updated August 16, 10:40 a.m.) With the summer almost at an end, several construction projects in Rosslyn and Clarendon are moving along.

In Clarendon, despite a small fire in May that prompted a major response from the Arlington County Fire Department, the Ten at Clarendon apartment building is open for business on 10th Street N.

A spokeswoman said the 143-unit luxury residential community was completed last month and residents are moving in. Also in July, the building added virtual reality tours for its new apartments .

In Rosslyn, a new six-story condo building is starting to rise in place of an aging low-rise apartment complex. The project, now called “Key and Nash” in signs posted nearby, will add 63 units at the corner of Key Blvd and N. Nash Street.

The project by Reston-based developer NVR, Inc., the parent company of homebuilder Ryan Homes, looks to be well on the way to completion.

Close by, demolition of the former Wilson School is over, and now workers have cleared the ground to start to lay the foundations for the new building.

The new school at 1601 Wilson Blvd, which will house the H-B Woodlawn and Stratford programs, is scheduled to open in fall 2019 and house 775 students across both programs.

But less than a block away, there appears to have been little progress as of yet on the proposed redevelopment of the 39-unit Queens Court apartment complex at 1801 N. Quinn Street.

The County Board approved in February a project by the local nonprofit Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing to bring 249 committed affordable units in a 12-story building.

And in Radnor-Fort Myer Heights, work is continuing on two new residential buildings and a rebuilt substance-abuse recovery facility. Crews and a variety of heavy machinery are on site at the project, known as Gables Pointe 14, at 1307 N. Rolfe Street. The 370 apartments in two buildings, underground parking and an 8,000-square-foot shared park are set to be complete in 2020.

Crime Report: Man Flashes Multiple Women in Rosslyn Area

By ARLnow.com

A man exposed himself to women twice within a span of about 15 minutes Monday night.

The incidents happened around 10 p.m. in the Rosslyn and Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhoods.

Police say the flasher first exposed himself to a female victim at the intersection of Clarendon Blvd and N. Rhodes Street. Police then received another call for a similar incident on the 1200 block of N. Queen Street.

More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2017-06120295, Clarendon Boulevard at N. Rhodes Street. At approximately 9:50 p.m. on June 12, officers responded to the report of an indecent exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined an unknown male suspect exposed himself to a female victim. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his mid-twenties, approximately 5’7″-5’8″ tall with a medium build. He was wearing a blue hoodie and cargo shorts. The investigation is ongoing.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2017-06120300, 1200 block of N. Queen Street. At approximately 10:01 p.m. on June 12, officers responded to the report of an indecent exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined an unknown male suspect exposed himself to a female victim. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his mid-twenties, approximately 5’8″ tall and weighed 160 lbs. He was wearing a dark colored hat, black hooded sweatshirt, shorts and sneakers. The investigation is ongoing.

A police spokeswoman said the same suspect is believed to be responsible for both incidents, but there’s no word as to whether he may have committed other such indecent exposure crimes in the past.

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

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Man Gets 45 Years In Prison For 1999 Murder

By Chris Teale

Ludvin Estrada sentencedA man who fled to Guatemala to escape murder charges was sentenced to 45 years in prison Friday for a 1999 homicide in the Radnor/Fort Myer Heights neighborhood.

Ludvin Estrada, 41, was convicted of killing 27-year-old Eva Veliz on May 11, 1999. Police found Veliz dead inside the trunk of a car parked on the 1300 block of N. Pierce Street.

The pair were seen leaving together, after a night out, at approximately 2:45 a.m. on the day of the murder. At some point, the pair started arguing and Estrada strangled Veliz to death, prosecutors say.

Estrada then immediately fled to Guatemala.

Police issued a warrant for Estrada’s arrest, but were unable to find him in Guatemala. The Arlington County Police Department’s cold case unit took over the case in 2012.

A combination of case files, laboratory results and evidence from the crime scene led law enforcement authorities to Estrada in September 2016. He was then extradited to the United States.

More from ACPD:

A man who fled to Guatemala following the 1999 murder of Eva Veliz in the Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights neighborhood of Arlington County was sentenced in the Arlington County Circuit Court on Friday, March 17, 2017. Judge Daniel Fiore imposed the maximum judgement permitted by the plea agreement and sentenced Ludvin Estrada, 41, to forty-five years in prison.

On May 11, 1999, at approximately 4:33 p.m., Arlington County Police responded to the report of a 27-year-old female victim located deceased inside the trunk of a vehicle parked in the 1300 block of N. Pierce Street. The investigation revealed that on the evening prior the victim, Eva Veliz, and the subject, Ludvin Estrada, had been out dancing and were seen leaving together at approximately 2:45 a.m. on May 11, 1999. At some point during the evening, a verbal altercation ensued between the two and the subject strangled the victim causing her death. Estrada immediately fled to Guatemala.

A warrant was issued for Estrada in 1999 but efforts to locate him in Guatemala were unsuccessful. In 2012, the case was assigned to the Arlington County Police Department’s Cold Case Unit. Through a review of the case files, crime scene evidence and laboratory results detectives located additional information that verified Estrada’s involvement in the murder.

In September 2016, following a joint investigation by the Arlington County Police Department, the United States Department of State, the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, the United States Marshals Service and Guatemalan Law Enforcement, Estrada was extradited to the United States to face charges in the 1999 murder of Eva Veliz.

“Today’s sentence is the culmination of years of dogged work and perseverance by Arlington’s law enforcement community.  A special thank you goes to Detective Rosa Ortiz who never, ever forgot about our victim.  Together with two dedicated prosecutors, Assistant Commonwealth Attorneys’ Stephanie Siegel and Lindsay Brooker, this defendant was finally brought to justice.” said Theo Stamos, Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Arlington County Deputy Chief Daniel J. Murray, Commander of the Criminal Investigations Division said, “More than a decade ago, Eva Veliz was taken from her loving family in a senseless act of domestic violence. While this case was never a whodunit, Ludvin Estrada’s decision to flee the country made this investigation much more complex. This case demonstrates our commitment to pursue cases, no matter how much time has passed. The message to criminals and the families of the victims is clear — Arlington County will not waver in our commitment to investigate and prosecute cold case homicides.”

Resident Barricaded Herself in Bedroom As Knife-Wielding Burglar Tried to Get In

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)A burglary last night led in some very scary moments for a Fort Myer Heights resident.

The break-in happened just after 7:30 p.m., at an apartment building on the 1300 block of Fort Myer Drive.

“An unknown subject entered a female victim’s residence,” according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report. “The female victim was in a bedroom at the time and heard noises originating from the kitchen. The victim believed the subject retrieved a knife from the kitchen as he made his way towards her location.”

“The subject then tried to force his way into the bedroom but was unsuccessful in gaining entry,” the crime report continues. “The subject fled the scene shortly after. A K9 track of the area returned with negative results.”

The only description the victim was able to give officers was that the suspect was wearing gray shoes. Police say the investigation is ongoing.

New Mixed-Income Apartment Building Opens Near Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com
1/11

A new mixed-income apartment building that provides the amenities of market-rate residences, even though 40 percent of its units are committed affordable housing, has opened near Rosslyn.

The Union on Queen building is located at 1515 N. Queen Street, in the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhood, roughly equidistant to the Rosslyn and Courthouse Metro stations. It was partially funded with $6.8 million from Arlington’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund.

Work on the 12-story, 193-unit structure, built as a public-private partnership, began at the end of 2014. It was touted as a way to provide affordable housing for those who need it — those making up to 50-60 percent of area median income are eligible for the committed units — while also providing attractive apartments for market-rate tenants.

“What makes Union on Queen so unique is that it offers ALL residents the same award-winning levels of innovation, convenience, amenities and design synonymous with the Bozzuto name in some of DC’s most premier apartments,” a PR rep said. “While most mixed-income communities often lack the luxuries and appointments of market-rate residences, Union on Queen delivers outstanding levels of service and detail for everyone.”

“There are a lot of places that would say, ‘Dumb it down, cheaper, less efficient. It’s affordable housing in there,'” County Board Chair Jay Fisette said during the groundbreaking ceremony two years ago. “But that’s not the way this community works. We want every building to be indistinguishable from the next.”

More on the project, via a press release from developers Bozzuto and Wesley Housing Development Corporation, after the jump.

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Cyclist Struck by Car, Seriously Hurt Near Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
1/10

A driver struck and seriously injured a bicyclist this afternoon near Courthouse.

The crash happened shortly before 4 p.m. at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and N. Queen Street, in the Radnor/Fort Myer Heights neighborhood.

A woman in a Nissan sedan struck the adult male cyclist near the entrance to Route 50. The car’s windshield shattered from the force of the impact on the passenger side of the vehicle. Damage was also visible on the side and hood of the car.

The cyclist was transported via ambulance to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Officers remained on scene to investigate the crash, said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

The driver remained on scene. No word yet on whether any charges will be filed.

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