hit and run | ARLnow.com

Police: Minor Crash Leads to Serious Charges

Published July 1, 2016 at 11:20AM

A driver involved in a fender bender is now facing charges of reckless driving, unlawful wounding and hit and run.

The crash happened on the 2400 block of S. Kenmore Street, in the Nauck neighborhood. Police say Maryland resident Brunilda Lopez struck the other driver involved with her car and then drove off.

From an Arlington County Police crime report:

UNLAWFUL WOUNDING, 160630029, 2400 block of S. Kenmore Street. At approximately 12:00 p.m. on June 30, two vehicles were involved in a minor accident. As the drivers were exchanging information the suspect returned to her vehicle. The victim attempted to prevent the suspect from leaving by standing in front of her vehicle and was struck. Medics arrived on scene and the victim refused transport to the hospital. Warrants have been issued for reckless driving, unlawful wounding, and hit and run for Brunilda Lopez, 50, of Montgomery MD.

Suspect Runs Over Man’s Legs While Ditching Check at Pike Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Published May 31, 2016 at 11:50AM

A man was seriously injured after trying to stop a diner who ditched his check at El Rancho Migueleno restaurant (3709 Columbia Pike) Friday night.

The incident happened just before 11:30 p.m. Police say the victim was a friend of the restaurant’s owner and was sitting outside on the restaurant’s patio when he saw a dispute unfold between the owner and a man who refused to pay his bill.

The victim intervened in the dispute, chasing the suspect into the parking lot and standing in front of his car. At that point, police say, the suspect drove forward, knocking the victim down. The suspect then drove over the victim’s legs and fled the scene, said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

The victim suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital. The suspect remains at large.

From an ACPD crime report:

HIT AND RUN, 160527072, 3700 block of S. Columbia Pike. At approximately 11:25 p.m. on May 27, a male victim chased after a suspect who left a restaurant without paying his tab. The victim approached the suspect’s vehicle and they began to exchange words regarding the incident. The male suspect attempted to drive away and the victim stood in front of the vehicle in an effort to prevent him from leaving. The male suspect then struck the victim with his vehicle, drove over the victim’s legs and fled the scene. The victim’s injuries were non-life threatening. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his twenties, approximately 6’0″ tall and weighed 180 lbs. He was wearing a white shirt, blue jeans, and had a sleeve tattoo on his right arm.

Police Seek Cadillac Driver Who Struck Two Year Old in McDonald’s Parking Lot

By ARLnow.com

Published September 10, 2015 at 11:00AM

Arlington police are looking for a man who allegedly ran over a two year old in a McDonald’s parking lot and then drove off.

Police say the driver hit the child with his Cadillac while in the restaurant parking lot on the 3000 block of Columbia Pike. The man allowed the child’s family to pull him out from underneath the car before speeding off.

The toddler was hurt but is expected to be okay. Police are hoping grainy surveillance images of the car (above) may help them track down the driver.

From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Auto Crimes Unit is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying and locating a suspect involved in a hit and run incident of a two-year old child on August 30, 2015.

The suspect drove into the McDonald’s parking lot, located in the 3000 block of Columbia Pike, at approximately 7:04 p.m. and was captured on surveillance video striking a two-year old child. The suspect vehicle ran over top of the child and stopped so the victim’s family could pull him from underneath. The vehicle then sped off and the child was transported to Children’s Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The subject is described as a black male between 18-30 years old. He has green eyes and dreadlocks past the ears. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a white baseball hat with a black brim. The vehicle is described as a four door, silver-colored Cadillac sedan.

If anyone has information on the identity and/or whereabouts of this individual, please contact Detective Burgess of the Arlington County Police Department’s Auto Crimes Unit at 703.228.4618 or at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 21, 2015 at 9:15AM

Australian Restaurant Coming to Clarendon — Oz, a new Australian restaurant, will be opening in the former La Tagliatella space in Clarendon late this summer. The restaurant is owned by Australian native Michael Darby, co-founder of Monument Realty, and his wife Ashley Darby, the 2011 Miss District of Columbia winner. [Washington Business Journal]

New Ballston Apartment Project in the Works — Saul Centers, which developed the Clarendon Center project, is planning a new residential and retail development on the Orange Line. The developer is in the early stages of proposing a 12-story, 431-unit apartment building to replace the Rosenthal Mazda dealership at the corner of N. Glebe Road and Wilson Blvd. [Washington Business Journal]

Parking Lot Hit-and-Run Case in Court — A court hearing was held Monday for Alexandra Mendez, the woman accused of running over a man in a Columbia Pike parking lot and then fleeing the scene. Prosecutors showed the court a cell phone video of the incident, which nearly killed 40-year-old Noormustafa “Noor” Shaikh. A doctor testified that Shaikh’s “bones were like shards” after being run over by Mendez in her SUV. [WJLA]

Arlington Highly Ranked by AARP — Arlington County is the 6th most livable place in the U.S. with a population between 100,000 and 500,000, according to a new survey by AARP. Also in the AARP survey, Arlington ranked No. 1 in the “Best Cities for Staying Healthy” category, thanks to an abundance of exercise opportunities. The survey targeted Americans age 50 and older. [WTOP]

VHC and County Considering Land Swap — Virginia Hospital Center and Arlington County have started discussing a possible land swap. The swap would trade soon-to-be-vacated county properties adjacent to the hospital — which would allow VHC to expand — for hospital property elsewhere in the county. Virginia Hospital Center, meanwhile, is getting kudos from the federal government. According to new hospital rankings from Medicare, VHC is the only “four star” hospital in the D.C. area. [InsideNova, Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by J. Peterson

Friends Raising Money for Man Run Over in Pike Parking Lot

By ARLnow.com

Published February 2, 2015 at 1:30PM

Friends and coworkers of a man critically injured in a parking lot hit-and-run on Columbia Pike are raising money to help his family.

Noormustafa “Noor” Shaikh, a 40 year old Stafford, Va. resident, was still in critical condition as of Friday afternoon, we’re told. He suffered numerous injuries last Tuesday when a Fairfax woman allegedly ran him over with her SUV, as he tried to prevent her from leaving the parking lot of his automotive business on the 3600 block of Columbia Pike.

Alexandra Mendez, 39, was arrested the next morning and charged with aggravated malicious wounding. She was also charged with hit and run for allegedly striking two cars in the parking lot, which prompted Shaikh — a co-owner of MK Auto Sales and Service — to try to stop her from leaving.

Shaikh was run over by the SUV’s tires and suffered at least eight significant injuries — including multiple rib fractures, liver laceration, bruised lungs, a leg fracture, spine fractures and facial fractures — according to a family friend who contacted ARLnow.com but did not wish to be identified by name.

“He’s awake and aware but can’t talk because he’s on a respirator full time,” the friend said of Shaikh’s condition. “He still has to undergo more surgeries.”

A group of friends and coworkers have set up an online fundraising campaign for Shaikh, who is better known by his nickname, Noor. So far the “For Noor” GoFundMe campaign has raised $895, but it is seeking more money to help provide for Noor’s wife and three sons.

Said the friend: “His wife, Durdana, is trying to keep his spirits up. She tough and hanging in there. She [is] with him all day… always keeping a watchful eye on him. As for the kids they are aware he was hurt, but they do not the extent for his injuries. Makes it easier for them. They all keep asking when their dad is coming home.”

Courtesy photo

Woman Arrested in Columbia Pike Hit-and-Run

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 28, 2015 at 10:30AM

The Arlington County Police Department has arrested a 39-year-old Fairfax woman for allegedly running over a man in a Columbia Pike parking lot yesterday evening.

Alexandra Mendez was arrested at her home at 6:00 this morning, police have announced. She is charged with aggravated malicious wounding, malicious wounding, two counts of hit-and-run and driving on a suspended license. The 40-year-old victim, a Stafford resident, remains at George Washington University Hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

The man was lying on the ground when police and witnesses say Mendez drove her SUV over him, dragging him several feet before speeding off westbound on Columbia Pike. Mendez also allegedly rolled over another man’s foot in her Toyota Highlander, in the parking lot behind a car dealership and beauty salon on the 3600 block of Columbia Pike.

Mendez is being held at the Arlington County jail without bond. Police also recovered the SUV when making the arrest this morning.

From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department has taken into custody and charged Alexandra Mendez, 39, of Fairfax, VA, following yesterday evening’s accident in the 3600 block of Columbia Pike. Mendez was denied bond and is currently being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility. She has been charged with aggravated malicious wounding, malicious wounding, two counts of hit & run and driving on a suspended license.

On January 27, 2015, at approximately 4:44 p.m., the suspect struck a male victim with her vehicle in a parking lot, knocking him to the ground. Numerous witnesses attempted to prevent her from driving away from the scene as the victim lay on the ground in front of her Toyota Highlander. After ignoring their requests to stop, Mendez proceeded forward over top of the victim and fled the scene. She remained at large until officers took her into custody at her residence at 6:00 a.m. this morning.

Emergency personnel transported the victim, a 40 year-old Stafford, VA man, to GW Hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he remains in critical condition.

The United States Marshal Service, Fairfax City Police Department and Fairfax County Police Department assisted Arlington County officers in taking the female suspect into custody this morning. The vehicle was recovered outside of the suspect’s residence.

BREAKING: SUV Runs Over Man on Columbia Pike

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 27, 2015 at 5:40PM | Updated January 28, 2015 at 10:48AM

Update at 10:45 a.m. — An arrest has been made in the case.

A man is in critical condition after being run over by an SUV in a parking lot on Columbia Pike Tuesday evening.

The incident happened at approximately 4:45 p.m., in the parking lot behind a barber shop and a car dealership on the 3600 block of Columbia Pike.

Witnesses say a woman driving a white or silver Toyota Highlander was trying to exit the parking lot after a fender bender when two men tried to stop her by closing the parking lot gate. One man had his foot ran over, according to news reports.

The other man was knocked to the ground, ran over and dragged several feet under the car, we’re told. The driver then sped off westbound on Columbia Pike.

The man was transported to George Washington Hospital’s trauma center with life-threatening injuries, according to police. Witnesses on scene took video of the incident and police are reviewing the footage.

A group of witnesses said they were in Burger King next door and saw the incident unfold.

“While the guy was lying down, everyone was around screaming at her to stop,” one witness, who declined to be identified, told ARLnow.com at the scene. “She kept on moving and ran over the guy.”

Witnesses say the man’s face suffered severe-looking injuries, “his legs were twisted” and his hands were bleeding. Paramedics arrived to the scene and quickly transported him. There’s no word on the suspect or if she knew the victim.

Pedestrian Struck on GW Parkway, Police Seek Tips

By ARLnow.com

Published October 20, 2014 at 7:00PM

A pedestrian is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle on the George Washington Parkway.

The collision happened around 8:30 Sunday night. A driver vehicle heading northbound struck a pedestrian just before the exit to Spout Run. The striking vehicle then drove off, continuing on northbound, according to U.S. Park Police.

The pedestrian, who has not been identified, is “currently being treated at a local hospital and remains in critical condition,” police said Monday night. It’s unclear why he or she was on foot in or along the roadway.

Investigators don’t have a description of the vehicle, and are asking witnesses to come forward.

“Commuters traveling north on the George Washington Memorial Parkway that may have witnessed this crash or may have information is asked to contact the United States Park Police Tip Line at 202-610-8737,” Park Police said.

Suspect in Stolen Zipcar Leads Metro PD on Chase

By ARLnow.com

Published May 20, 2014 at 3:35PM

A suspect in a stolen Zipcar led a Metro Transit police officer on a brief chase through Virginia Square and Clarendon last night.

The 2014 Nissan Sentra was reportedly stolen from the Zipcar parking around the Ballston Metro Station. It was spotted by the MTPD officer around midnight, driving eastbound on Fairfax Drive in Virginia Square without its headlights on. The officer turned on his emergency lights and made a U-turn to attempt to stop the vehicle.

The driver in the Zipcar refused to stop and led the officer on a 0.3 mile chase down Fairfax Drive toward Clarendon. The vehicle ended up driving over a sidewalk near the Silver Diner (3112 Wilson Blvd) before the suspect bailed out and left the vehicle on a sidewalk across from the Clarendon Metro station.

“The operator of the Nissan is believed to have fled on foot northbound on Clarendon Blvd,” Metro spokesman Dan Stessel told ARLnow.com. The suspect got away and is now wanted on charges of eluding, hit and run and grand larceny auto.

The Nissan suffered “minor damage to the tire/rims” during the chase. A motorist told police that the fleeing suspect had hit his car at some point during the pursuit, causing minor damage. No injuries were reported and no other damage was reported, Stessel said.

File photo

Police Respond to Multiple Hit and Run Incidents

By Katie Pyzyk

Published November 26, 2013 at 12:00PM | Updated November 26, 2013 at 2:54PM

Police had a particularly busy afternoon on Sunday (November 24) due to a number of hit and run DUI incidents.

The Arlington County Police Department responded to 14 DUI incidents this weekend. On Sunday afternoon alone, there were four DUI hit and run cases. Police say that number is more typical of a Friday or Saturday night, not a Sunday afternoon.

“This is not a typical shift, with four similar DUI hit and runs. We were able to locate the individuals and apprehend them a short time after the incidents,” said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “This is unusual for a Sunday afternoon.”

One of the incidents involved police receiving calls about a car on I-66 westbound with what appeared to be one missing tire. Officers checking out the reports saw the driver of the vehicle hit another vehicle and attempt to leave the scene. She then reportedly hit the concrete barrier, which stopped her car near Glebe Road.

Officers had to remove the woman from her vehicle because they said she was unable to stand or hold up her own head. She was taken to the hospital as a precaution but did not have any serious injuries. Blood drawn at the hospital showed the woman had a blood alcohol level of .36. She was arrested for DUI and hit and run.

All of the drivers in the other three hit and run incidents were also tracked down and arrested for DUI and hit and run, among other offenses.

ACPD cautions drivers that DUI incidents tend to increase during holiday weeks. The department will have addition patrols out this week checking for drunk drivers in light of the Thanksgiving holiday.

“If you’re driving, please don’t drink,” Sternbeck said. “If you do drink alcohol, please use a sober designated driver and wear your seatbelt.”

Man Arrested After Crash Involving Ambulance

By ARLnow.com

Published November 11, 2013 at 12:15PM

A man has been arrested after allegedly driving into an Arlington medic unit and fleeing the scene.

The incident happened around 11:00 Sunday night. Arlington Medic 109 was exiting a parking lot onto the 2400 block of S. Glebe Road, with lights and sirens blaring and a medical patient on board, when the driver observed a car approaching at a high rate of speed. The ambulance stopped but the driver of the approaching vehicle did not, and the car broadsided the ambulance, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Bill Shelton.

The driver of the car then fled on foot, Shelton said. He was later apprehended by police and transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries suffered in the crash.

The patient on Medic 109 was taken to the hospital by another ambulance, apparently unhurt by the collision, according to Shelton. The two paramedics were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, also uninjured.

“They were very lucky in that respect,” Shelton told ARLnow.com. “It was a very substantial impact.”

A police spokesman could not be reached to confirm which charges are being filed against the alleged hit-and-run driver. Until repairs can be made, Medic 109 will be replaced by a reserve medic unit from the fire department’s fleet.

Photo courtesy Robert Eversburg/ACFD