manslaughter

NEW: Driver charged with DUI manslaughter after woman struck and killed

By ARLnow.com
Map showing the Arlington portions of King Street (via Google Maps)

A 38-year-old Maryland man is in jail after police say he struck and killed a woman with his car last night.

The crash happened around 10 p.m. on the 4800 block of King Street (Route 7), at the Arlington-Alexandria border. A crowd had gathered around the stricken pedestrian, a 71-year-old woman from California, as police arrived on scene, according to a police press release and scanner traffic.

The woman was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. Police say she was crossing the street when struck by the driver, who was arrested “on suspicion of driving impaired.”

More, below, from an Arlington County police press release.

The Arlington County Police Department is announcing an arrest in a fatal pedestrian crash that occurred on the evening of May 22, 2023. Alvaro Alejandro Pacheco Ramos, 38, of Columbia, MD has been charged with DUI/Involuntary Manslaughter. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

At approximately 10:04 p.m., police were dispatched to the 4800 block of King Street for the report of a crash with injuries involving a pedestrian. The pedestrian was transported to an area hospital and pronounced deceased. She has been identified as Susan Hamlin, 71, of Aptos, CA.

The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of the striking vehicle was traveling eastbound on King Street when he struck the pedestrian as she was crossing the roadway. As a result of the on-scene investigation, the driver was taken into custody on suspicion of driving impaired.

This remains an active investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Detective L. Bello at [email protected] or 703-228-4166. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rosslyn at night, as seen from the Key Bridge

Woman Hit By SUV on Route 50 — A woman was struck and critically injured by an SUV while crossing Route 50 at Fillmore Street during Monday’s evening rush hour. The victim is expected to survive; lanes were closed while police investigated the crash. Nearby residents say the intersection is dangerous and accident-prone. [WUSA9, Twitter]

House Fire in Arlington View — There was an unusual house fire last night in the Arlington View neighborhood near Hoffman-Boston Elementary. A house’s gas meter caught fire, spreading flames into the home’s basement. The blaze was quickly extinguished, sparing the home from major damage. [Twitter, Twitter, Twitter]

Man Pleads Guilty in Hot Car Case — The man who accidentally left a friend’s two-year-old child in the backseat of a car, causing the toddler’s death, has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Daiquan Fields was sentenced to a net six months in jail, time he had already served since the April incident, and is now on supervised probation. [NBC Washington]

Bonnie Black Murder Case Begins — The estranged husband of slain south Arlington mom Bonnie Black is now on trial for her murder. The trial of David Black started with opening statements on Monday; this morning witnesses for the prosecution are expected to be called. [WJLA]

Crystal City Post Office Moving — The post office along Crystal Drive in Crystal City is moving a few blocks down the road. The existing post office will be closed Thursday and Friday and the new post office, at 2180 Crystal Drive, will open Monday, Oct. 31. [Patch]

High Praise for Ambar — New Clarendon restaurant Ambar, which opened this month in the former Boulevard Woodgrill space, may get an indirect boost from TripAdvisor rankings. Ambar’s original Capitol Hill location is listed as the top-ranked D.C. area restaurant on TripAdvisor. [Washingtonian]

Amputee Athlete Visits Students — “Ghanian athlete and activist Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah recently visited with Arlington students to share his message that physical disabilities should not stop individuals from achieving their destiny.” [InsideNova]

Man Sentenced In Fatal Christmas Eve Crash

By Ethan Rothstein

Farhan Khan (photo courtesy ACPD)A 22-year-old Alexandria man received a net seven year prison sentence today after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the Christmas Eve 2012 death of a pedestrian in Ballston.

Farhan Khan was sentenced today in Arlington Circuit Court for the death of Shabnam Motahhar-Tehrani, 32, who was killed in the accident at the corner of N. Glebe Road and Randolph Street. Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with three years suspended. Additionally, his driver’s license will be revoked and he will be on probation for 10 years after his release, according to Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jay Burkholder.

Witnesses said Khan was driving between 50-60 mph when he ran a red light and struck another vehicle. The collision caused his vehicle to spin out and hit Tehrani, who was standing on the sidewalk of Glebe Road. Khan had been cited eight times for previous moving violations, including for speeding the day before the fatal accident, Burkholder said.

“The defendant’s driving behavior was extraordinarily dangerous, particularly because of his excessive speed, the rainy road conditions, and the flagrant manner in which he ran the red light,” Burkholder told ARLnow.com. “Considering his extensive history of speeding, including an offense the day before this accident, and the fact that his gross negligence directly caused the death of Ms. Motahhar-Tehrani, we believed that a significant sentence was appropriate. We are grateful to the Court for its consideration of the evidence.”

The maximum sentence for involuntary manslaughter is 10 years in prison. Video of the accident was captured by a camera on a Metrobus that was stopped at the intersection, and it was introduced as evidence against Khan, Burkholder said.

Photo courtesy Arlington County Police Department

Report: Arlington Man Killed By Fellow Rock Climber

By ARLnow.com

David Lawrence Dipaolo (photo courtesy Warren County, N.Y. Sheriff)(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) A 69-year-old Arlington man was killed by a fellow climber while rock climbing in Maryland’s Carderock Recreation Area, according to federal prosecutors.

D.C. Crime Stories reports that Bristow, Va. resident David DiPaolo, 31, was arrested in upstate New York and charged with manslaughter in the death of Geoffrey Farrar, of Arlington. The website, run by former Washington Examiner crime reporter Scott McCabe, reports that DiPaolo (pictured, left) admitted to striking Farrar in the head with a claw hammer during an argument and physical struggle at the base of a cliff.

Farrar, a resident of Arlington’s Bellevue Forest neighborhood, was remembered in an online funeral home guestbook as an avid rock climber, sometimes known as “Carderock Jeff.” His obituary initially listed the cause of death as a “rock climbing accident.”

Photo courtesy Warren County (N.Y.) Sheriff

BREAKING: Man Charged in Fatal Christmas Eve Accident

By ARLnow.com

Firefighters work to extricate the driver of a vehicle involved in a critical accident on Glebe Road (photo courtesy "Dixie")

A 21-year-old Alexandria man has been charged in the Christmas Eve death of a pedestrian in Ballston.

Farhan Khan (photo courtesy ACPD)The victim, 30-year-old Shabnam Motahhar-Tehrani of Nokesville, Va., was standing on a sidewalk around 4:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve when the suspect ran a red light, according to police, causing a crash.

Motahhar-Tehrani was struck by the suspect’s vehicle as a result of the crash. She was transported to a local trauma center where she was pronounced dead at 8:00 p.m.

The suspect, Farhan Mohammad Khan, was charged with involuntary manslaughter after an investigation by the Arlington County Police Department. He’s being held without bond and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department has taken a 21 year old Alexandria man into custody on an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from a Christmas Eve fatal pedestrian accident. Farhan Mohammad Khan, 21, of Alexandria, VA is currently being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

Khan was traveling northbound on N. Glebe Road at 4:30 p.m. on December 24, 2012 when he ran a red light and struck a vehicle in the intersection of N. Randolph Street. The accident caused his vehicle to spin out of control, striking 30 year old Shabnam Motahhar-Tehrani of Nokesville, VA as she was standing on the sidewalk. She was pronounced dead at INOVA Fairfax Hospital at 8:00 p.m. that evening.

The involuntary manslaughter charge is a Class 5 felony and carries a maximum sentence of up to ten years.

Photo (top) courtesy “Dixie.” Photo (middle right) courtesy ACPD.