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Crime Report: Holiday Edition

Published December 29, 2010 at 2:40PM | Updated January 9, 2018 at 2:48PM

Crime didn’t completely take a holiday over the weekend, but it certainly was at lower-than-usual levels.

Here are the two Grinchiest moments in Arlington, with both occurring on Christmas Eve.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING 12/25/10, 4300 block of Lee Highway. On December 25 at 3 am, a man was at a party when another man stabbed him in the arm. The suspect is described as a 25 year-old white Hispanic male, 5’6″ and 200 lbs.

ASSAULT ON POLICE-ARREST 12/24/10, 2000 block of S. Jefferson Davis Highway. On December 24 at 10:15 pm, police responded to a hotel for an intoxicated male. The man was wanted out of Fairfax County on two warrants. When officers attempted to place him in custody, he assaulted on, and fled on foot. He was located and arrested. Dejuan Butler, 28, of Faulkner, MD, was charged with Assault and battery on Law Enforcement. He was held without bond.

Then, on Monday, a suspect allegedly put his hand under a woman’s skirt as she was riding up the escalator at the Clarendon Metro.

SEXUAL BATTERY 12/27/10, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. On December 27 at 3:10 pm, a woman was on the metro escalator when she realized a suspect slid his hand and cell phone under her skirt. She yelled and he left the station. The suspect is described as a white Hispanic male in his early 30’s, 4’10” with short black hair. He was wearing white sneakers, khaki pants, a light-colored sweatshirt and a denim jacket.

We initially heard that the woman snapped a cell phone photo of the suspect, which could be very helpful in catching the guy. So far, however, we haven’t been able to confirm that with police.

The rest of the Arlington County crime report, after the jump.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 23, 2010 at 8:15AM

Zimmerman Talks Metro — County board member Chris Zimmerman, who recently announced that he was stepping down from the WMATA Board of Directors, has given what may be his first comprehensive interview since his surprise announcement last week. Zimmerman echoed his stance that Metro needs more funding to survive, and is at the mercy of “external” forces. “These are not things that are going to be fixed by a magical general manager,” Zimmerman said. “They’re not going to be fixed by any configuration of the board of directors.” More from We Love DC.

APS Students Give Back — A new “Snapshots” video from the county’s educational TV channel takes a look at how Arlington Public School students are giving back for the holidays.

Henry Elementary Student Wins WaPo Contest — Kate Lanman, a second grader at Arlington’s Patrick Henry Elementary school, has won the Washington Post’s annual holiday wrapping papers contest. Lanman, 7, will be featured on the cover of the Post’s weekend section tomorrow. More from the Washington Post.

Jail Gets Energy Star Label — The Arlington County Justice Center — which includes the jail and the courthouse — has become the first county building to be awarded an Energy Star designation. The Justice Center completed an energy efficiency overhaul in 2009. More from Arlington County.

Before Metro Resignation, Zimmerman Expressed Frustration

By ARLnow.com

Published December 20, 2010 at 11:16AM

When Chris Zimmerman announced he was stepping down from Metro’s Board of Directors last Tuesday, there was near universal agreement — at least among reporters — that it was a surprising and unexpected move. After all, Zimmerman was the body’s longest-serving member and perhaps its most ardent booster.

But lately Zimmerman had been expressing frustration, both publicly and privately, with what he sees as the inability of federal, state and local governments to properly fund Metro. In fact, at last Tuesday’s county board meeting — just two days before he would announce his resignation — Zimmerman spoke about the issue during a discussion of the county’s transit development plan.

Specifically, Zimmerman was addressing a question about adding more eight car trains on the Orange Line — something that Metro had promised but only partially delivered. Here’s what Zimmerman said:

It is true that the fact that Metro is not being funded at the level it needs to be, and that new needs come up — particularly in response to NTSB recommendations — means funds aren’t available and things like [eight car trains] are being put off. That is a problem. That is a huge problem. It’s not just a problem for Arlington, it is really a crisis for the region. If we don’t start funding Metro at the level it needs to be funded, it is not going to matter what else we do.

The comments seem consistent with what Zimmerman told reporters shortly after announcing his resignation.

When you chronically and persistently underfund an agency like this, it’s not going to perform the way you want it to… If we don’t have a stronger commitment from the region and from the federal government, then there’s nothing the general manager and the staff here can do to handle the problems that concern people, or to meet the growth that is forecast that will doubtless make things worse in another five years and certainly ten years.

BREAKING NEWS — Zimmerman Resigns from Metro Board

By ARLnow.com

Published December 16, 2010 at 2:01PM | Updated December 16, 2010 at 4:29PM

Arlington County Board Vice Chairman Chris Zimmerman, who will soon take over as chairman of the county board, has resigned his position as a board member of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, according to WTOP’s Adam Tuss.

Zimmerman has represented Arlington on the Metro board since January 1998. He also serves on several other regional transportation boards.

Gordon Linton, a Metro board member representing Montgomery County, also resigned at a board meeting today.

Update at 2:35 p.m. — We have been sent a copy of a letter Zimmerman sent to supporters explaining his surprising and unexpected resignation.

County board member Mary Hynes will be replacing Zimmerman on the Metro board, according to the letter.

Dear Friends:

Today I announced that I will be stepping down from my role as Arlington’s representative on the WMATA Board of Directors. On January 1st I will assume the Chairmanship of the Arlington County Board. In view of those responsibilities, and my desire to give greater focus to some of the needs within my county, I have decided that this is a good time for me to pass on the day-to-day duties of Metro representation.

I want to assure you that my commitment to transit and to Metro is as strong as ever, and I will continue to work for improvements to rail, bus, and paratransit services in our region. I will continue to serve on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (which is the governing body for WMATA in Virginia), as well as on the Transportation Planning Board for the National Capital Region, and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

One benefit of this move is that another member will have the opportunity to become immersed in the daily issues involved in the system, increasing the level of direct knowledge about Metro significantly on the Arlington Board. And I am confident that my County will be well-represented, and the region well-served, by the member who will succeed me on the WMATA Board.

My colleague Mary Hynes will take over in January. Mary is an exceptional public official, and she is well-prepared for this role. For the last three years she has served on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, for which she is currently Secretary-Treasurer. Mary has a very personal connection to Metro. For many years, she and her family have lived about a block-and-a-half from the Clarendon Metro station. They have relied upon the system, and seen the changes Metro has brought to the community over the years. Mary is also a very experienced local elected official, having served Arlington since 1995 as a School Board and now a County Board Member. She is known for her responsiveness to constituent’s concerns, and for paying close attention to details. Mary is also highly respected for her command of capital budgeting issues. She will be a strong advocate for riders, and a conscientious steward of the agency.

It has been a great privilege serving on the WMATA Board, and I appreciate all the help and support you have given me over the years in this role. I will be, as I have been, an ardent advocate for Metro, its riders, and the jurisdictions it serves. I look forward to continuing to work with all of you. There is much we need to do for the betterment of public transportation in our region, and for a bright future for Metro.

Thank you.

— Chris Zimmerman

Is This the House of a Terrorist?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 15, 2010 at 10:57AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:52PM

This is the house on 11th Street South in the Arlington View neighborhood where alleged “wannabe jihadist” Awais Younis lived with family members.

Younis, also known as Sundullah Ghizai and Mohhanme Khan, was arrested by the FBI last week and charged with threatening — via Facebook — to set off pipe bombs in Georgetown and on Metro trains.

Younis, graduated from Arlington’s Washington-Lee High School in 2004. A high school classmate and neighbor said the Afghanistan native was “real quiet.”

“He stayed to himself, kind of like an outsider,” LaRondre Gaskins told WUSA 9. “No friends but certain things that happened he was real weird about, like when 9-11 happened… he clapped about it in class.”

A family member, meanwhile, called the charges “bullsh-t.”

Younis, who is in his mid-20s, will undergo a court-ordered mental health evaluation. A court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 21.

All was quiet at Younis’ house this morning. There was little activity on the street, save an elderly woman taking items out of her SUV.

On the porch in front of the red brick home, Encyclopedia Britannicas were stacked haphazardly in a potato chip box. Down the side of the house, an Afghan rug was folded next to a Dell computer box, apparently waiting to be taken away as trash.

Arlington Man Accused of Making Metro Bomb Threats

By ARLnow.com

Published December 14, 2010 at 3:32PM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:52PM

The FBI’s terrorism task force has arrested a 25-year-old Arlington man on suspicion of making bomb threats via Facebook.

Awais Younis was taken into custody on Dec. 7. In court documents, he’s accused of threatening to use pipe bombs to blow up a busy section of Georgetown. He’s also accused of threatening to place bombs on Metro trains.

More from TBD, Fox 5 and the Washington Post.

Morning Poll: Metrorail Replacements?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 14, 2010 at 8:43AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:52PM

For all the complaining about Metro, one thing’s for certain: plenty of people still use it.

After all, if yesterday morning’s Orange Line problems demonstrated anything, it’s that for all the suckage, the people you saw jammed onto the platforms still, at that point, considered Metro to be their best transportation option. (Same applies to today’s Blue, Orange and Yellow Line delays.)

But perhaps some are changing their minds.

We heard stories about people yesterday leaving the stations and walking to work, taking cabs, hopping on the bus, or just going home. Maybe a few of those people will permanently change their commuting habits as a result.

With that we ask: have you switched from commuting on Metro to another form of transportation? Or, if you’re very seriously considering making a switch, which form of transportation are you likely to go with?

If you’re likely to continue riding Metro, select “none.”

#Metro
#poll

Major Delays on Metro Due to Small Fire, Switch Malfunction

By ARLnow.com

Published December 13, 2010 at 9:01AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:52PM

A small fire in a light fixture at the Metro Center station is having major repercussions for Metro commuters this morning.

We’re hearing on Twitter that it’s taking 40 minutes just to travel a couple of stops on the Orange Line. Delays have also been reported on the Blue Line.

Feel free to share your Metro horror stories in the comments.

Update at 9:10 a.m. — Metro is now reporting a switch malfunction between the Foggy Bottom and Federal Triangle stations, cutting off Orange and Blue Line service between the two stations. Via Twitter, there are reports of trains being offloaded at Arlington stations.

Crime Report: Mall Theft Suspect Runs Through Metro Tunnel

By ARLnow.com

Published November 17, 2010 at 4:52PM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 3:26PM

A kid involved in the theft of watches from a store in the Pentagon City Mall went to great lengths to try to avoid getting caught by police.

According to this week’s crime report, the juvenile fled to the Pentagon City Metro station and then ran through a Metro tunnel with police in hot pursuit. He was eventually arrested at the Pentagon Metro station.

Metro trains were stopped in the area during the pursuit, according to police.

GRAND LARCENY-ARREST 11/11/10, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. On November 11 at 9:30 pm, several subjects stole watches from a store at the mall. They were located by police in the Pentagon City Metro Station. One subject fled from police into the metro tunnel. Trains were stopped until the subject was apprehended at the Pentagon Metro Station. Two juveniles were detained and petitions are pending.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Jon Stewart Rally Pushes Metro to the Limit

By ARLnow.com

Published November 1, 2010 at 8:10AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 3:26PM

Saturday’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, hosted by Comedy Central personalities Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert helped Metro set a Saturday ridership record with 825,437 Metrorail trips taken.

But while setting the record may sound like a positive development for the beleaguered Metro system, those who actually took Metrorail before and after the rally told tales of overcrowded trains and stations.

It was so bad after the rally that some local residents decided to return to Arlington on foot rather than brave the “zoo” at the Metro stations near the mall.

To give you an idea of how crowded it was, check out this video from the Rosslyn Metro station before the rally.

Flickr pool photo by Christaki