police chase

Man Leads Police on Chase from Buckingham to Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

A man led police on a chase down Glebe Road and Columbia Pike on Sunday afternoon.

The incident started around 3 p.m. when police were dispatched to the 4200 block of 2nd Road N. in Buckingham for a report of a “dispute in progress possibly involving a firearm.”

Police arrived on scene and located a man fitting the suspect description, but the man allegedly threw his car into reverse and sped towards an officer.

“The driver intentionally struck the officer but she did not sustain any injuries,” according to a police press release.

“A vehicle pursuit was initiated after the suspect fled from the scene traveling southbound on Glebe Road,” according to Arlington County Police. “The suspect turned onto Columbia Pike where he struck a vehicle at the intersection of Columbia Pike and Walter Reed Drive. The suspect exited his vehicle and attempted to flee the scene on foot. Following a brief foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody without further incident.”

Police arrested 32-year-old Brian Williams and charged him with a number of crimes, including attempted malicious wounding on law enforcement, felony eluding, felony hit and run, misdemeanor identity theft and driving while suspended.

Williams was also wanted for other crimes in Arlington and in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

Photo (top) via ACPD

Police: Woman Tried to Ram Officer’s Cruiser During Pursuit

By ARLnow.com

Updated on 3/25/22 — The attempted malicious wounding charges were dropped in this case. The defendant pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor eluding charge and received two years of probation, according to court records.

A woman tried to ram a police cruiser during a vehicle pursuit last night near Crystal City, according to Arlington County Police.

The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. Police say [redacted], 42, was driving down S. Eads Street with her headlights off when police tried to pull her over.

“The suspect continued to travel south on S. Eads Street into the dead end south of Glebe Road,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “At that time, the officers attempted to block the road to conduct their stop. The suspect then conducted a multi-point turn and accelerated her vehicle directly toward one of the officers. The officer successfully reversed their vehicle to avoid the suspect’s attempted collision.”

“Officers initiated a pursuit of the suspect for Attempted Malicious Wounding on [a law enforcement officer],” Savage continued. “During the pursuit, officers attempted to stop the vehicle and twice the suspect displayed no intention of stopping and continued to operate the vehicle directly towards the officers.”

Eventually, [redacted] was taken into custody at the intersection of Eads and 23rd Street S. “without further incident.”

More below from an ACPD crime report.

ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2017-04260319, block S. 23rd Street. At approximately 11:41p.m. on April 26, officers responded to the report of a check on welfare of an individual in a vehicle. Upon arrival, the officers observed a vehicle matching the description provided by the reporting party leaving the area. The vehicle was traveling without its lights on and the officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop by engaging their emergency equipment. The driver refused to stop their vehicle and allegedly attempted to strike the officer’s marked police vehicle. Following a vehicle pursuit in which the driver operated with disregard for traffic control and again attempted to strike the police vehicles, the driver was taken into custody without further incident. [Redacted], 42, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with three counts of Attempted Malicious Wounding of Law Enforcement Officer and one count of Felony Eluding. She is being held without bond.

Photo courtesy ACPD

DEVELOPING: Police Search for Suspect in East Falls Church

By Katie Pyzyk
1/4

Arlington County police are assisting the Fairfax County Police Department in the search for a suspect who took off in the East Falls Church area after a chase.

Around 3:30 p.m. Fairfax police were called to Tysons Corner for reports of a possible fraudulent transaction at the Apple Store. Officers found two suspects in a car in a parking lot and attempted to stop them.

The suspects took off and a pursuit ensued along Route 7 and Interstate 66. During the pursuit the suspects’ vehicle struck another vehicle but nobody was hurt.

The chase ended near N. Sycamore Street and 22nd Street N. in East Falls Church. Fairfax police arrested one suspect but the other took off on foot. A resident on the 6500 block of 22nd Street N. reports seeing police confiscate bags that appear to be from the Apple Store.

A helicopter and K-9 units are assisting with an active search for the suspect in the East Falls Church neighborhood.

The suspect is described as a black man between the ages of 20 and 25 who is about 6 feet tall and 180-200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt and white pants.

Police say homeowners in the area should lock windows, doors and garage doors and report anything suspicious by calling the police non-emergency number at 703-558-2222, and they should not attempt to approach any person who seems suspicious. Police also recommend remaining alert into the evening because sometimes suspects emerge after they believe police activity has calmed down.

Photos courtesy Erin Donahue

UPDATED: Car Chase Ends in Rosslyn, Police Track Down Driver

By ARLnow.com
1/11

Update at 9:30 a.m. — The suspect has been found hiding under a car in the area of N. Quinn Street and 18th Street N. and has been taken into custody, according to scanner traffic.

Update on 1/19/17 — Virginia State Police have issued the following updated statement regarding the chase and the suspect’s apprehension.

At 8:48 a.m., Wednesday (Jan. 18), Virginia State Police Sgt. C.J. Szupinka was conducting stationary HOV enforcement when he observed a 2005 Ford Focus entering the eastbound I-66 HOV lane at the 71 mile marker. The Ford was in violation of the HOV+2 regulation, as it had only one occupant. Sgt. Szupinka motioned to the driver, John R. Johnson III, to stop. Johnson pulled over in front of the sergeant’s patrol car. But as the sergeant approached on foot, the Ford kept rolling forward and then pulled away and into the mainlines of eastbound I-66. A pursuit was initiated with the Ford reaching speeds of up to 100 mph.

The Ford Focus took Exit 73 and due to its reckless driving and speed, the sergeant discontinued the pursuit for the safety of other motorists and pedestrians. Minutes later the vehicle was located abandoned on Nash Street near Lee Highway. The keys were still in the ignition and the engine was still running when the sergeant found it. Johnson had fled on foot.

With the assistance of Arlington County Police, State Police set up a perimeter and began searching for the subject by foot and through the use of a Virginia State Police K9 team. At 9:27 a.m., Arlington County Police discovered Johnson hiding under a vehicle in a parking garage near 19th and Quinn streets. Johnson was taken into custody without further incident.

Johnson, 44, of Maryland, was charged with one felony count of eluding police, reckless driving, the HOV violation and driving on a suspended license. He is being held without bond at the Arlington County Jail.

Earlier: Police have swarmed the area around N. Nash Street and the Holiday Inn hotel in Rosslyn to search for a driver who led Virginia State Police on a morning rush hour chase.

Initial reports suggest that state police were pursuing the suspect on I-66 for an HOV violation. The suspect exited the highway at Rosslyn and bailed out near the hotel.

Police are establishing a perimeter as they try to locate the suspect, who’s described as a black male wearing jeans and a gray hoodie.

Photos by Samantha Moore

BREAKING: Cops Chase Stolen D.C. Police Car Down I-395 in Rush Hour Traffic

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 6:10 p.m.) D.C. police and Virginia State Police chased a stolen D.C. Housing Authority Police car down I-395 in heavy rush hour traffic Tuesday night.

Initial reports suggest a woman wanted for crack cocaine-related drug charges stole the police car in D.C. and then drove it onto I-395 in the direction of Virginia. The chase entered Arlington via the 14th Street Bridge around 5:30 p.m.

Arlington County Police did not engage in the pursuit, per department rules, according to scanner traffic.

A police helicopter was overhead, shining a spotlight down on the stolen car, as it continued to slowly make its way down traffic-clogged I-395. At least one multi-vehicle crash, near Washington Blvd, was reported during the pursuit.

Ultimately the suspect took the King Street exit into the City of Alexandria — going the wrong-way down the ramp, according to scanner traffic — and was boxed in by police.

The woman, who was reported to be pregnant, was quickly taken into custody. She was evaluated by medics for possible injuries.

Drivers should expect road and ramp closures on King Street at I-395. Numerous emergency vehicles remain on the scene as of 6:10 p.m.

Update at 3:10 p.m. — From an updated Virginia State Police statement:

The Virginia State Police have charged Jessica M. Pierce, 26, of Stafford, Va., with one felony count of eluding police, one felony count of unauthorized use of a vehicle, one felony count of grand larceny, reckless driving and one misdemeanor count of giving false identification to law enforcement. The charges resulted from Pierce’s crash in the City of Alexandria.

Virginia State Police were assisting the Metropolitan-DC Police Department with a pursuit that entered Virginia on Interstate 395, when the suspect vehicle – a Ford Explorer – crashed in Alexandria Tuesday evening (Dec. 13). At approximately 5:35 p.m., as the Ford Explorer was taking the ramp from westbound King Street to northbound I-395, the Explorer rammed a marked Metro PD police cruiser involved in the pursuit. The Metro PD officer was then able to pin the suspect vehicle against the Jersey wall.

The suspect driver, Pierce, was taken into custody without further incident and transported to Fairfax Inova Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

No police officers were injured in the crash. No other vehicles were involved in this crash.

The Virginia State Police is investigating the crash.

The Ford Explorer belonged to the DC Housing Authority Police Department.

BREAKING: Three Arrested After Police Chase Ends on I-395

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) The northbound lanes of I-395 are partially blocked just past Glebe Road, approaching the Pentagon, after a police chase ended in the middle of the highway.

Initial reports suggest the car was being chased for an assault on law enforcement, possibly as a result of the car ramming a Fairfax County Police cruiser.

Fairfax County Police and Virginia State Police officers chased the car up I-395 until it reportedly lost control and was boxed in by several police cruisers. The chase ended around 12:25 p.m. Arlington County officers trailed the chase and helped to assist with traffic control, according to scanner traffic.

Three occupants of the car were instructed to come out with their hands up, and were arrested at police gunpoint without further incident. No word yet on what charges they may face.

As of 12:35 p.m., one lane of northbound I-395 had reopened to traffic after being completely blocked for a short time.

Update at 11:30 p.m. — The chase started when officers tried to pull over the car in connection to a theft from a department store in Tysons Corner, according to Fairfax County Police.

From FCPD:

Around 11:40 a.m. today (Tuesday, December 6), the Tysons Urban Team (TUT) team was investigating a larceny case at a department store in Tysons Corner Center. The suspects fled in a car. Officers located it nearby and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver did not stop and a pursuit was initiated. The pursuit traveled out of Fairfax County. Virginia State Police and Arlington County Police assisted us.The pursuit ended along I-395 and Washington Street. Initial information determined three people were taken into custody.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Tree near Clarendon (photo by Samantha Moore)

Bluemont Park Meeting — Arlington County is hosting a community meeting tonight about a suddenly controversial plan, approved earlier this year, to build a fenced-in baseball field in Bluemont Park. The county says it will “listen to community concerns and suggestions and share next steps.” Those next steps likely include building the field largely as planned: a temporary construction fence has already been placed around the site. [Arlington County]

More Details on Police Chase — Montgomery County Police last night released additional details about the police chase that started with a carjacking in Silver Spring and ended with a crash on Lee Highway in Arlington. Police say the suspect, 41-year-old Anthony Shade, stole the Toyota RAV4 from a gas station while its owner was filling up. He’s facing charges in Arlington and Montgomery counties. [Montgomery County Police]

Virginia Has Best Electoral Representation — Demographically, compared to all other U.S. states, Virginia’s voters most closely represent the overall population of the state, according to a new study. [WalletHub]

Del. Lopez Spotted on CNN — Arlington’s own Del. Alfonso Lopez (D) could be seen on the live TV coverage of last night’s vice presidential debate. [Twitter, Twitter]

BREAKING: Police Chase Ends With Crash on Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Update at 10:35 p.m. — The westbound lanes of Lee Highway are being reopened, according to scanner traffic.

(Updated at 11 p.m.) Lee Highway was blocked in the area of N. Highland Street in Lyon Village tonight due to a crash following a police chase.

The chase started in Montgomery County and made its way through D.C. before ending with the suspect vehicle crashing into another vehicle on Lee Highway around 9:45 p.m. NBC 4 reported that the chase started following a carjacking in Silver Spring.

An occupant from each vehicle was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. Arlington police did not give chase, Savage noted.

A police helicopter circled overhead as the chase ended. Dozens of officers from Arlington County, U.S. Police Park and Montgomery County were on the scene.

Photos (top) courtesy Justin Funkhouser

BREAKING: Wild Motorcycle Chase Ends on Spout Run Parkway

By ARLnow.com
1/5

A wild police chase that started on I-66 has ended in Arlington.

Virginia State Police were chasing two motorcyclists who refused to stop after one was reportedly involved in a crash on the highway, according to scanner traffic.

The pursuit continued into Arlington and the motorcyclists took the Glebe Road exit into Ballston. With a Fairfax County Police helicopter overhead tracking their movement, the bikers briefly stopped in Ballston and then made their way north, past the area of Washington-Lee High School and onto Lee Highway, according to police radio traffic.

One of the suspects was reportedly taken into custody after he damaged his motorcycle and tried to flee on foot into the woods at the intersection of Spout Run Parkway and Lorcom Lane.

The other continued to flee down residential streets, allegedly driving onto front lawns and zooming past pedestrians. By apparent coincidence, the motorcyclist rode right by where the first suspect was arrested, and was himself then stopped and taken into custody on Spout Run Parkway

Police temporarily closed portions of the parkway to traffic during the incident.

Virginia State Police pursued the suspects through the county; per Arlington County Police policy against chasing suspects for minor crimes, ACPD units were instructed not to pursue.

State Police Chase Ends With Wreck in East Falls Church

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsFor the second time in two months, a police chase from I-66 has ended in East Falls Church.

The vehicle pursuit began around 2:45 a.m., when a Virginia State Police trooper pulled over a Nissan Xterra that was heading east on I-66 at a high rate of speed.

“During the course of the traffic stop, the Nissan fled from the trooper and headed east on I-66. The suspect vehicle took Exit 68 and the trooper lost sight of it,” according to a VSP press release. “As the Nissan came through the exit ramp, it ran off the road, went through a fence, struck a tree and then an unoccupied vehicle in a parking lot. The driver then fled the scene on foot.”

Arlington County and Fairfax County police helped to search for the driver, who was apprehended just before 4 a.m. after being found “behind a trash can” at the East Falls Church Metro station.

The man, 21-year-old Artis Thomas, Jr. of Washington, D.C., was taken into custody “without further incident” and locked up in the Arlington County Detention Center. He was charged with ” DUID (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs), felony eluding law enforcement, possession of a concealed weapon, hit-and-run, and possession of marijuana,” according to VSP.

Police say they recovered a handgun from Thomas’ vehicle.

Two Arrested Following Shooting Near Pentagon City Mall and Police Chase

By ARLnow.com

Shooting Near Pentagon City Mall and Police Chase

(Updated at 11:55 p.m.) Two suspects are in custody after leading Arlington County Police on a vehicle pursuit through the District of Columbia, following a shooting near the Pentagon City mall.

The alleged road rage incident happened around 3:10 p.m., at the 15th Street South exit of the mall’s parking lot. NBC 4 reported that a driver was having trouble using a credit card to exit from one of the gates. The driver was trying to get the car behind to let them reverse out, when someone in that car fired a gunshot in the air.

Witnesses called 911 and reported the shooting, describing the suspect vehicle as white in color with D.C. tags

A car matching the description given to police was spotted by an officer on I-395. That led to a pursuit across the 14th Street Bridge into D.C., near the National Mall, and back on I-395 before ending at 3rd and F Streets NW, near the Third Street Tunnel, where the suspects bailed out and took off running.

Arlington police, aided by D.C. police, were able to chase and apprehend both suspects, according to ACPD spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm.

Reginald Carroll, a 21-year-old D.C. resident, has been charged with willfully discharging a firearm in public and felony eluding. Calvin Pelzer, also 21 years old and from D.C., has been charged with discharging a firearm and obstruction of justice.

The suspects threw a gun out of the window during the vehicle pursuit, Malcolm said. It was recovered along I-395 near the GW Parkway.

Arlington County Police normally don’t engage in car chases, but department policy specifies that such pursuits are authorized for violent crimes involving firearms, “for the safety of the community,” according to Malcolm.

No one was reported injured in the shooting. As of early Friday evening, investigators were still looking for bullet casings and other evidence near the scene. They’re also trying to find other witnesses as well as the other driver involved, who fled after the shooting.

“The investigation is ongoing,” Malcolm said.

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