police

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

HQ2 to Include Banana Stand, Local Businesses — “Schoettler said the outdoor areas will likely include elements from its Seattle headquarters, such as a community vegetable garden and a banana stand… Amazon’s in-house food program will only serve about one-quarter of the HQ2 workforce, encouraging the majority of the employees to each lunch at nearby businesses. And because Amazon will own the buildings, Schoettler said it will be able to curate the retail to focus on locally owned businesses.” [Bisnow, WAMU, Washington Business Journal]

County Again Recognized for Tech Savvy — “Arlington County is once again among the top ranked digital counties in the nation. The Center for Digital Government and National Association of Counties 2019 award designated Arlington second place in the 150,000-249,999 population category.” [Arlington County]

Legion Development a National Model? — “Post 139 and APAH’s partnership should serve as an example for addressing the issue of homeless veterans, said Darryl Vincent, chief operating officer of nonprofit U.S.VETS… In 2018, there were 12,806 American Legion posts across the country, a huge inventory of property that could be repurposed as affordable housing.” [Politico]

Helicopter Noise Amendment Passes House — “The House of Representatives adopted a set of amendments to H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act, including two offered by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) which would address helicopter noise in the National Capital Region.” [Press Release]

ACPD: Lock Your Car and House — “The Arlington County Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies throughout the country in a public safety campaign aimed at promoting crime prevention strategies to reduce and prevent thefts from vehicles and homes. The campaign, known as the 9 P.M. Routine, encourages residents to conduct security checks in their homes and vehicles each evening to ensure their property is secure.” [Arlington County]

APS Teacher Receives National Recognition — “Wilfredo Padilla Melendez, teacher at Claremont Immersion School, received Instructure’s 2019 Educator of the Year Award. Wilfredo was recognized as one of six educators who go above and beyond to redefine traditional classroom activities.” [Press Release]

Photo courtesy Arlington VA/Flickr

TRAFFIC ALERT: Fallen Tree Blocks I-66 Ramp Near Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com
1/5

A tree has reportedly fallen, blocking the ramp from westbound Lee Highway to I-66, near Rosslyn.

Both lanes of the ramp are currently blocked. Drivers, including the driver of a commuter bus, could be seen heading back up the ramp in reverse. An Arlington County Police officer and VDOT sign truck are now on scene and blocking off the ramp.

Those on Lee Highway hoping to reach I-66 should continue heading westbound to the entrance near Spout Run.

No injuries have been reported as a result of the tree falling.

Arlington Investigating Cyber Attack on County Payroll System

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:20 p.m.) Arlington County has revealed a cyber attack that penetrated the county’s payroll system.

In a statement, the county says a number of employees were impacted by the intrusion, but did not specify the exact number or impacts. The intrusion appears to be the result of a “phishing” email targeting county employees and not a hack, the press release suggests.

Police are investigating.

Arlington’s cybersecurity division previously told ARLnow that it was staffing up and training county employees in light of the growing number of cyber attacks. The county budgeted $60,000 for the department to teach county employees how to avoid phishing emails, among other security best practices.

The full press release is below.

Arlington County Government recently discovered the existence of an intrusion into the Arlington County payroll system. This intrusion was limited in both the time of the compromise and the number of the employees who were impacted. No resident data was compromised during the intrusion.

All of the impacted employees have been identified, advised of the situation and steps are being taken to ensure the security of their personal data. Based on a joint review by the Arlington County Department of Technology Services and the Arlington County Police Department, the consensus belief is that the intrusion was likely the result of individual employees being targeted through a phishing email.

Since discovery of the intrusion, Arlington County has implemented enhanced cyber security features to safeguard email and other critical computing systems. As part of our education and crime prevention efforts, Arlington County is sharing cyber safety tips and reminding employees and the public not to open any emails from individuals they are unfamiliar with and to not click on links contained with any emails without first verifying their content.

The intrusion is currently being investigated by the Arlington County Police Department. Any information related to this ongoing investigation can be provided to Detective John Bamford of the Department’s Homeland Security Section at [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Latest Flood Stats — “As of Tuesday morning, the Department of Environmental Services had received 151 calls about damage to private property, storm drain backups, indoor flooding and roadway flooding; The County also investigated more than 30 drainage complaints.” [Arlington County]

Record-Setting Rain Rate — “The 3.30 [inches of rain] recorded between 8:52-9:52 a.m [at Reagan National Airport] was Washington, D.C.’s highest hourly precip report in records dating back to 1936.” [Twitter]

Flooded Scooters Removed from Service — “Bird, Jump, and Lime, three of the city’s five operators, told The Verge that their employees were actively engaged in removing scooters from the flooded areas.” [The Verge]

ACPD Crime Map Goes Down — “ACPD is aware of system issues with the Online Community Crime Map and is working with the third-party vendor, LexisNexis, to resolve the issue. If you are looking for information regarding crime in your neighborhood, please view the Daily Crime Report.” [Twitter]

D.C. Office Vacancy Rises as N. Va. Declines — “Office vacancy is reaching new heights in the District as new supply continues to outpace demand, but market conditions are much better for landlords in neighboring Northern Virginia.” [Bisnow]

Trailers to Take Out Tree — “In a community where the destruction of even a single tree can mobilize residents, there may be another skirmish in the offing on July 13. That’s the date that Arlington County Board members will be asked to approve the placement of new portable (‘relocatable’) classrooms on the campus Arlington Traditional School, designed to ease overcrowding.” [InsideNova]

Ballston Office Building Sold — “The first building developed in Ballston’s Liberty Center complex has just traded hands.  Carr Properties sold the One Liberty Center office building at 875 North Randolph St. to USAA Real Estate, the JLL brokerage team announced Monday. Property records show the sale closed June 26 for about $153M.” [Bisnow]

Flickr pool photo by Lisa Novak

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

What To Do If Your Car Flooded — “If your car was one of the many trapped by floodwaters on or below street level Monday, you should resist the urge to start it up once the waters recede… The best option, Townsend said, is to tow the vehicle to a reputable mechanic who can certify whether there is any damage to the many electronic components in modern cars and trucks.” [Washington Post]

ACPD Helps Out Flooded Family — “After learning about an Arlington family whose apartment flooded during today’s storm, the Outreach Team activated and donated toys to the children! The family is receiving additional assistance and will soon move into a new unit.” [Twitter]

TSA Stops Man With Loaded Gun at DCA — “An Arlington, Virginia, resident was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration officers detected a loaded handgun in the man’s carry-on bag at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on Sunday, July 7. It was the 11th gun that TSA officers have detected at the airport so far this year.” [Press Release]

Injury Investigation in Clarendon — On Monday morning, before the flooding, numerous police and fire department units responded to a condominium building at 1021 N. Garfield Street in Clarendon for a report of a man injured under suspicious circumstances. “The male was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No evidence of a crime was located during the investigation,” an Arlington County police spokeswoman told ARLnow. “Police continue to investigate how the subject sustained the injury.” [Twitter]

Arlington 11th Grader Wins at Chess Tourney — “Sam Schenck, an 11th-grader at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, defeated Langley High School 11th-grader Isaac Chiu in a dramatic last-round game to win the K-12 competition of the 2019 Arlington Scholastic Open chess competition, held June 8 at Yorktown High School.” [InsideNova]

Amazon Visits Gov. Northam — “Today we met with @GovernorVa for an update on the first phase of #HQ2 plans. We thank the Commonwealth for our continued partnership and for providing a business-friendly environment as we build the future together.” [Twitter]

Monday Readership Stats — On Monday, just over 71,000 people visited ARLnow, mostly to keep up to date about the flood emergency. That’s nearly a third of the population of Arlington. Thank you for reading and making us your go-to local news source, we’re proud to serve the community!

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Police Operation in Ballston — Arlington County Police say they arrested a wanted individual in Ballston Wednesday evening, in front of the DARPA building on N. Randolph Street. Officers used a “diversionary device” — witnesses described it as a flashbang grenade — during the operation, a police spokeswoman told ARLnow. “One suspect was taken into custody without incident,” ACPD spokeswoman Kirby Clark said. Additional details were not immediately available. [Twitter]

‘Perfect Friday Night Date in Rosslyn’ — “A round of miniature golf is one of summer’s pleasures, whether putt-putting past pirate statues at a course by the beach or playing in a regional park closer to home. It works equally well as part of a date night or a group outing with friends. And it’s definitely not the kind of thing you’d expect to find popping up in the plaza outside a Rosslyn office building.” [Washington Post]

Beer Hall Nears Opening in Ballston — The opening of Bronson Bier Hall in Ballston, the successor to A-Town Bar and Grill, is about a month away. Most of the major interior construction appears to have been completed. [Instagram]

Amazon Hosts LGBT Reception — “A special reception [was] hosted by Amazon at a location in the heart of its massive planned expansion was held at Freddie’s Beach [Bar in Crystal City] to greet the area’s LGBT community.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Subsidies for Late Night Commuters — “The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has kicked off an effort to support late-night workers who travel when transit service is not available. Since July 1, qualified workers – such as those in the hospitality or health-care industries – have been eligible to receive a $3 subsidy toward travel on Lyft for trips taken between their home and workplace between midnight and 4 a.m.” [InsideNova]

Arlington Community Foundation Awards Scholarships — “The Arlington Community Foundation awarded new college scholarships totaling more than $540,000 to 72 students who will attend college next year. An additional 105 scholarships totaling $281,000 were renewed for returning college students, for a total of 177 recipients.” [Press Release]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

Police: Would-Be Robber Armed with BB Gun Foiled in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police say they arrested a man Wednesday after he attempted to rob two people outside of a home in Ballston while brandishing a BB gun.

The robbery attempt happened around 11:30 p.m. on the 1200 block of N. Stuart Street, which is a block away from Washington-Liberty High School.

The BB gun-wielding suspect threatened one of the victims and demanded money, police say, but the victims fought back and the suspect was chased away and later arrested.

More from today’s ACPD crime report:

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 2019-07030318. 1200 block of N. Stuart Street. At approximately 11:41 p.m. on July 3, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the two victims were outside of a residence when an unknown male suspect approached them, allegedly brandishing what was later determined to be a BB gun, and threatened one of the victims, demanding cash. The second victim intervened and became engaged in a physical struggle with the suspect before chasing him away. Arriving officers located the suspect in the area, based upon the description provided in a lookout. The first victim was not injured. The second victim suffered minor injuries that did not require medical treatment. Elonte Jones-Davis, 19, of Washington, D.C. was arrested and charged with Attempted Robbery. He was held on no bond.

Crime Report: Spate of N. Arlington Car Break-ins Continues

By ARLnow.com

There has been a recent increase in reports of car break-ins in residential portions of North Arlington, with more than a dozen vehicles broken into this week.

Arlington County Police reported this morning that around 10 vehicles were tampered with in the Bellevue Forest neighborhood in the early morning hours.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (series), 2019-07020047/07020061/07020062, 3000 block of N. Oxford Street/3100 block of N. Peary Street/3700 block of Roberts Lane. At approximately 6:17 a.m., police were dispatched to the report of a larceny from auto. Upon arrival, it was determined that between approximately 5:30 a.m. and 6:17 a.m., an unknown suspect gained entry to and tampered with approximately 10, mostly unlocked vehicles and stole items of value. The suspect is described as a tall male with a slim build, wearing a long sleeve shirt, light colored pants and black sneakers. The investigation is ongoing.

Over the past few days, residents have reported similar vehicle break-ins and thefts in the Lyon Village, Virginia Square and Rock Spring neighborhoods, via social media and email listservs.

Police continue to ask residents to lock their cars at night, to discourage such break-ins.

The rest of this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report is below, after the jump.

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

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Police Looking for Suspects in Aurora Highlands Robbery

By ARLnow.com

A man was attacked and robbed of a backpack in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood near Crystal City yesterday morning.

Police say the robbery happened around 7:30 a.m. on Monday, on the 600 block of 26th Street S.

“The victim was walking in the area when he was approached by two suspects,” Arlington County Police said in a crime report. “After a brief struggle, the suspects stole the victim’s backpack and fled on foot. The victim suffered minor injuries that did not require medical treatment.”

Arriving officers, including a K9 unit, attempted to track down the suspects — described as males in their late teens or early 20s — but were unable to locate them. They did, however, find the backpack thanks to a Good Samaritan.

“Arriving officers canvased the area and the victim’s backpack was recovered in the area by an independent witness,” police said. “The investigation is ongoing.”

A resident told ARLnow that the daylight robbery was “violent” and witnessed by several residents, some of whom tried to chase down the suspects. She sent a photo that she said shows the suspects — who were wearing black clothing, including a knit cap and a hoodie — running down the sidewalk following the robbery.

(ARLnow could not immediately confirm that the two people in the photo were, in fact, the suspects.)

ACPD spokeswoman Kirby Clark did confirm that a resident “confronted the suspects in his yard,” after which “the suspects again fled on foot.” She said police do not encourage residents to chase criminal suspects.

“For your safety, citizens are not encouraged to chase suspects, however, they are encouraged to be active witnesses and report criminal activity to police by calling 911 in an emergency or 703-558-2222 in a non-emergent situation,” Clark said via email. “When providing information to dispatch, it should include a suspect(s) description, location, method and direction of travel. This will assist police arriving on scene and canvasing the area.”

JUST IN: Man Shot in Pentagon City Mall Parking Garage Has Died

By ARLnow.com
1/6

The man who was shot in the parking garage of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall has died, police say.

In a press release, Arlington County Police say the shooting happened during an attempted robbery. The man who died was wearing a mask and brandished the gun, demanding the cell phone of a man inside a car, police say; a struggle ensued and the alleged, would-be robber was shot.

The deceased robbery suspect’s name has not yet been released. Police say they have not filed charges against the victim of the robbery attempt “at this time.”

More from ACPD:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a fatal shooting that took place in the Pentagon City area of Arlington on the afternoon of July 1, 2019.

At approximately 1:43 p.m. on July 1, police were dispatched to the report of shots fired in a parking garage in the 800 block of Army Navy Drive. The preliminary investigation indicates that the victim was inside of his vehicle when he was approached by a masked subject displaying a handgun. The subject brandished the firearm and threatened the victim demanding his cell phone. A physical struggle ensued between both parties outside of the vehicle, during which the firearm was discharged.

Arriving officers located the suspect suffering from an apparent gunshot wound and immediately began to render aid. He was subsequently transported to an area hospital with life threatening injuries and later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.

The identity of the decedent is being withheld pending proper identification and notification of next of kin.

This incident remains an active criminal investigation. No charges have been sought at this time.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact Detective G. Seibert of the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4199 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

UPDATED: Shooting Outside Pentagon City Mall

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Update at 1 p.m. on July 2 — The man who was shot was also the suspect in a robbery, police say. He has died from his wounds. 

Update at 8:45 p.m. — “ACPD continues to investigate this incident,” police said in a tweet. “Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective G. Seibert at 703-228-4199 or [email protected].”

Earlier: Arlington County Police are on scene of a shooting outside of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall.

One person was shot in the mall’s parking garage, near the entrance to Macy’s.

Police were dispatched to the scene just before 1:45 p.m. for a report of four gunshots heard and a man seen with a gun on the fourth level of the parking garage, following a possible robbery attempt.

Officers located one person suffering a gunshot wound to the abdomen, according to scanner traffic. The victim has life-threatening injuries, according to ACPD.

The shooting occurred during a struggle between two people, but police are still investigating what led up to the struggle and how the shooter and the victim know each other, according to ACPD spokeswoman Kirby Clark.

“The are no outstanding suspects,” the police department said. “Police are on scene investigating. Avoid the area.”

A gun believed to be the weapon used in the shooting was found by police and roped off by crime scene tape near the Macy’s entrance.

Portions of the mall and the parking garage have been blocked off by police.

 

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