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Family of Man Shot by ACPD Raising Money for Medical Care, Legal Defense

Published May 31, 2018 at 9:55AM | Updated June 1, 2018 at 4:51PM

(Updated June 1 at 4:50 p.m.) The family of an Arlington man shot by county police, after he allegedly rammed police vehicles with his van, is raising money to help pay for his medical care amid claims he was treated poorly while in custody.

Relatives of 51-year-old Steven Best have so far raised more than $5,100 through a GoFundMe page since police shot Best during the May 3 incident.

Arlington police say they were trying to pull Best over near the intersection of 12th Street S. and S. Edgewood Street, just off Columbia Pike, after spotting a woman in his car wanted on outstanding warrants for violating her probation.

Police allege that Best ignored commands from officers and struck their vehicles in an attempt to flee the scene, prompting two officers to shoot him. Department spokesman Ashley Savage added that neither Best nor the woman in his car, 40-year-old Jessica Lary of Annandale, “displayed any weapons during the incident,” and were arrested after being found hiding in the area.

Best is now charged with three counts of the attempted malicious wounding of a law enforcement officer, though he was released on bond on Tuesday (May 29).

During the last few weeks in police custody — in the hospital then in the Arlington County jail — Best’s family says he received “minimal medical care” for the six gunshot wounds he suffered. They are raising money to fund his “legal defense and medical rehabilitation.”

The family further alleges that Best was held “in protective custody and in isolation 23 hours a day” during his time behind bars, which took “a toll on him mentally and physically,” and that ACPD’s accounting of events leading to the shooting is false.

“We believe that this was an unlawful shooting by police, use of excessive force, abuse of power and now cover up,” the GoFundMe page says.

Maj. Susie Doyel, a spokeswoman for the county sheriff’s office, told ARLnow via email that Best was held in the detention facility’s medical unit, “where there are nurses on-duty 24 hours a day.”

“Mr. Best was initially placed on protective status due to the high profile of his case in the media (this is standard practice),” Doyel wrote. “However, he was removed from protective custody status on May 25. Had he not made bond, he would have gone to another unit once he had been cleared by medical.”

Best’s attorney, Michael Sgarlet, declined to comment on the case.

Best is set to appear in Arlington County District Court for a preliminary hearing on his charges on June 25.

“I believe in him,” Heather Rose-Walker, Best’s sister, wrote on the GoFundMe page. “However I don’t believe in the system anymore.”

Photo via GoFundMe

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 31, 2018 at 9:00AM | Updated May 31, 2018 at 9:37AM

State Budget With Medicaid Expansion Passes — “After months of inaction, Virginia’s General Assembly passed a budget Wednesday that expands Medicaid to around 300,000 low-income Virginians. The House voted 67-31 Wednesday night to send the two-year budget bill to the governor, and 68-30 to send the ‘caboose’ bill to the governor that the Senate approved earlier in the day.” [WTOP, Richmond Times-Dispatch]

County Auditor Gearing Up for New Projects — “Arlington County Board members and the general public soon will be able to see what topics the government’s internal auditor plans to study over the coming year.” [InsideNova]

Citizen’s Police Academy Accepting Applications — “The Arlington County Police Department is now accepting applications for the fall Citizen’s Police Academy. The 22nd Citizen’s Police Academy will begin on Thursday, September 6, 2018. The Academy will consist of 12 sessions that meet on Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at police headquarters located at 1425 North Courthouse Road, Arlington, Virginia.” [Arlington County]

Journalist Death Hoax Has Arlington Tie — The staged death of journalist and Vladimir Putin foe Arkady Babchenko has a local connection, revolving around a photo that supposedly showed Babchenko shot to death in his Ukraine apartment: “Yevhen Lauer, the reporter who published the photo… has worked for various Ukrainian media outlets in the past [and] more recently been affiliated with Trident Group LLC… based in the Washington suburb of Arlington.” [RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Twitter (Caution: Graphic and NSFW)]

Nearby: Unique Show at State Theatre — The State Theatre in Falls Church is hosting a Joss Whedon-themed burlesque show Friday. It will feature a puppet playing the role of Whedon, a writer and director of cult TV shows and films, as well as burlesque performers from as far away as Dallas. [State Theatre, Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler

Crime Report: Gropings in Pentagon City and Along Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Published May 30, 2018 at 4:50PM | Updated February 28, 2020 at 10:38AM

Two women were groped in separate incidents over the weekend.

On Friday evening, a woman was allegedly touched inappropriately in a store at the Pentagon City mall, leading to the arrest of a 24-year-old Alexandria man.

On Saturday afternoon, a man hugged a woman without her permission and also touched her breasts. That groping happened in an elevator of an apartment building near Columbia Pike.

More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

SEXUAL BATTERY, 2018-05250226, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 5:42 p.m. on May 25, security at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City requested the assistance of police. Upon arrival, it was determined that the female victim was inside a store when the male suspect brushed against her and touched her inappropriately. The suspect fled prior to police arrival, but was located returning to the store while units were still on scene. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect was also wanted out of Fairfax County. Sterling Flowers, 24, of Alexandria, VA, was arrested and charged with Sexual Battery. He was held on no bond.

SEXUAL BATTERY (late), 2018-05260118, 1300 block of S. Scott Street. At approximately 12:30 p.m. on May 26, police were dispatched to the late report of a sexual assault. Upon arrival, it was determined that on May 15 at approximately 1:15 a.m., when the victim was entering an elevator in a residential building, the male suspect approached her and asked if he could hug her. Before the victim could respond, the suspect hugged the victim tightly and touched her breasts. The victim was able to push the suspect away and exit the elevator. The suspect is described as an olive skinned male, approximately 5’8″, with short, straight, dark black hair and an average build. The investigation is ongoing.

The rest of this past week’s crime report highlights, including one that we’ve already reported, after the jump.

(more…)

Resident Calls Police on Children’s Karaoke Party in Fairlington

By ARLnow.com

Published May 29, 2018 at 3:35PM

An outdoor karaoke party for kids in the Fairlington neighborhood prompted a call to police Friday night.

Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage confirmed that police were dispatched at 9:49 p.m. to the 4200 block of 35th Street S. “for a report of a loud party.”

Via social media, residents described the gathering as a karaoke party for toddlers, held by parents in a condo parking lot. Two police cars arrived but no action was taken by officers, residents said.

The call to police prompted widespread indignation on a Facebook page for Fairlington residents, with many calling it “ridiculous.”

“Whichever of you suggested to call the police on a karaoke party before 10 p.m. on a Friday during [Memorial Day weekend], you must be a pleasure at parties,” said one.

“Sorry my child likes to play outside,” said another. “Thank you for calling the cops on us instead of walking over and asking us to turn down the volume on a kids’ ‘fashion show,’ cowardly neighbor. You’re a peach.”

“You’re a joke,” said yet another. “Say hi to your cats.”

The posts were later taken down by a page administrator, who urged greater civility among its thousands of members.

In an earlier post, which was also taken down after attracting numerous replies, a resident complained about noise from the party. (It’s unclear if the poster was the same resident who called police.)

“Appreciate it’s a Friday night, but our neighbors have decided to have a (loud) party (complete with karaoke) in our common court area outside,” she said. “Are there rules for noise at this hour? I’ve never had neighbors like this in Fairlington and we’ve lived here for 14 years.”

No citations were issued by police and the officers who arrived on scene did not even file a report, according to Savage.

“The minor incident was resolved and no police report was filed,” she said.

Police Investigate Armed Robbery at Pentagon City Mall

By ARLnow.com

Published May 29, 2018 at 1:55PM

Two men, armed with a gun and a taser, robbed a business at the Pentagon City mall early Saturday morning, according to police.

Officers were dispatched to the mall shortly after 2 a.m.

Police say the men entered the back room of the business, pistol whipped an employee in the face, and stole cash and other items before fleeing.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

ARMED ROBBERY, 2018-05270026, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 2:21 a.m. on May 27, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was in a back room of the business when two unknown male suspects entered the room. One suspect brandished a firearm, hit the victim in the face with it, and demanded cash, while second suspect, brandishing a taser, stole cash and items of value. Both suspects fled the scene on foot prior to police arrival. The victim did not require medical treatment. Suspect One is described as a black male, in his 40’s or 50’s, approximately 6’3″, with a thin build, wearing a dark hat and dark pants. Suspect Two is described as a black male, in his late 30’s or 40’s, with an athletic or stocky build, wearing a dark hoodie with the hood up, a mask and gloves. The investigation is ongoing.

ACPD to Enforce New Clarendon Drop-off Points

By ARLnow.com

Published May 29, 2018 at 11:15AM

New nighttime drop-off and pick-up zones are coming to Clarendon in an effort to stop double parking, blocking of crosswalks and other bad driver behavior.

The zones, created in response to drivers clogging roads and creating dangerous situations for pedestrians during peak bar-going times, are being placed throughout the neighborhood.

The county is specifically working with Lyft, Uber and Red Top Cab to make sure the new traffic patterns are followed by those driving nightlife patrons to and from Clarendon.

Arlington County Police will conduct a three-week “warning” period before starting to “strictly enforce the new regulations.”

Numerous Local Road Closures Planned for Rolling Thunder

By ARLnow.com

Published May 25, 2018 at 3:55PM

It’s Memorial Day weekend, which means that it is also Rolling Thunder weekend here in the D.C. area.

Thousands of bikers are expected to stream into the area over the next couple of days. The event, intended to raise awareness of American service members who were prisoners of war or remain missing in action, is prompting a number of road closures in Arlington.

The first of the planned closures is on 23rd Street S. between S. Eads and Fern streets. Starting today and running through Sunday, the Crystal City Sports Pub and Crystal City BID are hosting a free outdoor concert series dubbed “Crystal City Thunder,” from 4-8 p.m. each night.

More from the Arlington County Police Department:

Motorists using S. 23rd Street can detour around the closure by using S. 22nd Street (one block north of S. 23rd Street) via S. Eads Street or S. Fern Street, depending on their direction of travel.

Parking will also be restricted in the same location from 3:00 PM Friday afternoon until 9:00 PM Sunday night, except for motorcycles. Motorcyclists are encouraged to back their cycle to the curb and line up in an orderly fashion to maximize the space. Vehicles in violation will be subject to tow. If you are towed from a public street, call the Emergency Communication Center at 703-558-2222.

Barrels and other traffic management equipment will be deployed in the area. Motorists are reminded to follow police direction and be aware of the extra motorcycle traffic associated with this event and the Rolling Thunder Rally.

The police department is also warning of “severe” traffic impacts from a temporary closure of eastbound I-66 Saturday morning, “to allow veterans of the Vietnam War to travel to the Arlington National Cemetery.”

The Arlington County Police Department is informing the public that traffic on I-66 Eastbound on Saturday, May 26, 2018 from 8:15 a.m. to approximately 9:30 a.m. will be severely impacted by temporary closures to allow veterans of the Vietnam War to travel to the Arlington National Cemetery. Route 110 southbound and Washington Boulevard (Route 27) near Columbia Pike will also incur temporary traffic disruptions.

In addition, between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., traffic in the Crystal City area may experience delays as another veterans’ group is escorted through the area.

On Sunday, Washington Blvd and the Memorial Bridge will be closed to traffic for the Rolling Thunder Rally. More from ACPD:

The Arlington County Police Department and Virginia State Police will close part of Washington Boulevard near the Pentagon on Sunday, May 27, 2018, for the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally. From 7:00 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m., Washington Blvd. (Route 27) will be closed from I-395 to the Memorial Bridge.

In addition, Arlington National Cemetery will only be accessible from southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway or northbound Route 110.

Motorists should expect large numbers of motorcyclists in Northern Virginia and the entire Washington Metropolitan area during the Memorial Day weekend.

For questions or concerns, please contact Lieutenant Steve Meincke at 703-228-4148.

AAA Mid-Atlantic, meanwhile, is reminding drivers to keep an eye out for motorcyclists during the event.

During the Memorial Day holiday weekend, waves of motorcyclists, as far as the eye can see, will participate in the annual Rolling Thunder procession to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. As a result, “motorists could encounter possible delays if operating in the vicinity of this event and may wish to consider alternative routes,” warns the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). With an upturn in motorcyclists in the region this weekend, area motorists should know how to detect and respond to so many bikers sharing the road, advises AAA Mid-Atlantic. For safety’s sake, motorists should also listen for the sound of motorcycles approaching in blind spots during Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom XXX.

Tragically, “motorcyclists are overrepresented in crashes and fatalities,” highway safety advocates warn. Advocates point the finger of blame at the rising age of motorcyclists, traffic congestion, and distracted driving as overarching factors in the number of roadway deaths of motorcyclists. Other factors include alcohol impairment and recreational marijuana and drug impairment. “In 2016, one-quarter of motorcyclists who died had a blood alcohol level over the legal limit, the highest percentage of any vehicle type,” according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). “Data suggest that trend continued in 2017.”

“Across the nation and around the Washington metro area, motorcyclists are disproportionately vulnerable to losing their lives and limbs in traffic crashes,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “Although the average motorcyclist rides his or her bike between 3,000 to 6,000 miles per year, motorcycle riders and passengers are ‘about 27 times as likely as passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash, and six times as likely to be injured,’ research shows.”

Watch out for motorcyclists during Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom XXX. Motorcycle fatalities soared to the highest level in a decade in Virginia during 2017, according to Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) data. All told, 107 motorcyclists lost their lives in crashes on Virginia roads in 2017, as motorcycle fatalities increased nearly 50 percent over 2016, when 72 motorcyclists died in motorcycle-related crashes across Virginia, according to the 2017 Virginia Traffic Crash Facts report. Of the 1,794 motorcycle riders injured in crashes in 2017, almost half, 830 bikers or 46.2 percent, were age 41 or above. Motorcycle crashes comprised 1.7 percent of all traffic crashes in the state, but 12.7 percent all fatalities.

Flickr pool photo by Brian Irwin

Video Purports to Show Suspected Rosslyn Vehicle Vandal Damaging Cars

By ARLnow.com

Published May 23, 2018 at 4:45PM

A resident says he has video of the person responsible for a vehicle vandalism spree in the Rosslyn area.

Last week someone damaged more than a half dozen vehicles, primarily along N. Colonial Court and N. Colonial Terrace, a small residential neighborhood in north Rosslyn. Cars were keyed and tires were slashed, according to police.

Douglas Keith, a N. Colonial Court resident, obtained home surveillance footage of the man he says is the suspect from another resident. The footage shows a man wearing a backpack going up and down the street, sometimes stopping at cars and ducking down, allegedly to scratch the doors and flatten the tires.

The suspect, according to Keith, is a white male, wearing a black backpack, cargo shorts and black shoes. He further described him as a young adult between 5’6″ and 6′ in height.

Keith created a map to document each vandalism location, below. Thus far police have not announced any arrests in the case.

Video footage courtesy Douglas Keith, edited by ARLnow.

Crime Report: Mob Attacks Victim Who Was Taking Out the Trash

By ARLnow.com

Published May 23, 2018 at 4:05PM | Updated February 28, 2020 at 10:38AM

A Dominion Hills resident was attacked by a group of seven men while he was taking out the garbage.

The mob assault happened around 1 a.m. this past Sunday and resulted in the victim going to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The motive for the attack is unclear. A police spokeswoman said the department “doesn’t speculate on motive.”

More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

ASSAULT BY MOB (late), 2018-05200018, 6100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 12:59 a.m. on May 20, police were dispatched to Virginia Hospital Center for the late report of an assault. Upon arrival, it was determined that earlier in the evening, the victim exited his residence to take the trash out and was approached by 7 unknown male suspects outside. The victim was assaulted, resulting in non-life threatening injuries that required medical treatment. There are no suspect descriptions. The investigation is ongoing.

The rest of this past week’s crime report highlights, including one that we’ve already reported, after the jump.

(more…)

‘Numerous’ Tires Slashed and Cars Keyed in Rosslyn Area

By ARLnow.com

Published May 22, 2018 at 10:30AM

Arlington County Police are investigating a series of vehicle vandalisms in the Rosslyn area.

The tire slashing and door keying spree took place between Thursday night and early Friday morning last week.

Alfonso Lopez Says Anonymous Threats Convinced Him to Request Police Presence at Indivisible Meeting

By Alex Koma

Published May 21, 2018 at 1:45PM

Del Alfonso Lopez at Indivisible Arlington meeting that was interrupted by protests (via Facebook)

Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49) says anonymous threats prompted him to request that police monitor a Indivisible Arlington town hall last weekend, and now he’s offering to meet with the pro-immigrant activists who confronted him at that gathering.

The question of who requested the involvement of Arlington County Police at the event, after some LaColectiVA activists asked some tough questions of Lopez on his ties to a contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been on the minds of several meeting attendees and even other Democratic lawmakers in the days following the meeting.

The police who manage protection for state lawmakers — the Virginia Division of Capitol Police — told ARLnow last week that Lopez had indeed requested a police presence at the event, and Arlington County Police confirmed that they’d agreed to check in on the meeting, though they’re adamant that they were not actively monitoring it.

Now, in his first public comments since the May 12 meeting at Arlington Central Library, Lopez told ARLnow in a prepared statement that he’s been notifying the Capitol Police about any public event he’s attended since last December. He chalks that up to “unwanted anonymous threats,” echoing claims he made at the meeting that some members of LaColectiVA had crossed a line when protesting his consulting work for the ICE contractor.

“Since the Indivisible Legislators’ Forum was widely publicized on social media my office followed protocol and alerted Colonel Pike’s [the chief of the Capitol Police] office,” Lopez wrote. “I have subsequently learned that an Arlington police officer came to the event before it began. The officer was alerted that his presence was not necessary and he left. In the middle of the Indivisible meeting a second officer arrived. He stated that he was there because he had been contacted by library security because of the noise. He spoke to the crowd briefly. The officer was told this presence was not needed and he also left.”

The arrival of that second officer prompted consternation among the crowd of activists, and a new round of shouting after the meeting had initially quieted down after a tense beginning. Indivisible Arlington has even since apologized for the presence of law enforcement at the event, and LaColectiVA’s leaders wrote in a statement this weekend that the police presence at the event amounts to “the criminalization of people of color.”

Nelson Lopez, a LaColectiVA organizer who attended the meeting, has been adamant that his group has never threatened Lopez in any way, and the group reiterated in its Saturday (May 19) statement that the delegate’s claims are “outright lies.”

LaColectiVA’s activists have been particularly frustrated that they feel like Lopez has ignored their requests to engage with them on the issue — Lopez reported on disclosure forms that the Immigration Centers of America, which runs an ICE detention center in Central Virginia, paid him $5,000 in 2014 and $10,000 in 2015 and 2016. He’s repeatedly stressed that he is barred from discussing that consulting work by a nondisclosure agreement.

However, in a letter to LaColectiVA’s leadership that Lopez provided to ARLnow, he points out that he’s met repeatedly with the group to discuss their concerns. He also offered to do so once again, “to discuss your concerns and ways that we can move forward on our areas of mutual interest.”

Yet Nelson Lopez noted that the delegate wants the meeting to be private and only with members of LaColectiVA’s leadership, which he feels would not satisfy the group’s efforts to encourage more public engagement on the issue.

“We have told him that the meeting needs to be public so that he can speak to the whole community, not just us,” he said.