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Bomb Threat Prompts Police Investigation in Crystal City

Published February 24, 2017 at 4:30PM

Someone phoned in a bomb threat to a building in Crystal City earlier this week, prompting a police search.

The threat was called in to a residential building on the 1900 block of S. Eads Street — the same block as the large Crystal House apartment complex — just after 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Arlington County Police officers with bomb-sniffing dogs swept the building, but no explosives were found. The building was not evacuated.

Police are still looking for the person who called in the threat.

From an ACPD crime report:

BOMB THREAT, 2017-02220081, 1900 block of S. Eads Street. At approximately 8:38 a.m. on February 22, an unknown subject called in a bomb threat. A K9 sweep was conducted with negative results. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.

Crime Report: Car Break-Ins in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Published February 22, 2017 at 11:45AM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 4:46PM

At least four cars were broken into and rummaged through in Rosslyn between Sunday night and Monday morning.

Police say “numerous items of value” were stolen from the cars, which were parked on the 1800 block of N. Quinn Street.

More from this week’s Arlington County crime report:

LARCENY FROM AUTO (series), 2017-0220059, 1800 block of N. Quinn Street. Between 9:00 p.m. on February 19 and 6:45 a.m. on February 20, an unknown subject(s) entered at least four vehicles in a one block radius and stole numerous items of value. There is no suspect(s) description.

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

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published February 21, 2017 at 9:15AM | Updated February 21, 2017 at 9:36AM

Busy Weekend for ACFD — The Arlington County Fire Department responded to a couple of big fires over the weekend. Two firefighters were injured while battling an apartment fire on the 5500 block of Columbia Pike; a resident tells ARLnow.com that the fire started when a resident fell asleep while cooking. Also on Saturday, Arlington firefighters assisted on a mutual aid call to battle a raging inferno at a McLean mansion owned by the United Arab Emirates. [WUSA 9, Connection Newspapers]

Carpool Bartender Profiled — “In an era where craft cocktails, celebrity chefs and ‘artisanal’ everything dominate the D.C. dining scene, it’s hard to find a watering hole where comfort comes in the form of a bottle of Bud, a basket of onion rings and a bartender who knows your name. But at Carpool in Arlington, Virginia, that is exactly what’s on the menu — at least for a few more weeks.” [WTOP]

County Board Pay Raise Proposed — The Arlington County Board this weekend will consider a proposal to raise its own pay by 3.5 percent. That would bring the salary for the County Board chairman to $56,628 and the salary for County Board members to $51,480. [Arlington County]

School Board Pay Raise Bill — The Virginia General Assembly has approved a bill that would lift the state-imposed $25,000 salary cap on Arlington School Board members. If Gov. Terry McAuliffe signs the legislation, School Board members will be able to raise their pay in 2021. [InsideNova]

Police Impound Lot Changes — The Arlington County Police Department has updated its procedures for people retrieving vehicles from the impound lot in Shirlington. [Arlington County]

Remembering Steve Buttry — Journalist Steve Buttry has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 62. As Director of Community Engagement for TBD.com in 2010, Buttry had an outsized influence on ARLnow.com in its early days. He was a champion of local news and a tireless “advocate for and teacher of digital journalism and media innovation.” [The Buttry Diary]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Pedestrian Struck By Car Near Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

Published February 20, 2017 at 11:55PM

Arlington County Police investigated a serious pedestrian accident Monday night in the Clarendon-Courthouse area.

A person was struck by a car near the intersection of 10th Street N. and N. Barton Street, just before 9 p.m.

The victim was transported to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to ACPD.

Police remained on scene for several hours to investigate the collision.

POLICE ACTIVITY: Pedestrian struck in the 2400 block of N 10th Street. Pedestrian transported with serious but non-life threatening injuries

— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) February 21, 2017

Image via Google Maps

UPDATED: Police Investigating House Party Homicide

By ARLnow.com

Published February 19, 2017 at 8:35PM | Updated February 20, 2017 at 2:50AM

(Updated at 2:50 a.m.) Arlington County Police are investigating the county’s second reported homicide of the year.

A shooting happened around 3:20 a.m. Sunday at a home on the 6300 block of 29th Street N., near Bishop O’Connell High School, according to police.

Authorities say a 23-year-old man was shot during an argument at a house party and later died at the hospital.

TV station WJLA described the party as a housewarming party attended by a group of several dozen friends.

Police are now searching for the suspect, 37-year-old D.C. resident Jason Allen Johnson, who they say should be considered armed and dangerous.

UPDATE: Man Charged After Multi-Vehicle Crash That Closed Route 50

By ARLnow.com

Published February 15, 2017 at 6:45PM | Updated February 16, 2017 at 4:57PM

Route 50 was temporarily blocked at Fillmore Street during the evening rush after multiple crashes that might have been the result of an attempted hit-and-run by an impatient driver.

It started with a crash near the intersection of S. Fillmore Street and 2nd Street S. around 5:15 p.m. A resident who lives near the intersection described what happened, in an account that matched police radio traffic.

“A car attempted to pass another car on [a] narrow street [with a] cop coming the other way,” said the resident, Casey Phillips. The driver “tried to go between the two cars and hit a pregnant lady driving an SUV. Then [the] vehicle fled and wound up causing [a] much larger accident at the intersection of Fillmore and 50.”

At least four vehicles were damaged in the crashes, including the Toyota sedan driven by the suspected hit-and-run driver. Another witness, who spoke to police and to ARLnow.com, said the man tried to push through traffic at Route 50 and Fillmore and almost struck his van, as well.

The suspect was stopped just north of the intersection and handcuffed, reportedly by the officer whose cruiser was nearly involved in the first crash. An Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman could not immediately confirm whether he was arrested and will face charges.

The spokeswoman said that one person — understood to be the pregnant woman whose vehicle was struck near 2nd Street S. — was transported to Virginia Hospital Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

While the Route 50 closure lasted only a few minutes, N. Fillmore Street was blocked between Route 50 and 1st Street N. for at least an hour while multiple tow crews worked to haul away some of the vehicles involved in the incident.

Update at 4:55 p.m. — The driver, a 27-year-old Alexandria resident, was arrested and is facing multiple charges. From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, 2017-02150218, Arlington Boulevard at N. Fillmore Street. At approximately 5:15 p.m. on February 15, an officer on routine patrol was driving south in the 200 block of S. Fillmore Street when a vehicle crossed the double yellow line and allegedly attempted to strike the marked patrol vehicle. The officer was able to avoid the collision and activated his emergency lights in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The suspect vehicle continued on, striking a vehicle traveling northbound. The suspect vehicle continued to drive north on S. Fillmore Street and entered the intersection with Arlington Boulevard against a red light. The suspect vehicle then struck two other vehicles. The officer was then able to stop the vehicle and take the driver into custody without further incident. Sulaiman Kanu, 27, of Alexandria Va, was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding of a Law Enforcement Officer and Attempted Malicious Wounding (3 X). He is being held without bond. One victim was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Crime Report: Man Assaults Rideshare Driver in Clarendon Over Pickup Location

By ARLnow.com

Published February 15, 2017 at 3:05PM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 4:45PM

A man punched a rideshre driver in Clarendon this past Saturday night after an argument about where he was being picked up.

Police say the incident happened around 7:40 p.m. on the 2700 block of Clarendon Blvd, near the Whole Foods store.

“The victim was a rideshare driver and, following a verbal altercation over the phone regarding the pickup location of the fare, the suspect assaulted the driver,” said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

More from this week’s ACPD crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2017-02110254, 2700 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 7:40 p.m. on February 11, officers responded to the report of a fight in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined that a male victim rolled down the window of his vehicle to speak to the male suspect, when the suspect began assaulting the victim through the driver side window. The suspect then fled the scene on foot. Medics arrived on scene and treated the victim. Warrants have been obtained for malicious wounding. The investigation is ongoing.

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

(more…)

Justice to Face Justice After Being Bottled Up By Cops

By ARLnow.com

Published February 13, 2017 at 1:30PM

A 26-year-old Fairfax man named Adam Justice is facing several charges after an incident in Clarendon early Saturday morning.

Just before 1 a.m., police say a suspect tried to throw a glass bottle at a restaurant employee, who ducked out of the way just in time to avoid the projectile. The suspect took off on foot as police gave chase, but after a brief pursuit he was taken into custody.

The incident happened on the 1100 block of N. Highland Street, according to a crime report; that’s the same block as Clarendon Grill.

More on the charges Justice is facing, below, from an Arlington County Police Department crime report.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2017-02110017, 1100 block of N. Highland Street. At approximately 12:55 a.m. on February 11, officers witnessed a male subject throw a glass bottle at a restaurant employee. The employee was able to move out of the way and was not struck by the bottle. Officers attempted to take the male suspect into custody but he tried to flee the area on foot. Following a brief foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody. Adam Rhodes Justice, 26, of Fairfax Va, was arrested and charged with attempted malicious wounding, obstruction of justice, and drunk in public.

Man Gets 58 Years in Prison for Lyon Park Sexual Assault

By Tim Regan

Published February 10, 2017 at 4:30PM

A Woodbridge man arrested for the sexual assault of a woman in Lyon Park was today sentenced to 58 years in prison for that and two other crimes.

Justin Wingate Poe, 35, was nabbed last May on suspicions that he broke into a home on the 700 block of N. Edgewood Street and sexually assaulted a sleeping woman.

The sexual assault was linked to two attempted abductions in Arlington that occurred in 2007. A renewed investigation into those cold cases was what led to Wingate Poe’s arrest, according to the Arlington County Police Department.

“Upon receiving the link between the 2007 and 2016 cases, Arlington County Police Department detectives began an intensive investigation including the review of cold case files, crime scene evidence and laboratory results,” ACPD said in a release. “The review resulted in additional information that led detectives to identify Justin Wingate Poe as a suspect. Wingate Poe was arrested and charged in June 2016.”

UPDATED: Police Investigate Bank Robbery in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Published February 10, 2017 at 12:55PM | Updated February 10, 2017 at 3:56PM

Note to Washington-Lee HS parents after Ballston bank robbery

(Updated at 3:49 p.m.) Arlington County Police are on the lookout for a man suspected of robbing a bank in Ballston.

A man entered the Navy Federal Credit Union, on the 800 block of N. Randolph Street, and passed a note to a teller around 11:40 a.m., police said. He then ran off with an “undisclosed amount of money.”

Arlington County police set up a perimeter to try to search for the man but thus far no arrests have been reported. During the search nearby Washington-Lee High School was placed in “secure the school” mode as a precaution, according to scanner traffic.

The suspected robber is described as a white male who was wearing a brown jacket, a brown and cream colored winter hat and sunglasses.

This is not the first robbery at the Navy Federal in Ballston. The bank was the scene of an armed robbery in 2012. Separately, another man in a winter coat and sunglasses robbed a Navy Federal in Potomac Yard and then dumped some of the loot on S. Glebe Road in Arlington on Monday.

Despite the similar suspect descriptions, a police spokeswoman said it’s too early to determine whether the robberies are linked.

UPDATED: Police Investigating Death in Costco Parking Lot

By ARLnow.com

Published February 9, 2017 at 3:00PM | Updated February 10, 2017 at 11:18AM

Arlington County Police are investigating a death in the Costco parking lot in Pentagon City.

A body was found this afternoon in the front of an SUV parked in the store’s surface parking lot, next to the new parking garage.

“Police were called to the 1200 block of S. Fern Street for the report of an unresponsive male in a vehicle,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Medics responded to the area and the male has been pronounced deceased.”

“The police department is conducting and active death investigation but at this time, the death does not appear suspicious,” Savage continued. “There is no threat to the public.”

Update at 11:15 a.m. — The man’s death was related to a medical condition, according to Friday’s ACPD crime report.

(MEDICAL) DOA, 2017-02090172, 1200 block of S. Fern Street. At approximately 1:23 p.m. on February 9, officers were dispatched for the report of an unresponsive male inside a vehicle. Medics arrived on scene and the 70-year-old male was pronounced deceased. The death is not considered suspicious and there is no threat to the public. The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine cause of death.