Alexandria police are investigating a bank robbery at the Bradlee Shopping Center near the Fairlington neighborhood.
Police say a man entered the Wells Fargo at 3624 King Street, implied a weapon and made off with cash.
From an Alexandria police press release:
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating the robbery of a Wells Fargo Bank located at 3624 King Street. On Friday, December 16, at 2:05 p.m., a man entered the bank, passed the teller a note, and implied that he had a weapon. He demanded money, the teller complied and the suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. There were no injuries.
The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’10” tall with a large build. He was wearing a grey and black coat, blue jeans, grey and white tennis shoes, and a black baseball cap.
Police ask that anyone with information about this incident call Detective Michael Whelan at 703.746.6228.
(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) Following the rush hour mess at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Lynn Street earlier this week, the Arlington County Police Department says it’s working to better coordinate its response to construction-related traffic issues.
This week’s issues, the police department explained, were caused in part by road paving that’s part of a big development project.
“Heavy traffic in Rosslyn this week was [exacerbated] by street paving as part of the ongoing construction at Central Place,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.com. “The paving is now complete and we are seeing a return to normal traffic volume in the area.”
Savage said the department has a detail that directs traffic at the congested intersection on weekday mornings, but doesn’t have a similar detail for the evening rush hour.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to address traffic issues in Rosslyn, the police department funds a special detail in which two officers direct traffic during the morning rush hour at the intersection of Wilson Boulevard and Lynn Street in order to keep traffic from blocking the box,” she said. “This has a positive impact on the immediate area but traffic still backs up at the intersections west of that location due to infrastructure capacity.”
“While our detail has specific hours, our officers do conduct additional enforcement at the intersection on a random rotating basis with the goal of compliance with traffic laws even when police are not present,” Savage added.
ACPD says it is working with county development officials to improve the department’s construction traffic response.
“The police department is coordinating with the Development Services Bureau to better address traffic issues related to the construction,” said Savage.
However, Savage added, “We must balance our available police resources with all requests for traffic enforcement throughout the County.”
Yesterday’s evening rush hour brought traffic chaos to the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn.
All week traffic problems have plagued the intersection, one of Arlington’s busiest, during peak driving times. The culprit: Lynn Street is down to two lanes, due to construction on the Central Place project.
With traffic backing up, drivers jockeyed for position in the intersection, often “blocking the box” in the process when the light changed. Road rage would often ensue.
The Arlington County Police Department has been getting a high volume of calls from frustrated drivers seeking a police presence at the intersection, according to scanner traffic, but most of those pleas are not being answered with action.
“I’m here and there’s nothing we can do,” one officer said after responding to the scene.
A supervisor, earlier in the day, instructed dispatchers to clear calls complaining about heavy traffic — as long as the lanes were closed, traffic would remain heavy. Police would only respond to incidents in the intersection like accidents or road rage disputes that might become full-fledged physical fights.
It was the same story two years ago. As we reported in Oct. 2014, Central Place work had Lynn Street down to just one lane, leading to lots of horn honking and tempers flaring. Eventually, the issues cleared up as lanes were reopened a day or two later.
A man has jumped off an apartment balcony in Pentagon City in an apparent suicide attempt.
It happened on the 400 block of 12th Street S., between Army Navy Drive and S. Eads Street. That’s the same stretch of road that was shut down yesterday due to a man with mental health issues who reportedly injured himself and was being uncooperative with police.
That same man is believed to be the person who jumped today, according to scanner traffic.
There were several witnesses to the incident, who are being interviewed by police. Officers are again shutting down 12th Street S. between Army Navy and Eads while they take photos and investigate.
The man is being transported to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital. The severity of his injuries are unclear at this time.
POLICE ACTIVITY: 12th St S closed btw Army Navy Drive & Eads St as PD investigate attempted suicide. Male subject transported to hospital.
Update at 3:15 p.m. — The road is reopening, according to scanner traffic. The fire department is being called to the scene for a “washdown” of the area of impact.
If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is a phone call away. Call CrisisLink at 703-527-4077.
A woman found a man sleeping in her car in the Crystal City area early this morning.
Police were called to the 1900 block of Jefferson Davis Highway just after midnight.
The suspect fled but was found by officers, arrested and is now facing larceny and trespassing charges.
From this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
LARCENY FROM AUTO (Significant), 2016-12140006, 1900 block of Jefferson Davis Highway. At approximately 12:20 a.m. on December 14, officers responded to the report of a suspicious subject. A female victim found an unknown male subject sleeping in her vehicle. The victim confronted the unknown male subject, causing him to flee the scene on foot. Units positively identified a subject matching the victim’s description. Amir Mansur Haynes, 28, of Washington D.C., was arrested and charged with petit larceny, entering or setting in motion vehicle, and trespassing.
The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, including some that we’ve already reported, after the jump.
County to Buy Houses for Fire Station — The Arlington County Board last night approved the purchase of two houses on N. Culpeper Street for a total of $1.68 million. The houses are needed for the construction of a new Fire Station No. 8. One house will be torn down to make way for a temporary fire station, while the other will serve as quarters for firefighters at the station. [Arlington County]
Boeing to Move Defense HQ to Arlington — Boeing is moving the headquarters of its Defense, Space and Security unit from St. Louis to its existing regional HQ in Crystal City. The move will bring about a dozen top executives and fifty support staff to Arlington. [Washington Business Journal]
County Buying Bus Maintenance Site in Springfield — County Board members unanimously approved the $4.65 million purchase of 2.15 acre industrial site in Springfield, Va., to be used as a future heavy maintenance facility for Arlington Transit buses. After it is built, the facility will replace the current leased ART maintenance facility, located in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. [Arlington County, Arlington County]
ACPD Distributing Toys for the Holidays — Arlington County Police Department officers have been delivering toys to Arlington Public Schools families in need, after collecting the toys during the department’s Fill the Cruiser drive. [Twitter]
Recycling Center Move Approved — The Four Mile Run Drive self-serve recycling center will soon be moving to the Arlington Trades Center, as expected. The County Board unanimously approved the move at its Tuesday night meeting. “County workers will be better able to monitor recycling at this location, to make sure the site is maintained properly and remains litter-free,” said Board Chair Libby Garvey. [Arlington County]
Map of Washington Blvd and N. Inglewood Street (via Google Maps)
Street view of Washington Blvd at N. Inglewood St (via Google Maps)
Update on 12/14/16 — The driver of the car was cited for failure to yield, said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage. The victims’ injuries are reported to be non-life-threatening.
“Mother and child struck were walking in the crosswalk,” Savage said, describing the circumstances of the crash. “[The] vehicle driver reported not seeing the pedestrians.”
Earlier: Washington Blvd is currently closed at N. Inglewood Street due to a pedestrian-involved crash.
Initial reports suggest a 40-year-old woman and a child were struck by a car near the intersection, in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood, just after 6:15 p.m. A caller heard the sound of the crash, saw the woman lying in the street, and called 911, according to scanner traffic.
The woman was reported to have a leg injury and was bleeding from the head, while the child was found sitting on the sidewalk. Both were alert and conscious, but the exact extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.
The woman and the child were transported via ambulance to Inova Fairfax Hospital. That’s despite the crash happening not far from Virginia Hospital Center, which is considered less equipped to handle serious trauma patients.
Police remain on scene investigating the crash.There is a crosswalk at the intersection, but it’s unclear where the victims were struck.
Traffic is being diverted at N. Harrison Street and at Patrick Henry Drive.
(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.
A man with a record of DUI convictions crashed into the back of an Arlington County Police vehicle early Saturday morning, according to police, sending him and two officers to the hospital.
The wreck happened on northbound I-395, approaching the Pentagon, just after 12:30 a.m.
Police say Julio Cesar Marcia Castro, a 27-year-old Maryland resident, crashed into a police SUV that was pulled over on an unrelated traffic stop. Luckily, no one was inside the police vehicle at the time of the crash.
Castro had to be extricated from his vehicle by paramedics and was transported to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Two officers were treated and released at Virginia Hospital Center for injuries from flying debris.
“During the course of the investigation, officers determined that the driver of the suspect vehicle was under the influence of alcohol,” police said in a crime report. “Julio Cesar Marcia Castro, 27, of Fort Washington MD, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence (3+ offense or 2+ felony offense), driving with a suspended license, and driving with DUI suspended license (3+ offense in 10 years).”
Castro is still in police custody in D.C., awaiting extradition back to the Virginia, said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
A drunk woman stole a car in Crystal City but then crashed it three blocks down the road, police say.
The incident happened around 11 a.m. on Sunday. It started, police say, when a woman “entered an unoccupied but running vehicle” on the 2200 block of S. Clark Street.
“The owner of the vehicle approached the suspect, but the suspect refused to exit and fled the scene in the vehicle,” according to an Arlington County Police crime report. “The female suspect then struck a vehicle stopped at a red light in the 1900 block of S. Clark Street.”
The woman was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Virginia Hospital Center, then charged with grand larceny auto, driving under the influence and reckless driving, according to the crime report.
(Updated at 12:15 p.m.) A portion of road in Pentagon City is being shut down due to a police situation.
Police are shutting down 12th Street S. between Army Navy Drive and S. Eads Street, near the Lenox Club and the Point at Pentagon City apartments.
Initial reports suggest that there is a man on one of the apartment balconies who is being uncooperative with police.
The incident started as a medical dispatch for a hand injury, possibly from the man punching a window or a glass door.
Police are currently trying to establish contact with the man, who is reported to have a history of mental health issues. Firefighters and medics are staging at the scene.
