police

UPDATED: Suspect in custody after bank robbery and standoff in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
1/14

(Updated at 9:20 p.m.) Roads have reopened around a bank in Clarendon after a reported robbery and possible hostage situation.

The Wells Fargo at 3140 Washington Blvd was robbed shortly after 3 p.m. and the suspect — reported to be a man in his 20s — was still in the bank when officers arrived. Police surrounded the bank and shut down traffic in the area.

Five employees and customers, including a small child, were held in the bank with the suspect during the hour-long incident, according to an update from police.

The suspect implied that he had a weapon, according to police, but it’s unclear whether he was actually armed. A negotiator and SWAT team members responded to the scene, while firefighters and medics staged nearby.

Witness video published by WUSA 9 showed people lying face down on the bank floor during the incident.

Shortly after 4 p.m., a group of heavily armed officers could be seen approaching the bank and, in English and Spanish, commanding those inside to come out with their hands up. The scene was captured on video by ARLnow staff photographer Jay Westcott.

Shortly after that, a man could be seen being led out with handcuffs. The people being held then came out and were asked to provide statements to police.

Police confirmed shortly after 4:30 p.m. that the suspect was in custody and an investigation is underway. No injuries were reported.

Several drivers who were caught up in the robbery response and had to abandon their vehicles on Washington Blvd, in front of the bank, were allowed to return to their vehicles and drive off around 5 p.m.

Later Tuesday night, Arlington County police released the following press release about the robbery and arrest, identifying the suspect as a 30-year-old North Carolina man. No gun was found at the scene.

The Arlington County Police Department has arrested a suspect following a bank robbery in the Clarendon neighborhood. Oscar Gonzalez Allarenja, 30, of Durham, NC, has been charged with Bank Robbery and Abduction. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

At approximately 3:09 p.m. on April 11, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery in the 3100 block of Washington Boulevard. The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect entered the bank, grabbed an employee, indicated he had a firearm and demanded cash before walking behind the counter. Responding officers established a perimeter and worked to safely resolve the incident as the suspect remained barricaded inside the bank with employees and patrons. During the course of the incident, members of the Emergency Response Team approached the bank, gave the suspect commands which he complied with and took him into custody without incident. The patrons and employees, four adults and one child, then safely exited the bank. All were evaluated on scene by medics as a precaution and no injuries were reported.

No cash was reported stolen and no weapon was located on scene. This incident remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact police at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS.

Suspects arrested after weekend carjacking near Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Two men are in police custody after a carjacking Friday night.

The carjacking was the tenth reported in Arlington so far this year, and the fifth in which a BMW was taken in the Crystal City and Pentagon City area.

Police were called from the CVS store on the 2400 block of Richmond Highway shortly before 9 p.m. Friday, after a victim reported the theft to employees, according to scanner traffic. The suspects had knocked the two victims, who tried to flee to the ground and took their keys before driving off, according to police.

More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

CARJACKING, 2023-04070196, 2400 block of Richmond Highway. At approximately 8:50 p.m. on April 7, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the two male victims were entering their parked vehicle when the suspect vehicle approached, two suspects exited, brandished firearms and demanded the keys to the vehicle. The victims ran from the vehicle and the suspects chased them, knocked them to the ground and took the vehicle’s keys. The suspect vehicle, a gray sedan, fled the scene followed by the suspects driving the stolen vehicle. During the course of the investigation, officers contacted the Metropolitan Police Department and provided information related to the investigation. The stolen vehicle was later recovered in Washington, D.C. and two male suspects were taken into custody by the Metropolitan Police Department. Warrants were obtained for Carjacking, Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony for [suspect one], 18, of an unknown location and [suspect two], 20, of Washington D.C. Both are being held in Washington D.C.

Also in the crime report, ACPD reported the arrest of a group of airsoft-gun-toting teens after a coat theft in Pentagon City, and the arrest of a 42-year-old Texas man for allegedly ramming his vehicle into another during a dispute.

WEAPONS VIOLATION, 2023-04080213, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 7:45 p.m. on April 8, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery by force. Initial information provided to dispatch indicated five juvenile suspects allegedly stole the victim’s coat and fled the scene. A lookout was broadcast and responding officers located two juveniles in the Metro and detained them without incident. An airsoft gun was located on one of the juveniles. He was taken into custody and a petition for Carrying an Air Gun in Public was obtained. The victim of the alleged robbery did not remain on scene and the circumstances of the incident remain under investigation.

ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-04090101, 2700 block of S. Glebe Road. At approximately 11:39 a.m. on April 9, police were dispatched to the report of public intoxication. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim and suspect became involved in a verbal dispute during which the suspect allegedly drove his vehicle into the victim’s vehicle, causing damage. Responding officers located the suspect on scene and took him into custody without incident. No injuries were reported. [The suspect], 42, of Round Rock, Tx, was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding and Destruction of Property. He was held on a secured bond.

DEVELOPING: Police investigating carjacking in Crystal City area

By ARLnow.com
Traffic camera of 23rd Street S. and S. Eads Street, near carjacking

Arlington County police are investigating yet another carjacking in the Crystal City area.

Initial reports suggest that a group of suspects, including one armed with a gun, carjacked a dark blue BMW X6 around 8:50 p.m. The victim reported the carjacking to employees at the CVS (2400 Richmond Highway) who then called police.

This the tenth reported carjacking in Arlington so far this year, after 14 were reported during all of 2022. Of the 10 carjackings this year, five have involved the forcible theft of a BMW in the Crystal City or Pentagon City area.

Update at 11:15 p.m. — The carjacked BMW may have been found in the District.

Update on 4/10/23 — Two men have been arrested in connection to the carjacking, police confirmed.

Parking dispute leads to gun brandishing along Wilson Blvd

By ARLnow.com
Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

An early morning dispute over parking led to a gun being brandished and a car being stolen.

That’s according to today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report.

The incident happened on the 6100 block of Wilson Blvd, in the Dominion Hills area, a bit after midnight. From ACPD:

BRANDISHING, 2023-04060006, 6100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 12:24 a.m. on April 6, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim was in his vehicle when the suspect vehicle prevented him from pulling into a parking spot. The driver and passenger of the suspect vehicle exited the vehicle and became involved in a verbal dispute with the victim, during which the driver made threatening statements towards the victim and the passenger brandished a firearm. The victim exited his vehicle and left the area on foot. No injuries were reported. Upon returning, the victim discovered his vehicle, containing his wallet and undisclosed amount of cash, was stolen. Officers canvassed the area and recovered the stolen vehicle nearby.

“The investigation is ongoing,” ACPD said.

NEW: Man arrested for Columbia Pike bank robbery

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A 27-year-old Maryland man has been arrested and charged with yesterday’s robbery of the Bank of America on Columbia Pike.

Police say Jaquan Royal passed the teller a note and implied that he had a weapon, then fled with cash. No one was physically hurt.

From an Arlington County police press release:

The Arlington County Police Department has charged a suspect for his involvement in a bank robbery in the 3400 block of Columbia Pike. Jaquan Deandre Malik Royal, 27, of Prince George’s County, Md., was taken into custody in Fairfax County. Charges in Arlington County are for Bank Robbery and Armed Robbery.

At approximately 10:29 a.m. on April 4, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery in the 3400 block of Columbia Pike. Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect entered the bank and allegedly passed a note to the teller demanding money and implying he had a weapon. He then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. No weapon was seen or displayed, and no injuries were reported.

This incident remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact police at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS.

Royal has a past arrest record in Arlington and Fairfax counties.

In the summer of 2022 he was arrested and charged with robbing a Wells Fargo Bank on Richmond Highway. The ultimate disposition of that case is not immediately clear, as ARLnow does not subscribe to Fairfax County’s paid circuit court records service.

In 2020, Royal was arrested and later convicted of petty larceny in Fairfax County, according to Fairfax County General District Court records.

Royal was arrested twice in Arlington last year and accused of a Nov. 26, 2020 armed carjacking in Crystal City and a Dec. 23, 2022 shooting. In both instances, charges were later dropped.

In February of this year he was arrested on grand larceny and other charges in Fairfax County, stemming from a December incident. He was released on his own recognizance in early March 2023, ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for May.

ACPD: Victim managed to escape carjacking attempt

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Three armed men attempted — unsuccessfully — to carjack someone in Pentagon City late last night.

That’s according to the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report.

The attempted carjacking happened just before midnight Sunday on the 700 block of 12th Street S., near the Pentagon Centre shopping center and the Pentagon City Metro station entrance.

“At approximately 11:56 p.m. on April 2, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person,” said ACPD. “Upon arrival, it was determined the victim was in his parked vehicle when the suspect vehicle approached, and three suspects exited. The suspects approached the victim’s vehicle and brandished firearms and the victim fled the area.”

“No injuries were reported,” the crime report continues. “Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspects yielding negative results… The investigation is ongoing.”

Arlington police have reported at least nine completed carjackings so far this year.

Crash-prone intersection near Lubber Run Community Center still awaiting school slow zone markings

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

(Updated at 12:20 p.m.) A troubled intersection near Lubber Run Community Center clocked another vehicle crash last week.

The collision at N. George Mason Drive and N. Park Drive last Tuesday happened as neighbors await the installation of street markings and, eventually, signage, alerting drivers to a lower speed limit of 20 mph in the area.

“A Porsche SUV gunned it through a busy intersection and collided with another SUV,” said Phillip Berenbroick, who saw the crash. “[It] happened right as kids and parents are rushing over to Barrett Elementary [School] for 9 a.m. school start.”

And that wasn’t all. While first responders were still on scene, an Audi SUV headed from the Arlington Forest neighborhood toward Ballston on Park Drive sped through the intersection and was pulled over by police, Berenbroick said. He noted that Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons stopping traffic and allowing pedestrians to cross N. Park Drive were flashing.

“It’s super dangerous for pedestrians when cars traveling eastbound on Park Drive out of Arlington Forest try to cross through the intersection and turn northbound on George Mason,” he said. “ACPD pulled the car over and let the driver off with a warning. It was a little surprising since the accident that police and EMTs were responding to was a result of the same type of dangerous driving.”

The collision reignited one neighbor’s push for a traffic signal there, particularly given the presence of Barrett Elementary one block away. Drivers tend to go fast on the four-lane expanse of N. George Mason Drive, leaving few windows for people on N. Park Drive trying to cross or turn left, including those going to and coming from the popular Lubber Run Community Center.

Arlington has a county-wide policy setting a permanent 20 mph speed limit on neighborhood streets within 600 feet of a school. Arlington County expects markings alerting drivers will cost $150,000 and will be added over the next 2-3 years.

Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, which give pedestrians are more “protected” window to cross the road, were installed at the N. Park Drive intersection in late 2020 as part of a transportation study related to the community center project.

Currently, the speed limit on N. George Mason Drive in the area is 30 mph, reduced to 25 mph when a light near the community center is flashing. Later this spring, speeds on the road will drop another 5 mph — to 20 mph — when lights are flashing, in response to a new county-wide policy.

As part of the updated school zone policy, the speed limit on parts of Park Drive near Barrett will be reduced to 20 mph at all times.

Also this spring, the intersection is expected to get new “SLOW SCHOOL XING” markings after it is repaved, according to Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Claudia Pors.

“The Water Sewer Streets crew is putting together the schedule for what streets are getting repaved this season, so the timing of when the N. George Mason Drive and Park Drive [intersection gets] paved will depend on them,” said Pors.

The intersection of N. George Mason Drive and N. Park Drive will be repaved this paving season (via Arlington County)

In all, there have been 23 crashes at George Mason sand Park since 2017, of which nine occurred in the two years the Lubber Run Community Center has been open, according to data from Arlington County Police Department. Last week’s crash does not register because it does not reporting criteria outlined in state code.

(more…)

NEW: Suspect arrested in Buckingham murder

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2 p.m.) A 40-year-old Arlington man has been arrested and charged with murder.

James Ray Williams is accused of fatally shooting a man at an apartment on the 100 block of N. Thomas Street in the Buckingham neighborhood earlier this week.

Police say Williams was arrested Friday evening on the 4200 block of Henderson Road, also in the Buckingham neighborhood and just a few blocks from the crime scene. In addition to murder, he is facing several gun and drug charges.

More from an Arlington County police press release, sent this afternoon.

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is announcing the arrest of a suspect for his involvement in a fatal shooting in the Buckingham neighborhood.

During the course of the investigation, detectives developed a possible suspect description based on evidence located at the scene and witness interviews. Arrest warrants were obtained, and the suspect was taken into custody in the 4200 block of Henderson Road on the evening of March 31. James Ray Williams, 40, of Arlington, Va. has been charged with Murder, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of Controlled Substances with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Schedule I/II Narcotics. The suspect is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

Detectives continue to investigate the events that preceded the homicide. This incident remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact police at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

On Friday, ACPD identified the victim as a 28-year-old man.

The deceased has been identified as Sean Bowman, 28, of No Fixed Address. This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Court records show that Williams has at least twice been sentenced to prison for crimes in Arlington. That includes a net two-year sentence in 2010 for drug, gun and wounding charges, and a net eight-year sentence in 2013, with five years of probation after, for drug distribution and a probation violation.

Additional court records suggest that a man named James Williams, with the same birthday as James Ray Williams, was arrested for petty larceny in Arlington recently, on Feb. 5, but was released on a summons. He failed to appear at an arraignment on March 1 in the larceny case and was declared a fugitive, according to the records.

One law enforcement source tells ARLnow that the petty larceny suspect is not the same James Williams as the murder suspect. Contacted by ARLnow, an ACPD spokesperson declined to provide any clarification.

“An individual’s criminal history is protected under Virginia Code §19.2-389 and we cannot speak to any other possible criminal incidents involving the suspect,” said ACPD’s Alli Shorb.

BREAKING: Arlington police investigating homicide in Buckingham

By ARLnow.com

Police are investigating the first reported homicide of the year in Arlington.

According to Arlington County police, a man was found dead in an apartment on the 100 block of N. Thomas Street yesterday (Tuesday) morning. He was suffering from “upper body trauma,” police said.

More from an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a homicide in the Buckingham neighborhood.

At approximately 11:25 a.m. on March 28, police and fire were dispatched to the 100 block of N. Thomas Street for the report of trouble unknown. Upon arrival, it was determined a maintenance worker entered the apartment and located the unresponsive adult male inside. Arlington County Fire Department medics pronounced the male deceased on scene.

The preliminary investigation indicates the victim suffered upper body trauma. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine cause and manner of death. The identity of the decedent is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

The apartment building is located on the same block at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More, as well as the Catholic church’s PreK-8 school.

The last reported homicide in Arlington happened in February 2022 on Columbia Pike.

Update on 4/1/23 — ACPD has identified the victim in this case.

The deceased has been identified as Sean Bowman, 28, of No Fixed Address. This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Ballston backpack and booze burglar busted

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Police arrested a man after a somewhat unusual burglary in Ballston yesterday evening.

The burglary happened shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday, on the 900 block of N. Stuart Street, which corresponds with the Meridian at Ballston Commons apartment building.

Police say a sleeping resident woke up to find someone rummaging through his bedroom.

“The victim yelled at the suspect [who then] fled the scene on foot with the victim’s backpack and alcohol,” said today’s Arlington County police crime report. “Responding officers located the suspect in the area and took him into custody without incident. During a search of the suspect’s person incident to arrest, credit cards and other personal belongings of the victim were located.”

A 19-year-old D.C. man was arrested and charged with burglary and four counts of credit card theft, police said.

Police investigating after man found dead in car

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Police are investigating the death of a man found in a vehicle on a quiet residential street near Marymount University.

Police say the man’s death “does not appear to be suspicious” but they’re still looking into the circumstances.

“At approximately 6:56 a.m. on March 27, police and fire were dispatched to the 2700 block of N. Wakefield Street for the report of a cardiac arrest,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Alli Shorb tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, the unresponsive adult male was located inside a vehicle. Medics pronounced him deceased on scene and ACPD is conducting a death investigation.”

“Based on the preliminary investigation, the death does not appear suspicious and there is no ongoing threat to the community related to this incident,” Shorb continued. “The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine cause and manner of death. The investigation is ongoing.”

The man was in his 30s, Shorb said.

A local tipster told ARLnow that the man had crashed into a parked car in the early morning hours but was not discovered deceased until later in the morning. The tipster added that the man was not a resident of the immediate neighborhood.

Police have so far declined to confirm those additional details.

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