police

Arlington Students Head Back to School

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 10:50 a.m.) With the notable exception of Barcroft Elementary, which opened on Aug. 1, today was the first day of school for Arlington Public Schools students.

Kids and parents flocked back to local elementary, middle and high schools this morning, as the APS bus fleet traversed local roads. There were no major hiccups reported, save perhaps a fire alarm that was set off in the teacher’s lounge of Taylor Elementary around 10 a.m. (No smoke or fire was found.)

This morning at Abingdon Elementary, which is being renovated and expanded, students were greeted by a number of newly-installed relocatable classroom trailers on the field next to the school. Several Arlington County police officers were stationed at the intersection of 29th Street S. and S. Abingdon Street, to help keep cars moving amid a new traffic pattern for dropping off students.

At Carlin Springs Elementary, meanwhile, administrators literally rolled out a red carpet for new and returning students. At the new Arlington Tech, the program’s first 40 students arrived and began classes. At the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, upperclassmen formed tunnels for freshman students on their first day.

Arlington County Police and APS are urging drivers to be extra cautious on the roads as school gets back underway.

ACPD and APS officials, School Board members and school administrators were busy ringing in the first day of school on Twitter this morning. More back-to-school tweets, after the jump.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rosie the Riveter event at the Netherlands Carillon (courtesy Valerie Crotty)

Hazmat Incident, Arrests on I-66 — Two people were arrested on drug charges Saturday after their SUV broke down on I-66 and police found a suspicious liquid in and a suspicious smell coming from the vehicle. Lanes of westbound I-66 were shut down while a hazmat team investigated the substance. [WUSA, NBC 4]

Man Arrested for Sexual Assault on Orange Line Train — A man allegedly exposed himself and then tried to force a woman to perform a sex act on an Orange Line train Monday afternoon. The incident happened as the train was approaching the Dunn Loring station, but the man was reportedly arrested in Arlington and held at the county jail. [WTOP]

APS Still Searching for More Space — Arlington Public Schools officials have been busy trying to add more high school seats as a student capacity crunch continues and is expected to get worse at the top grade levels. For now, APS appears to be focused on adding seats at existing high schools and adding additional capacity through new high school programs, like the just-launched Arlington Tech program, as opposed to opening a fourth comprehensive high school. [InsideNova]

Photo (above) of Rosie the Riveter event at the Netherlands Carillon courtesy Valerie Crotty

BREAKING: Wild Motorcycle Chase Ends on Spout Run Parkway

By ARLnow.com
1/5

A wild police chase that started on I-66 has ended in Arlington.

Virginia State Police were chasing two motorcyclists who refused to stop after one was reportedly involved in a crash on the highway, according to scanner traffic.

The pursuit continued into Arlington and the motorcyclists took the Glebe Road exit into Ballston. With a Fairfax County Police helicopter overhead tracking their movement, the bikers briefly stopped in Ballston and then made their way north, past the area of Washington-Lee High School and onto Lee Highway, according to police radio traffic.

One of the suspects was reportedly taken into custody after he damaged his motorcycle and tried to flee on foot into the woods at the intersection of Spout Run Parkway and Lorcom Lane.

The other continued to flee down residential streets, allegedly driving onto front lawns and zooming past pedestrians. By apparent coincidence, the motorcyclist rode right by where the first suspect was arrested, and was himself then stopped and taken into custody on Spout Run Parkway

Police temporarily closed portions of the parkway to traffic during the incident.

Virginia State Police pursued the suspects through the county; per Arlington County Police policy against chasing suspects for minor crimes, ACPD units were instructed not to pursue.

Crime Report: Man Tries to Steal Motorcycle, Claims to Be Firefighter

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police carA Maryland man was arrested Monday after he allegedly tried to steal a motorcycle in the Pentagon City area.

The incident happened just after noon, a block from the Fashion Centre mall.

Police say the suspect, 34-year-old Michael Black, inexplicably claimed to be a volunteer firefighter after being stopped by officers, even going so far as to flash a fake badge.

From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

GRAND LARCENY OF AUTO (Significant), 160829019, 1700 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 12:15 p.m. on August 29, officers responded to the report of a suspicious person moving a motorcycle. The subject fled the scene prior to police arrival. A lookout was broadcast and a subject matching the victim’s description was located in the immediate area. Michael Delonte Black, 34, of Oxon Hill MD, was arrested and charged with grand larceny of auto, possession of burglarious tools, impersonating a firefighter, and destruction of property.

The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, after the jump.

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Video: Back to School Safety in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Schools and the Arlington County Police Department are reminding students, parents and drivers to watch out for one another on the roads as a new school year starts.

Yesterday APS released a new Public Service Announcement video, above, featuring Superintendent Patrick Murphy, Police Chief Jay Farr and School Resource Officer Supervisor Lt. Susan Noack.

Among other things, the video reminds parents to practice safe walking with their kids and reminds drivers that it’s never okay to pass a school bus with its stop arm out.

The first day of school for the vast majority of APS students is a week from today — Tuesday, Sept. 6. Barcroft Elementary Students, however, are already back at school; their first day was Aug. 1.

Drunk Clarendon Bar-Goer Tries to Fight the Law (And the Law Won)

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)A 25-year-old Arlington man was arrested early Friday morning after allegedly trying to pick a fight with police.

According to an Arlington County Police Department crime report, the man “attempted to strike an officer and pull the officer to the ground,” while the officer was assisting with crowd control in Clarendon around bar closing time.

From ACPD:

ASSAULT ON POLICE OFFICER, 160826007, 2800 block of N. Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 1:48 a.m. on August 26, officers responded to the area to assist with crowd control during restaurant closing time. An intoxicated male suspect approached the officers and attempted to start a confrontation. The male suspect became disorderly and when officers attempted to arrest him for Drunk In Public, he attempted to strike an officer and pull the officer to the ground. Francisco Xavier Andrade, 25, of Arlington VA was arrested and charged with Assault on Police (x2), Failure to ID, and Drunk in Public. He was held on no bond.

Arlington Cops to Try Out Body Cameras

By Andrew Ramonas

Fairfax County police car lightsThe Arlington County Police Department will start testing various body cameras for cops next week, the agency announced today.

ACPD and the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office will give 25 of their officers the cameras to try out for four months beginning Monday.

From a press release:

Arlington, VA – Following months of research, the Arlington County Police Department will launch a test and evaluation of three Body Worn Camera (BWC) systems beginning on Monday, August 29, 2016. Twenty-five members of the Arlington County Police Department and Arlington County Sheriff’s Office will be outfitted with BWC technology as they conduct their law enforcement duties and responsibilities. The purpose of the test and evaluation phase is to thoroughly assess the effectiveness of each vendor’s equipment, determine the cost of a permanent BWC program and provide guidance on the development of a final BWC policy.

The Arlington County Police Department is committed to providing high-quality law enforcement services and recognizes the significance of accountability and transparency as functions of securing and maintaining the public’s trust and confidence. The BWC test and evaluation phase is an additional method to enhancing accountability and transparency while officers provide dedicated service to the residents and visitors of Arlington County. The BWC technology will supplement in-car audio/video recorders already deployed in police vehicles.

A robust policy has been developed to provide guidance to officers as they test and evaluate BWC technology. The policy details the contacts which require mandatory recording by the BWC technology. Recognizing privacy issues, storage capacity and the fact that every interaction does not merit the collection of video, the cameras will not be recording at all times.

Following the four month test and evaluation phase, a comprehensive assessment will be undertaken to determine the effectiveness of BWC in terms of community expectations, transparency, legislative requirements, and evidentiary needs.

For additional information, please see our BWC FAQs.

Crime Report: Man’s Hand Slashed in Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)A man’s hand was slashed Monday night, in what was originally reported to be an accident but may have been the result of a fight.

The incident happened around 10 p.m. Monday in a restaurant on the 500 block of 23rd Street S., in Crystal City. Police and medics responded, but were told that an accident caused the injury.

The next morning, police were called again and told that the injury was the result of an assault, not an accident.

Two restaurant employees “were involved in a verbal altercation that turned physical,” said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “The victim was washing a knife at the time of the altercation and suffered a laceration to the hand which required medical treatment.”

From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

LATE MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 160823025, 500 block of S. 23rd Street. At approximately 10:11 a.m. on August 23, officers responded to the report of a late assault with a weapon. Upon investigation, officers determined that the incident occurred the night prior when a male victim suffered a laceration to the hand following a verbal altercation. Police and medics had previously responded to the location on August 22 at approximately 10:00 p.m. but the incident was reported as an accident requiring medical attention. The victim was transported by medics to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

The rest of the past week’s crime report highlights, after the jump.

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UPDATE: Reported Standoff in Va. Square Ends Peacefully, Police Say

By ARLnow.com

Police standoff in Virginia Square (courtesy photo)

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) A reported standoff with an armed man near the Virginia Square Metro station ended peacefully this afternoon.

The standoff was said to be taking place in an apartment tower on the 900 block of N. Pollard Street. Police said the man was making threats and was in possession of multiple loaded firearms.

A police spokeswoman described it as a “fluid situation,” with officers “taking an abundance of caution for everyone’s safety.”

While police took defensive positions down the hall from the man’s apartment, he was spotted outside the Starbucks near the Metro station. As it turns out, the man had left his apartment prior to police arriving. Officers talked with the man, who was said to be calm and mostly cooperative.

At 4 p.m., police said the situation was “safely resolved” and the man was “being referred to County services.”

During the standoff Pollard Street was closed to traffic and police advised people to avoid the area. One nearby resident told us that heavily-armed officers had the apartment building “locked down.”

Courtesy photo

Police Called After Girls Spot Pantless Man in Car

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsPolice are looking for a man who exposed himself to two girls in Arlington’s Old Dominion neighborhood.

The juveniles were walking down the 4600 block of 24th Street N. Friday morning when they spotted an older man “inside his vehicle with his pants down and his genitals exposed,” according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

“They did not believe the suspect was looking at them,” Savage said.

From an ACPD crime report:

EXPOSURE, 160819020, 4600 block of N. 24th Street. At approximately 10:40 a.m. on August 19, two juvenile female victims walking in the area witnessed a male subject exposing himself inside of a vehicle. The male is described as a white male with brown hair. He was wearing a gray hoodie and driving a silver 4-door sedan.

Cops Seek Man in Attempted Sexual Assault Near Key Bridge

By Andrew Ramonas

Police car (file photo)Arlington police are looking for a man who pulled a 27-year-old woman from a sidewalk and tried to touch her under her clothing in Rosslyn over the weekend.

The attempted sexual assault happened in a grassy area near the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Key Bridge about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, police say.

The woman and the man were walking past each other on the bridge when he grabbed her and forced her into the nearby grass, police said. The man then covered the woman’s mouth and tried to get his hands under her shorts.

But the victim was able to get away, and the man fled. Police described the suspect as:

A white male, in his late 20’s to early 30’s, approximately 5’8″ to 5’10” with a medium build. He is described as having fair skin, dirty blonde hair and was clean shaven at the time of the incident. He was wearing a dark t-shirt with tan shorts or possibly pants. He was last seen fleeing the area on foot along the Key Bridge towards Washington D.C.

“If anyone has information on the identity of this individual or details surrounding this incident, please contact Detective R. Icolari of the Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victim’s Unit at 703.228.4240 or at [email protected],” police said in a press release. “To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).”

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