police

Police Planning Sobriety Checkpoint in Arlington on Thursday

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police carLocal and state law enforcement are planning a drunk driving crackdown in Arlington on Thursday.

A sobriety checkpoint will be set up in an undisclosed part of Arlington Thursday night, according to an Arlington County Police Department press release.

“Officers will stop all vehicles passing through the checkpoint and ask to see the licenses of drivers,” the police department said. “Any driver suspected of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be directed to a safe area off the roadway for further observation and possible testing for intoxication.”

The checkpoint is being conducted by ACPD, the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia State Police, as part of a “national crackdown program on drunk driving that focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.”

“The maximum penalty in Virginia for the first conviction for driving under the influence is 12 months in jail, a $2,500 fine and a 12-month suspension of driving privileges,” the press release notes.

Swarm of ATVs, Dirt Bikes Sped Through Arlington Sunday Night

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)A group of more than 100 people on ATVs and dirt bikes sped through Arlington Sunday night.

A witness reported that riders were speeding down S. Arlington Ridge Road around 8:15 p.m. Sunday, followed by police.

Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck says the was department was first notified by D.C. police that the ATVs were heading into Arlington via the Key Bridge.

“Our officers estimated in excess of 100 vehicles were in the group and they split up when they noticed our cruisers,” Sternbeck said. “We monitored until they left the county.”

Such swarms of young, lawless ATV and dirt bike riders have plagued the District this summer — to the point that the Metropolitan Police Department started offering $250 rewards for information on riders — but this is the first time that ARLnow.com has been made aware of such an occurrence in Arlington.

BREAKING: Bank Robbery in Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Update at 5:30 p.m. — The FBI has published a wanted poster, seeking information on this morning’s robbery. A reward of up to $5,000 is offered.

Earlier: Arlington County Police are on the scene of a bank robbery in Ballston.

A man reportedly robbed the HSBC Bank at 4075 Wilson Blvd by implying that he had a gun and threatening to shoot a bank employee. He ran off after being given cash.

Police are searching the surrounding area for the man, who was last seen running north on N. Randolph Street.

The suspect is described as a six-foot tall black male in his 50s or 60s, who was wearing a red hat, green shirt and glasses at the time of the robbery, according to scanner traffic.

No customers were reported inside the bank at the time of the robbery. The bank was last robbed in 2010.

Police Seek Cadillac Driver Who Struck Two Year Old in McDonald’s Parking Lot

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Arlington police are looking for a man who allegedly ran over a two year old in a McDonald’s parking lot and then drove off.

Police say the driver hit the child with his Cadillac while in the restaurant parking lot on the 3000 block of Columbia Pike. The man allowed the child’s family to pull him out from underneath the car before speeding off.

The toddler was hurt but is expected to be okay. Police are hoping grainy surveillance images of the car (above) may help them track down the driver.

From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Auto Crimes Unit is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying and locating a suspect involved in a hit and run incident of a two-year old child on August 30, 2015.

The suspect drove into the McDonald’s parking lot, located in the 3000 block of Columbia Pike, at approximately 7:04 p.m. and was captured on surveillance video striking a two-year old child. The suspect vehicle ran over top of the child and stopped so the victim’s family could pull him from underneath. The vehicle then sped off and the child was transported to Children’s Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The subject is described as a black male between 18-30 years old. He has green eyes and dreadlocks past the ears. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a white baseball hat with a black brim. The vehicle is described as a four door, silver-colored Cadillac sedan.

If anyone has information on the identity and/or whereabouts of this individual, please contact Detective Burgess of the Arlington County Police Department’s Auto Crimes Unit at 703.228.4618 or at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

Man Stabbed, Seriously Injured While Trying to Stop Purse Snatching

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA man was stabbed in the chest and slashed across the face while trying to stop a purse snatching near Kenmore Middle School early Saturday morning.

The incident happened around 12:40 a.m., on the 5900 block of Arlington Blvd. Police say a 48-year-old woman was walking down the street when a man came up to her and tried to steal her purse.

A male friend of the victim, who was walking in front of her, intervened and tried to stop the robbery. A second suspect then stepped in and stabbed the 53-year-old man in the chest and slashed him across the face with a knife, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

After the suspects ran off, the victims managed to flag down a passerby, who called 911.

Medics found the man lying in the grass, suffering life threatening injuries, Sternbeck said. They managed to stabilize him and rush him to Inova Fairfax Hospital. The medics’ quick actions likely saved the man’s life, Sternbeck said — he’s expected to survive.

The woman whose purse was stolen, meanwhile, suffered a laceration to her hand during the robbery.

Police are searching for the two suspects, who remain at large.

“The first suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 5’4″ tall, and wearing a black t-shirt and dark pants,” according to a police crime report. “The second suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 5’6″ tall, and wearing a black t-shirt and dark pants.”

ACPD Launches Back to School Safety Campaign

By ARLnow.com

Back to school 2013 (file photo)The Arlington County Police Department is conducting “high visibility traffic enforcement in and around school zones” starting today, the first day of school for local students.

The department’s 2015 back to school safety campaign includes both enforcement and outreach to drivers, students and parents.

In addition to the traffic enforcement by police and by by the new stop arm cameras on Arlington school buses, ACPD has placed electronic roadside message boards around the county “reminding citizens of the start of school and to drive safely,” according to a press release.

“The Arlington County Police Department is committed to ensuring the safety of all students and motorists,” said Police Chief Jay Farr, in an Arlington Public Schools-produced public service announcement video.

“We would like to remind everyone to be extra careful this year,” Farr continue. “Share the road with buses, pedestrians and bicyclists. Remember, buses are now equipped with stop arm cameras… it’s never okay to pass a school bus with the stop light out.”

ACPD has issued several back-to-school safety tips. For drivers:

  • “Obey speed limits which may change during school zone times”
  • “Avoid distracted driving and keep your attention on the road”
  • “Watch for students walking and riding bikes to school”
  • “Don’t pass a stopped school bus loading or unloading passengers”
  • “Have all vehicle occupants wear their seatbelts”

The police department’s safety tips for students and pedestrians:

  • “Cross the street at marked crosswalks and never against a red light”
  • “Look before you cross and follow the direction of school crossing guards”
  • “Always walk on designated sidewalks or paths, never along the side of a road”

 

BREAKING: Police Searching for Evidence at House of Murder Victim’s Ex-Husband

By ARLnow.com
1/12

(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) Arlington County Police are executing a search warrant on the house of David Black, the ex-husband of murder victim Bonnie Delgado Black.

Police arrived at the house near Pentagon City early this morning, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Black was at the house at the time but has since left, and is so far not in custody and not charged with a crime, Sternbeck said.

“We have an active police presence at this time at David Black’s residence,” said Sternbeck. Police are searching for “potential items at the residence that could contain forensic evidence that can assist us in the investigation.”

Bonnie Black was found stabbed to death in her Aurora Highlands home the morning of April 17, after a neighbor saw her children wandering around outside the house. Black, who was 42, worked as a psychologist and did contract work for the FBI.

Bonnie Black’s ex-husband’s house is also in Aurora Highlands, several blocks away from the murder scene. Police this morning could be seen searching the ex-husband’s garage and removing two bikes, including one with a child carrier attached. The bikes were later taken away as evidence by police.

So far no one has been charged in the murder, a fact that has caused concern in the community. David Black remains a “person of interest” in the case, Sternbeck said.

“I’m very happy to see some action taking place,” neighbor Lynn Primo told reporters. “We’re all very concerned… this man continues to live here and the whole neighborhood believes he has something to do with [the murder].”

Primo said she has seen Black coming and going from the house, but has not observed any unusual activity.

The couple’s children are in the custody of Bonnie Black’s family, but David Black still has visitation rights, according to Sternbeck.

Arlington Police Still Seeking Tips for 22 Cold Cases

By Heather Mongilio

Arlington County police logo(Updated at 5:10 p.m.) The Arlington County Police Department does not have new leads for any of its 22 cold cases, some of which date back to 1970, but is an the lookout for new tips and evidence.

The oldest cold case in ACPD’s files is the murder of Maria Currier, 23, from 1970. Currier was found strangled in her bedroom on 100 block of N. Columbus Street on Jan. 8, 1970.

There are two other cold cases from 1970 — Rene Karam, who was strangled in March 1970, and Frank Shipley, who died under unusual circumstances in May 1970.

Shipley and his wife returned home to find a burglar in their house. Shipley suffered a heart attack while complying with the burglar’s demands.

The suspect was described as “a white male in his 20s, approximately 5″8′ tall with a slight build and dark-brown or black wavy hair,” according to the ACPD’s cold case website.

There were 10 deaths between 1970 and 1975 that remain unsolved — three in 1970, two in 1971, three in 1974 and two in 1975. The deaths of the 12 other cold case victims occurred between 1986 and 2006, with two deaths in 1988.

One of the 1988 unsolved cases is 38-year-old Constance Holtzman, who was shot and killed on Nov. 9, 1988. She was found in her bedroom on the 4400 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. Police still do not have a suspect description.

The most recent cold case is nearly 10 years old. Paul Matthew Zeller was killed while walking near the Pentagon Row shopping center in 2006, according to ACPD.

On the night of his murder, Zeller stopped at a grocery store before heading to his Aurora Highlands home, according to detectives. Police found the 24-year-old Iraq war veteran shot on the 1300 block of S. Joyce Street, after receiving 911 calls shortly after midnight. There is a reward of up to $10,000 for any information on that case.

The cold case squad is also working on the 2012 double homicide in Hall’s Hill, where two men were found in an apartment on N. Culpeper Street. The case is not technically considered a “cold case” because it is still actively being worked, said Det. Rosa Ortiz.

“I do have several leads that are good leads,” Ortiz said. She declined further comment.

Ortiz heads the cold case squad and has been the lead detective in some of the police department’s most high-profile solved cases, including the Carl Diener murder and a 25-year-old rape case that was solved last year.

Anyone with information on any cold case or recent crime can call the ACPD Tip Line at 703-228-4242 or the Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

“Any new information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could help detectives solve this case and bring the victim’s family some closure,” the cold case website says.

Suspicious Note on Metro Train Prompts Investigation, Delays

By ARLnow.com

Metro transit police vehicle (file photo)(Updated at 5:55 p.m.) A investigation into a suspicious message on a train caused some delays for Metro riders heading through Arlington on the Blue and Yellow lines this afternoon.

Metro Transit Police responded to the Pentagon City Metro station around the beginning of the evening rush hour for a “report of [a] suspicious package,” Metro said via Twitter.

According to Metro spokesman Mike Tolbert, a “suspicious note” was found on a train. The note was similar to another note — a bomb threat — that caused delays on the Blue, Silver and Orange lines this morning, Tolbert said.

Trains single tracked between the Pentagon City and National Airport stations for about a half hour as a result of the investigation. Metro said officers determined that the threat was “unfounded” and an all clear was given. Full service resumed, though with significant residual delays.

The incident even caused delays on the Green Line in D.C. “due to earlier congestion from delayed Yellow Line trains.”

UPDATED: Arlington’s Police Radio Channels Went Down Today

By ARLnow.com

Radio antennas in South Arlington at sunsetUpdate at 3:55 p.m. — Police radio channels appear to be back up and working properly.

Earlier: The Arlington County Police Department is currently using backup radio channels from neighboring jurisdictions due to technical problems.

Police started noticing issues with radio interference Monday night, according to Arlington Office of Emergency Management spokesman John Crawford.

This morning, as radio traffic increased, that interference got bad enough on the primary police channels for Arlington to implement its backup radio plan for the police department.

ACPD is currently “borrowing” a channel from Alexandria and Fairfax County for dispatches and communication. There has been no interruption in police service as a result of the switch, Crawford said.

“That’s the beauty of this radio system, it’s so robust that we all have spare radio channels that we can grab when needed and you never miss a beat,” said Crawford. “We haven’t lost anything.”

A contractor is currently working to resolve the problem and hopes to have the police radio channels back up by the end of the day, according to Crawford. The cause of the interference is believed to either be an illegal radio amplifier somewhere in the county or atmospheric interference.

The Arlington County Fire Department is still using its main radio channels without any issues.

Crawford said there have been other, recent instances of Arlington and other locales switching over to cross-jurisdictional backup channels without interruption.

ACPD Seeks Burglary Suspect Caught on Camera

By Heather Mongilio

Robbery suspect (Courtesy of ACPD)The Arlington County Police Department is looking for a suspect who was caught on camera during a gas station burglary in the Leeway Overlee neighborhood.

Police say that a man smashed in the glass door of the Shell service station at 5630 Lee Highway around 6 a.m. on Aug. 19. He was seen on camera placing cartons of cigars and cigarettes into a cardboard box.

The suspect then fled westbound Lee Highway, police said.

“The suspect is described as a black male with an athletic build and had chest length dreadlocks,” police said in a press release today. “He was wearing a black v-neck t-shirt, denim jeans and dark sneakers at the time of the incident. In one of the surveillance images, a tattoo is captured on the subject’s upper right arm.”

Anyone with information about the robbery or suspect can contact Detective James Stone at [email protected] or at 703-228-4245. Information can also be reported anonymously by calling the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

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