police

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Sunset over Rosslyn and the Potomac River, as seen from a Yellow Line Metro train

Prayer Vigil for Navy Yard Victims — St. George’s Episcopal Church in Virginia Square will be holding a 40 minute prayer vigil and candle lighting for victims of the Navy Yard mass shooting tonight. [ARLnow Events]

Va. Is Test State for Gun Data Sharing — Virginia is a test state for a nationally-linked system that will share information on guns used in crimes across law enforcement agencies. The system is intended to skirt federal law that prevents the sharing of federal gun trace information. As of Monday, twenty-five Virginia law enforcement agencies had signed on to the program. The Arlington County Police Department was not on that list. [Richmond Times-Dispatch]

Dedication for New Wakefield HS — A dedication ceremony will be held for the new Wakefield High School on Sunday. Students, staff and community members are invited to the ceremony, which starts at 1:30 p.m. It will be followed by tours of the school, an opening ceremony for Wakefield’s new aquatics center, and an aquatics center open house. [Arlington Public Schools]

UPDATED: Bank Robbery in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
1/7

(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) Police are on the scene of a bank robbery in Courthouse.

A man robbed the Wells Fargo Bank at 2200 Clarendon Blvd just before 1:00 p.m. today (Friday). The bank is in the courtyard of Courthouse Plaza, just steps from the Arlington County government office building and a couple of blocks from police headquarters.

The suspect presented a note to the teller implying he had a gun, and fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police. He “was in and out within minutes,” said police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Police quickly surrounded the bank following the robbery, but the suspect remains at large. The FBI also responded to the call, which is protocol in a bank robbery.

The suspect is described as a black male in his 20s or 30s, between 5’6″ and 5’9″, wearing a black windbreaker, a “boonie” hat and dark blue jogging pants with light blue piping on the leg. The man had a thin build and a short beard, police said. He was last seen running northbound in the area of Me Jana restaurant, according to scanner traffic.

Crime Report: Indecent Exposure in Bluemont

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A man on a bike exposed himself to a woman who was walking her dog in the area of the Bluemont Junction Trail, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

The incident happened at 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4. From the crime report:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 09/04/13, 700 block of N. Emerson Street. At 4:19 pm on September 4, a subject on a bicycle exposed himself to a victim while walking her dog. The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic male in his 20’s, approximately 5’7″ tall, average build, and medium length dark brown hair. At the time of the incident the suspect was wearing a yellow shirt with a blue circle and writing in the center and black athletic shorts with a grey checkered pattern. The suspect’s bicycle was black with silver and white writing and thin tires.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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ACPD Warns of Utility Scam

By Katie Pyzyk

Arlington County Police Department badgeThe Arlington County Police Department warns that scam artists have been targeting residents around the county, claiming to be employees of Dominion Power.

Scam artists have been calling Arlington residents, claiming to be utility bill collectors, according to police. They often become aggressive on the phone and demand payment for outstanding bills. The scammers have also threatened to cut off service altogether if immediate payment is not provided over the phone. They ask the victim to set up a pre-paid debit card so funds can be loaded onto it and accessed over the phone.

In the past, many utility scams police came across involved minority or elderly residents. This one, however, appears to target small businesses. Since the beginning of the year, police have investigated 21 instances of this scam in Arlington, nine of which occurred just in the past month.

The scammers have been requesting various amounts of money ranging from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand, police say. Although most of the victims refused to pay and contacted police, a few did hand over money.

Police remind residents never to provide personal information to people over the phone, including bank account numbers, credit card info and social security numbers. If you receive a call from someone claiming to work for a utility or another business, attempt to verify the individual’s identity by calling the service number on your utility bill or on the company’s website. Do not attempt to call phone numbers a caller may offer, because the number will often ring to another scam artist.

Do not rely on your caller I.D. to verify suspicious calls, because scammers can alter phone numbers to appear like they belong to a utility company. Legitimate utility companies will not attempt to pressure customers into making a snap decision or an immediate payment.

If you receive a call you believe is a scam, hang up and call the Arlington County Police non-emergency number at 703-228-2222 to file a police report.

Reduction in Crashes Near ACPD Sign

By Katie Pyzyk

Electronic sign at Washington Blvd and Route 50The electronic sign the Arlington County Police Department stationed at Washington Blvd and Route 50 with the seemingly obvious message “don’t hit the car in front of you” may have accomplished its intended goal. ACPD reports a reduction in accidents at the intersection.

The department targeted that particular area with an electronic message due to the high number of crashes there. It was the county’s top area for accidents during the second quarter of 2013. After the sign went up, however, the department saw a change.

“It appears the sign worked because there was a sharp decrease in accidents from July to August,” said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The sign went up in early July, and from then until today (September 11), police have only responded to two accidents. That’s down from about 15 during the second quarter.

The department believes the simplicity of the sign’s message may be what caused drivers to take notice and heed the warning. Despite the large amount of attention it received, the message did not produce any complaints to police.

The electronic sign is one of four ACPD owns, all of which are mounted on trailers so they can be easily moved around the county. The signs are rotated on a regular basis; messages typically remain for about two months, unless they show a short term alert such as a special event or one-time road closure. This specific sign was changed a few days after ARLnow.com ran the story last month.

Man Seen Exposing Himself at Park

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police car (file photo)A man was seen exposing himself in Benjamin Banneker Park on Saturday morning.

The incident happened around 8:00 a.m. The man was spotted in the woods near the park’s soccer fields, with a white shirt covering his head, exposing himself to other park users, according to an Arlington County crime report.

Police were not able to locate the suspect.

The 11-acre park is located along the W&OD Trail and near the East Falls Church Metro station.

Arlington to Hold 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony

By ARLnow.com

Courthouse PlazaArlington County will hold a special commemorative ceremony to remember the 184 victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

The event still start at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, outsize the Courthouse Plaza county government building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

A moment of silence will be observed at 9:37 a.m., marking the time that American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon. The silence will be followed by a playing of “Taps” and a lowering of the flag to half-staff.

Arlington County’s combined police, fire and sheriff color guard will be on hand, as will Sheriff Beth Arthur, Chief of Police Doug Scott and Fire Chief James Schwartz.

The event is open to the public.

Police Arrest Suspect in 21-Year-Old Rape

By Ethan Rothstein

Stevie Brinson (photo courtesy of ACPD)Arlington County police have arrested an Alexandria man in connection with the 21-year-old rape of a college student.

Stevie Brinson, 50, of Alexandria was arrested Thursday after police say they “got a hit on DNA evidence” from the 1992 rape at gunpoint of a 25-year-old woman. The crime happened on the 2000 block of N. Adams Street near Lyon Village.

Brinson is being held without bond at the Arlington County Detention Facility. In June, ACPD resubmitted evidence to its laboratory which led to Brinson as a suspect, police said. ACPD, with the assistance of Alexandria Police, arrested Brinson at his place of work in Alexandria.

“Cases like this are not forgotten by the Arlington County Police Department,” Deputy Chief of Police Daniel Murray said in a press release. “Our Cold Case Squad detectives worked diligently in an effort to get justice for this victim and remove a dangerous individual from the streets.”

From the ACPD press release:

On January 28, 1992, the female victim opened her apartment door to the suspect, who claimed to be a maintenance worker. Once inside the residence, the suspect produced a handgun and demanded money. He then forced the victim into her bedroom where he bound her hands and proceeded to rape her at gunpoint. The suspect then robbed the victim of cash and fled the scene.

Photo courtesy of  ACPD

Crime Report: Indecent Exposure in Douglas Park

By ARLnow.com

A man exposed himself to a woman in a stairwell in the Douglas Park neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, according to police.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

EXPOSURE, 09/03/13, 1200 block of S. Thomas Street. At 2:50 pm on September 3, a subject exposed himself to a female victim in a stairwell. The suspect is described as a black male, bald, approximately 5’6″, 160 pounds, and in his early 30’s. At the time of the incident the suspect was wearing khaki shorts, a black t-shirt, and a khaki button down.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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Police: Man Arrested After Leaving Receipt at Crime Scene

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police logoAn Arlington man was arrested Monday after he allegedly left a receipt at a store he had just robbed.

The incident happened around 2:00 p.m. at a store inside Ballston Common Mall. Police say Matthew Martin, 45, purchased some DVDs at the store. Before he left, however, a store clerk noticed that he was trying to conceal other items that he did not buy, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

At that point, police say, Martin displayed a knife, threatened the clerk and fled the scene without paying for the concealed merchandise.

Police were able to use the identification information from Martin’s receipt for the DVDs he purchased to arrest him at his Arlington home a short time after the crime, Sternbeck said. He was charged with robbery and held without bond.

Police Seek Man Who Attempted to Sexually Assault Arlington Girl

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA man broke into an apartment in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood this morning and attempted to sexually assault a girl.

Police have released only a few details about the alleged crime, but are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect.

The incident happened around 6:00 a.m. at an apartment somewhere in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood, off of Columbia Pike. The man broke into the apartment and attempted to sexually assault a juvenile female, according to Arlington County Police. The victim did not know her attacker, police said.

“Despite recent efforts to locate the suspect, he continues to remain at-large,” police said in a press release. “The subject is described as a 20-25 year old white male, approximately 5’7” with freckles and a short brown mohawk. At the time of the incident, the suspect was wearing a white shirt with a gray design, blue jeans, and black shoes.”

“If anyone has information on the identity and/or whereabouts of this individual, please contact Detective Joe McGrath of the Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit at 703.228.4244 or at [email protected],” the press release said. “To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477). ”

Details like the apartment address, how the suspect got inside the apartment and the exact nature of the assault have not been released.

“We don’t want to go into specifics at this time,” said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

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