Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)
Two people were carjacked in Crystal City on Sunday night, the second carjacking reported in Arlington last week.
It happened around 10 p.m. along the neighborhood’s 23rd Street S. restaurant row. At least one of the carjackers was armed, police said.
“A patrol officer was flagged down by the two victims who reported a carjacking,” the Arlington County Police Department said in a crime report today. “The investigation determined the victims were at their parked vehicle when the suspect vehicle approached and the three suspects exited. One suspect brandished a firearm as they approached the victims and demanded their vehicle. The suspects then fled the area in the victim’s stolen vehicle, which is described as a 2019 white Audi A5 with VA license plate UEF9067, with the suspect vehicle following.”
No injuries were reported, ACPD said. The suspects remain at large.
CRYSTAL CITY CARJACKING— 23rd St South at South Fern St in Arlington. Four guys with a gun took a white Audi A5 with Va tags. Reported around 10:15 p.m. @ARLnowDOTcom @CrystalCityVa pic.twitter.com/plUx2FoKGs
The other reported carjacking last week happened on Thursday, near Columbia Pike, when a 54-year-old Arlington man allegedly carjacked a woman he knows.
Apartments on the 3800 block of Columbia Pike (via Google Maps)
A man went on a vandalism spree along Columbia Pike last night, police say.
The incident happened around 10:45 p.m. amid the apartment buildings on Columbia Pike between George Mason Drive and Glebe Road.
“The victims heard a loud noise and observed a window to their residence had been broken and subsequently determined a window to their vehicle had also been shattered,” the Arlington County Police Department said in a crime report. “During the course of the investigation, it was determined the mirror of a vehicle parked in the 3700 block of 12th Street S. had been removed and thrown through a residential window in the 3800 block of Columbia Pike.”
“Additionally, vandalism was reported inside the common area to the residential building,” the crime report noted. The suspect, said to be around 20 years old, remains at large.
Also in today’s crime report, a 54-year-old Arlington man allegedly carjacked a woman he knows following a dispute.
The incident happened yesterday (Thursday) morning near Arlington’s western end of Columbia Pike.
From ACPD:
CARJACKING, 2023-01120081, 1000 block of S. Frederick Street. At approximately 10:25 a.m. on January 12, police were dispatched to the report of an assault. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim and suspect, who are known to each other, became involved in a verbal dispute, during which the suspect allegedly assaulted the victim before fleeing the scene in her vehicle. The victim sustained minor injuries and did not require the treatment of medics. Officers obtained a warrant for the suspect, made telephone contact with him and coordinated him turning himself in to police. [The suspect], 54, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Carjacking. He was released on his own recognizance.
Arlington police and Virginia State Police on the Clarendon nightlife detail (file photo)
Arlington County police are investigating after someone fire a gunshot at an apartment building in the Shirlington area.
The incident happened Saturday night on the road that leads from Shirlington to Fairlington, during an apparent argument inside the building. No one was hurt and police are still investigating in an effort to find a suspect.
SHOT FIRED, 2023-01070239, 4500 block of 31st Street S. At approximately 10:07 p.m. on January 7, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown after receiving reports of an argument and possible shot fired inside a residential building. Responding officers located damage to the ceiling of a hallway which was consistent with the discharge of a firearm. No injuries were reported. There is no suspect description. The investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing.
Also in today’s crime report, a Maryland man was arrested early this morning in the Clarendon bar district following a fight inside an establishment.
Police say the suspect left the area, returned, and then led police on a foot chase that ended in a struggle with officers and an arrest.
More from ACPD:
ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-01090007, 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 12:19 a.m. on January 9, police were dispatched to the report of disorderly conduct. Upon arrival, it was determined a fight had occurred inside an establishment. While officers were investigating the circumstances of the incident, the suspect left the scene. A short time later, police were contacted again when the suspect returned to the area. As an officer approached the suspect to continue the investigation, he attempted to flee on foot but was stopped by another officer and a struggle ensued, during which the suspect was non-compliant, actively resisted arrested and assaulted an officer. With the assistance of additional officers, he was taken into custody. During a search of his person incident to arrest, suspected narcotics were recovered. [The suspect], 25, of Columbia, MD was arrested and charged with Obstruction of Justice, Assault on Police, Drunk in Public and Possession of Schedule I/II Controlled Substance.
An 18-year-old Arlington man is facing multiple charges after a dispute led to an alleged gun brandishing and then a foot chase.
The incident started Wednesday afternoon in the Arlington Mill neighborhood, just north of Arlington’s western end of Columbia Pike. It ended with the suspect being detained near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive — and then, according to scanner traffic at the time, leading police on a brief foot chase while in handcuffs.
More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
BRANDISHING, 2023-01040171, S. Harrison Street at 8th Street S. At approximately 3:38 p.m. on January 4, police were dispatched to the report of an abduction. During the course of the investigation, officers made contact with the involved parties, who are known to each other, and determined no abduction had occurred. The investigation indicates the male suspect became involved in a verbal dispute with the male victim, during which he allegedly brandished a firearm before leaving the scene in a vehicle. Responding officers located the suspect in the 1000 block of S. Edgewood Street and detained him. While the investigation was ongoing, the suspect fled from officers on foot. Officers initiated a foot pursuit and took the suspect into custody. A firearm was recovered and a search of the victim’s vehicle yielded suspected narcotics. [The suspect], 18, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Brandishing, Possession of Schedule I/II, Possession of a Firearm while in Possession of Drugs and Obstruction of Justice. He was held without bond.
Also in the latest crime report, a resident of the Penrose neighborhood found a bullet that had somehow entered their home’s bedroom.
Police radio traffic at the time suggested that the resident found a bullet hole in their roof while taking down Christmas lights — perhaps after someone within a mile or so fired a gun into the air — but an ACPD spokeswoman was unable to confirm any details of the incident to ARLnow, beyond what was in the crime report.
MISSILE INTO OCCUPIED DWELLING, 2023-01040139, 100 block of S. Cleveland Street. At approximately 12:38 p.m. on January 4, police were dispatched to the report of suspicious circumstances. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim was in his home when he located damage to a bedroom. Responding officers recovered a bullet and located property damage to a ceiling within a bedroom. No injuries were reported. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.
Death investigation at Inns of Virginia (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Death investigation at Inns of Virginia (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Death investigation at Inns of Virginia (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Death investigation at Inns of Virginia (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Death investigation at Inns of Virginia (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 2:50 p.m.) Arlington County police are investigating after two people were found dead in a hotel room this afternoon.
Initial reports suggest that police were called after a guest failed to check out on time at the Inns of Virginia hotel, at 3335 Langston Blvd, and officers then found a man and a woman unresponsive in their room. Medics pronounced them dead on the scene.
Police are now trying to determine what happened, but so far there is no indication that the deaths are being considered suspicious.
“ACPD is conducting a death investigation in the 3300 block of Langston Boulevard,” police spokeswoman Ashley Savage confirmed to ARLnow. “At approximately 12:33 p.m., police were dispatched and located an adult male and female deceased inside a hotel room. Based on the preliminary investigation, the deaths do not appear suspicious and there is no apparent ongoing threat to the public. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine cause and manner of death.”
In August 2020, two people were found dead of a suspected overdose in the Buckingham neighborhood. Then, in December 2021, two people were found dead in Ashton Heights of “narcotics-related” causes.
Stabbing at Eden Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Stabbing at Eden Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Stabbing at Eden Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Stabbing at Eden Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Stabbing at Eden Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Stabbing at Eden Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) Falls Church police and Arlington medics responded to a stabbing at the Eden Center just before noon today.
One person was stabbed in the back in the rear of the shopping center, according to initial reports, and the suspect is currently at large. The circumstances leading to the stabbing, where exactly it took place in the complex, and the condition of the victim are unclear.
The Eden Center is located on the 6700 block of Wilson Blvd, near the border with Arlington County.
Falls Church Police released the following statement about the stabbing Thursday afternoon.
At about 11:50 a.m. on Thursday, January 5, 2023, City of Falls Church Police responded to 6795 Wilson Blvd. for a report of a stabbing at the Eden Center.
One victim was stabbed and taken to a local hospital. Victim is stable.
Anyone with information should contact Detective Gandionko at 703-248-5284 (TTY 711) or [email protected].
Arlington County police responded to several shots fired calls on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
No one was reported to have been injured in any of the three incidents of gunfire. The first happened in the Arlington View neighborhood, between Columbia Pike and I-395.
From an ACPD crime report:
SHOTS FIRED, 2022-12310180, 1500 block of 11th Street S. At approximately 6:10 p.m. on December 31, police were dispatched to the report of shots fired. Upon arrival, it was determined the victims were inside their residence when they heard what appeared to be shots fired. Responding officers recovered evidence confirming shots had been fired and located property damage to the exterior window and interior wall of the residence and a vehicle parked outside. No injuries were reported. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.
The next incident happened 24 hours later, on New Year’s Day, in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood just south of I-395.
SHOTS FIRED, 2023-01010187, 1400 block of 28th Street S. At approximately 6:10 p.m. on January 1, police were dispatched to the report of shots heard. During the course of the investigation, responding officers recovered evidence confirming shots had been fired in the area. No injuries or property damage was reported. The investigation is ongoing.
The third happened later that night in the Penrose neighborhood, between Columbia Pike and Route 50.
SHOT FIRED, 2023-01010233, 500 block of S. Veitch Street. At approximately 9:34 p.m. on January 1, police were dispatched to the report of suspicious circumstances. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim had returned home after an extended absence and observed damage to a bedroom. Responding officers recovered evidence confirming a shot had been fired and located property damage to a ceiling within a bedroom. No injuries were reported. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.
Separately, a juvenile female suspect is alleged to have shot two people in the Crystal City area with a water pellet gun on New Year’s Eve, in yet another drive-by incident.
ASSAULT & BATTERY (Significant), 2022-12310181/12310186, 1200 block of Crystal Drive/3500 block of S. Ball Street. At approximately 6:12 p.m. on December 31, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious vehicle. The investigation indicates unknown female suspect(s) discharged a water pellet gun from a vehicle, striking at two victims. The victims did not require medical attention. The suspect vehicle is described as a silver or gray sedan.
The Dorothy Hamm girls soccer team, Det. Tiffanie McGuire and Master Police Officer Harley Guenther (courtesy photo)
The Dorothy Hamm boys soccer team, Det. Tiffanie McGuire and Master Police Officer Harley Guenther (courtesy photo)
As a Special Victims Unit detective with Arlington County police, and as a graduate student and a mom, Tiffanie McGuire does not have a lot of free time.
But she makes time for coaching the Dorothy Hamm Middle School girls and boys soccer teams, something she has been doing since 2019 when she was a School Resource Officer. Over the last three years, she has watched her players become leaders who understand personal responsibility and sportsmanship.
“I have seen many players come through and have watched them grow in both the game and in their personality,” she tells ARLnow. “My sixth graders often come in quiet, recently transitioning from elementary school, and are chosen because there is usually something in them that we see that can be developed with time. By 8th grade, they are the leaders of the team.”
As an SRO, she says consistency was key for forming relationships with middle schoolers, who can be a challenging bunch.
“Pre-teens are beginning to find themselves and push boundaries with adults,” she said. “Finding a way to connect with them took consistency and showing them that I was there to be an adult they can trust, not get them in trouble.”
She stuck it out as a coach event after the School Board voted to remove School Resource Officers from school grounds in 2021. The move responded to calls from some community organizations, including the Arlington branch of the NAACP, citing higher arrest rates for Black and Latino kids.
Throughout all that change, she says she has earned the respect of her players, which she considers her proudest accomplishment.
“Many of these players have been under the same coaches for many years and to them, I have to prove that my style will work,” she said. “Kids question and compare their other teams to this one, and we are bringing together players that have all played on separate teams.”
McGuire played travel soccer from middle school through her senior year of high school. She decided to become a police officer in college, when she realized her sports-related injuries would prevent her previous plans to join the Army. Having her daughter directed her toward working with kids as an officer.
“I realized I wanted to be a positive influence in the lives of other children the way I would want someone to be for my daughter,” she said.
“Having great relationships with community organizations and the schools meant that we were not starting from scratch, and everyone loved having us come participate in activities,” she said.
Since becoming a detective and taking on a second master’s degree and undergraduate teaching, McGuire has looked forward to the much-needed break from work even more.
“There are times it feels very overwhelming, but everything I do brings me joy and has a purpose,” she said. “I considered giving up coaching, but in my heart, I knew I would hate the decision and miss the kids.”‘ (more…)
Arlington police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
Arlington police are investigating a violent robbery in the Lyon Park neighborhood last night.
The robbery happened around 11 p.m. on the 200 block of N. Wayne Street, in the area of the Washington and Lee Apartments, and resulted in gunfire and a serious injury.
“At approximately 11:07 p.m. on December 27, police were dispatched to the report of shots heard,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victim who had sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries and declined the treatment of medics. The investigation determined the victim was inside his residence when approximately three male suspects entered, physically assaulted him and stole his personal belongings, including a firearm, before fleeing the scene on foot.”
“During the course of the investigation, officers recovered evidence of a firearm being discharged and located property damage to the floor of the residential building,” the report continues. “There are no descriptions for the three suspects. The investigation is ongoing.”
The crime report does not specify who fired the gunshot nor the nature of the victim’s injuries.
Police are investigating an indecent exposure incident that happened in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood on Christmas Eve.
According to an Arlington County Police Department crime report, a man pulled his pants down and exposed himself to a woman after trying to engage her in conversation. Police were called and he fled the area.
The incident happened on the afternoon of Dec. 24, on the 1600 block of N. Inglewood Street. There are a pair of churches on that block, in addition to a handful of single-family homes.
From the crime report:
INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2022-12240125, 1600 block of N. Inglewood Street. At approximately 1:34 p.m. on December 24, police were dispatched to the report of an exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim was inside the building when the unknown male suspect approached her and attempted to engage her in conversation. The suspect then left the area and returned a short time later with his pants down and exposing himself. The victim was able to safely exit the building and returned a short time later to find the suspect was no longer in the area. The suspect is described as a white male with a thin build, approximately 5’7″ – 5’9″ with a bald head. No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.
Police would not provide any additional details about the incident and would not say whether it happened inside a church.
“There are no additional details to share beyond what is included on the daily crime report,” an ACPD spokeswoman said in response to questions from ARLnow. “The investigation into the incident is ongoing.”
Scanner traffic at the time suggests that the man was in his 30s and that the incident took place at the LDS church.
Serious crash near Langston Blvd and N. Harrison Street (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Serious crash near Langston Blvd and N. Harrison Street (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Serious crash near Langston Blvd and N. Harrison Street (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Aftermath of serious crash near Langston Blvd and N. Harrison Street (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated on 12/24/22) A serious crash blocked Langston Blvd at the intersection with N. Harrison Street.
Dispatchers received numerous calls about a head-on crash at the intersection around 2:15 p.m., according to scanner traffic. One driver was reported to be unconscious and in critical condition, though it was not immediately clear whether that was from the crash itself or a medical emergency.
The intersection, adjacent to the busy Lee-Harrison Shopping Center, was closed while police investigate and document the scene. It reopened around 4 p.m.
On Saturday, Arlington County police confirmed that a driver, age 84, suffered a medical emergency and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. From ACPD:
The Arlington County Police Department is conducting a death investigation after a driver suffered an apparent medical emergency on Friday, December 23.
At approximately 2:12 p.m. on December 23, police were dispatched to the report of a crash with unknown conditions at the intersection of Langston Boulevard and N. Harrison Street. Upon arrival, officers located the two-involved vehicles in the westbound lanes of Langston Boulevard.
The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of the striking vehicle was traveling eastbound on Langston Boulevard when he suffered an apparent medical emergency before continuing into the westbound lanes of traffic and striking the other vehicle. Medics performed lifesaving measures before transporting the driver of the striking vehicle, an 84-year-old male, to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. No other injuries were reported. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine cause and manner of death.
This remains an active investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously to Arlington County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
