police

Crime Report: Jewelry Stolen

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Someone broke into an apartment in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood over the weekend and stole a “variety of expensive jewelry.”

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

BURGLARY, 08/24/13, 2600 block of S. Veitch Street. Between 7:45 pm on August 23 and 11:45 pm on August 24, a female victim noticed the screen of the window had been cut and her apartment had been broken into. A variety of expensive jewelry was stolen. There is no suspect(s) description.

Last Thursday, a man was punched in the face and had his cell phone stolen in the area of St. Thomas More Cathedral School.

ROBBERY, 08/22/13, 100 block of N. Thomas Street. At 3:25 pm on August 22, a victim was punched in the face and had his cell phone taken. The suspect fled the scene on foot and is described as a black male in his 20’s, approximately 5’7″ tall and 160 lbs. He had a neck tattoo as well as arm sleeve tattoos. He as wearing an army fatigue shirt, jeans and grey new balance sneakers.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Video: Crystal City Sports Pub Break-In

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police are looking for two suspects who broke into Crystal City Sports Pub (529 23rd Street S.) and stole cash from an ATM.

The incident happened around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 19. The masked burglars smashed a glass door, then entered the restaurant and pried open the ATM machine, stealing “a large amount of money.” They left in a black sedan (below).

The Arlington County Police Department released surveillance video (above) of the break-in today in an effort to get the public’s help in identifying the suspect. From the ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Burglary/Larceny Unit is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying two ATM burglary suspects.

The two subjects entered the Crystal City Sports Pub, located in the 500 block of S. 23rd Street, at 4:09 a.m. on May 19, 2013. Wearing hooded jackets, dark pants, and black masks, the subjects broke through the glass patio door, gaining access to the pub. Once in the restaurant the two subjects went to the ATM machine and used a crow bar to pry the ATM open. The two subjects were able to steal a large amount of money from the ATM before fleeing the scene. Directly following the incident, a black sedan with chrome trim along windows fled the scene.

Subjects one and two were wearing dark, hooded jackets, dark pants, and black masks to cover their faces. The two subjects have not yet been identified.

If anyone has information on the identities and/or whereabouts of these individuals, please contact Detective Paul Marseilles of the Arlington County Police Department’s Burglary/Larceny Unit at 703.228.4327 or at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

Photos and video courtesy ACPD

Getaway vehicle in Crystal City Sports Pub burglary (courtesy ACPD) Getaway vehicle in Crystal City Sports Pub burglary (courtesy ACPD)

Police Arrest Man for Crystal City Bike Thefts

By Ethan Rothstein

Arlington County police logoPolice arrested a man last week for stealing bicycles in Crystal City.

Howard Montgomery, 47, of no fixed address, was spotted just before 3:00 a.m. last Thursday riding a bicycle and carrying another alongside him, Arlington County Police said. When an officer questioned Montgomery, he tried to flee but was taken into custody “after a brief struggle,” according to the police report.

Montgomery, who was also in possession of “a power grinder with numerous blades,” admitted to stealing the Cannondale and Drossinger bikes, police said. He was arrested and charged with grand larceny, larceny with intent to sell, possession of burglarious tools and obstruction of justice.

The arrest comes after ACPD announced that bike thefts in Arlington had hit an all-time high.

The two bikes stolen were not registered with the the police department, making it more difficult to return them to their owners, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Sternbeck said the area where Montgomery was arrested, around the 1600 block of S. Eads Street, is one of the “hot spots” for bicycle thefts around the county. Bicycle thefts tend to happen more frequently at commuter locations with lots of bike racks, he said.

While Montgomery confessed to stealing the two bikes, he did not admit to any prior crimes, said Sternbeck.

Wheel Thieves Targeting Hondas in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 1:10 p.m.) There have been 41 reported thefts of vehicle tires and rims in Arlington so far this year. Of those, 24 have been stolen from just two models: the Honda Fit and Civic.

In keeping with what seems to be a national trend, the Fit is the most-targeted of the two, accounting for 16 — nearly two fifths — of the 41 thefts, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Tara-Leeway Heights resident Tom Olsen says he recently was the victim of the wheel thieves.

“My wife and I woke… to find that all 8 wheels had been stolen from our cars — a Honda Fit and a Honda Civic,” he told ARLnow.com. “The cars were in the driveway of our house. Both cars were locked… and near enough to a streetlight that the thieves would have been seen by a passerby. Also, the Civic had locking lug nuts on the wheels, but the thieves didn’t have any problem removing them. The officer said a pro can get them off easily, it just takes them slightly longer.”

“According to the police, [the] tow operator and rental car agent, Honda Fits (and to a lesser extent, Civics) have been targeted recently in and around Arlington as well as in Maryland and D.C.,” he continued. “In fact, when we told the rental car guy that our wheels had been stolen, he immediately asked ‘Do you have a Fit?'”

Honda Fit and Civic wheel thefts are also an issue in nearby Annandale. A local blog reported on a string of thefts earlier this summer. According to the blog, Annandale VA:

The Honda Fit Sport model is in demand because its 15-inch allow wheels fit low-riding cars customized for street racing. They also fetch high prices on the illegal car parts market.

The thefts usually happen between midnight and 5 a.m., [Fairfax County police officer Brendan] Murphy said. The thieves usually break into the car first to remove the jack so they can get the wheels off. The whole operation only takes a few minutes.

He advises Honda owners to install motion sensor lights. Car alarms with tilt sensors would be good, too. And if you happen to get up in the middle of the night, check on your car.

A separate string of wheel thefts targeting various vehicle models was reported in Arlington last fall.

Photos courtesy Tom Olsen

Morning Poll: Roadway Panhandlers

By ARLnow.com

In Arlington, roadway panhandlers “have upped the ante and no longer are content to just stand in medians, but of late have been found walking in between lanes of traffic while vehicles are stopped.”

That’s according to the Sun Gazette, in the its weekly Highs and Lows column. The paper gave Arlington County a “thumbs down” for not dealing with the issue.

“What next?” the Sun Gazette asked. “Will we have people with squeegies demanding cash in exchange for washing windows?”

Do you think that Arlington County police should be more aggressive in dealing with those asking for cash on the side (or the middle) of the road?
 

Crime Report: Armed Robbery in Buckingham

By ARLnow.com

A man was robbed at gunpoint in the Buckingham neighborhood early Saturday morning, according to police.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ROBBERY, 08/17/13, 4300 block of N. Pershing Drive. At 12:30 am on August 17, a victim was allegedly approached by two subjects in all black clothing and instructed to lay on the ground at gunpoint. The victim was robbed of his debit card, passport and cell phone. The suspect with the gun is described as a 5’7″ tall, heavy set black female in her 20’s. The second suspect is described as a 6’1″ tall black male in his 20’s with an average build. Both were wearing zip up hoodies during the incident and remain at-large.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Police: Man Masturbated While Watching Children Playing

By ARLnow.com
File photo

(Updated at 2:15 p.m. on 12/23/21) A man was arrested Tuesday evening after allegedly masturbating in sight of children.

The incident happened around 6:00 last night. Police say Arlington resident Jose [Redacted], 56, was seen masturbating behind a shopping center on the 4800 block of Columbia Pike, while watching children at a nearby playground.

[Redacted] was apprehended by Arlington County Police and charged with indecent exposure. Detectives are now trying to determine whether [Redacted] could be linked with other, similar cases.

“Our Special Victims Unit will be reviewing similar cases from the past to see if this individual is related to any of those,” police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck told ARLnow.com.

Electronic Sign Shows Seemingly Obvious Message

By Katie Pyzyk

Electronic sign at Washington Blvd and Route 50 (photo courtesy @CruiseInDeCarr)An electronic sign the Arlington County Police Department stationed at Washington Boulevard and Route 50 is raising some eyebrows. Not because the message it displays is risqué, but rather because it seems so obvious.

The sign has been programmed to display the phrase “don’t hit the car in front of you.” The message has drawn national media attention, with the likes of Fox News and The Blaze picking up the story.

Earlier this month, @CruiseInDeCarr tweeted a photo of the sign to ARLnow.com, adding: “You wouldn’t think we’d need a sign for this.” While that may be the logical assumption, it appears drivers haven’t heeded the obvious advice, considering that intersection came in as the top area for motor vehicle accidents in Arlington during the second quarter of 2013. During that time period, police responded to 11 accidents at the site, nearly all of them rear-end collisions.

The ACPD believes the sign has caught drivers’ attention due to the simplicity of the wording.

“The current message was an attempt to simplify the message to reduce the amount of accidents as much as possible,” said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “It’s intended to have a positive effect in terms of reducing the number of accidents because that site has been identified as a top accident location in Arlington. As long as people are paying attention, it [the sign] may affect their driving behavior.”

The sign is one of four the ACPD purchased from 2004-2006. It cost around $16,000, with about half of the cost being covered by grant money from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. All the messages displayed on the boards rotate and are changed after two months. Previous messages included “high accident area ahead”, “no merge area”, “safety is no accident” and “maintain safe following distance.”

The signs are mounted on trailers that can be moved around the county to warn drivers of construction zones, inform them of traffic safety campaigns or alert them to special events. The ACPD says the signs operate on deep cycle 12 volt batteries and the necessary maintenance is minimal.

Photo courtesy @CruiseInDeCarr

Police: Drunken Man Assaults Lyon Village Residents

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:15 p.m. on 12/23/21) An intoxicated man assaulted two Lyon Village residents after stumbling into their yard and banging on their door, according to Arlington County Police.

Police say 23-year-old [Redacted], of Harrisonburg, Va., banged on the side door of a house on the 1400 block of N. Garfield Street, near Clarendon’s bar district, around 2:00 a.m. Sunday. Two female residents came out to confront [redacted] after they saw him entering their garage and ducking behind a vehicle, said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The intruder started walking back down the driveway, exchanged some “choice words” with the residents and took a swing at one of the women, but missed, Sternbeck said. At that point, the other woman tried to come to her roommate’s aid, but was allegedly tackled by [Redacted].

The first woman then tried to help, but was taken to the ground by [Redacted] and put in a headlock, police said. Finally, two passersby intervened and pulled the man off the women, according to Sternbeck. A bouncer from nearby Hunan Number One restaurant, hearing the commotion, also came over and restrained the man until police arrived.

[Redacted] was charged with felony strangulation, two counts of assault and battery, and unlawful entry. He was combative with the arresting officers, Sternbeck added.

UPDATED: Residents Evacuated After Gunshot Heard in Apartment Building

By ARLnow.com

Police surrounding the Twenty400 building on S. Glebe Road (photo courtesy Brian Ossip)Update at 7:50 p.m. — Officers entered the apartment and found a 37-year-old man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to police. A Chihuahua that was in the apartment has been turned over to animal control. Units are clearing the scene.

Earlier: Police have surrounded an apartment building on S. Glebe Road, near Shirlington, after officers heard a gunshot from one of the apartments.

Shortly before 4:00 p.m., officers responded to the Twenty400 building (2400 24th Road S.) to check on the welfare of a man who had not shown up for work for several days. Upon making entry into the apartment, officers heard a gunshot, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. They immediately backed out of the apartment and called for additional resources.

The apartment complex has been at least partially evacuated. Arlington’s SWAT team and bomb squad are now on the scene, preparing to use a robot to look inside the apartment, Sternbeck said. Police negotiators are also on scene. They’re not sure whether this might be a case of a suicide, or a subject who’s barricaded in the apartment.

“We don’t know what we have inside at this time,” said Sternbeck.

Police and bomb squad units have staged around apartment building, blocking at least one lane on S. Glebe Road and causing some traffic backups. Drivers should expect delays in the area.

Photo courtesy Brian Ossip

ACPD: Bike Theft At an All-Time High

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police logo(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) Bicycle thefts in Arlington are at an all-time high, according to the Arlington County Police Department.

A total of 67 bikes were stolen in July, but police say they’ve been working “aggressively” to reduce the number of thefts. At least six suspects were recently arrested in connection with bicycle thefts, and one pleaded guilty to nine felony counts.

According to police department statistics, from June 1 to Aug. 5, a total of 126 bikes were stolen for a total property loss of nearly $100,000.

The most common time for bike thefts was between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Wednesday through Friday. Trek was the most commonly-stolen bike brand, while the Clarendon area was the “hottest area for stolen bikes.”

Police are asking residents to take steps to make sure their bike is safe. From an ACPD press release:

Recent data shows that bicycle thefts are at an all-time high in Arlington County and the Police Department is asking the public to join in the efforts to reduce this trend.

Sixty-seven bicycles were reported stolen in July 2013 and police have been aggressively working to reduce the number of incidents. Residents can do their part too by following a few simple steps:

  • Register your bicycle with the Arlington County Police Department at http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/police/citizens/forms/bicycle_registration.asp. You will receive a decal that may be a visible deterrent to theft. Your bicycle information will also be on file should become a victim
  • Take a photo of your bike and record the serial number. Also, list distinguishing features and save the file to your computer or email account
  • Always lock your bike’s frame and wheels with a high quality modern U-Lock
  • Remove all detachable items such as lights and bags
  • If you are a victim of bicycle theft, post the theft as stolen online in an attempt to locate it
  • Always file a police report with ACPD

Citizens should be reminded to call the non-emergency line [703-558-2222] if they observe suspicious behavior around bike racks. A police officer will respond to the area and determine if a crime is being committed.

ACPD has recently been able to identify and arrest at least six subjects in connection to bicycle thefts across the County. One of the subjects, Michael Cullen, 42, of no fixed address, pled guilty this past week to nine felony counts related to bicycle thefts.

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