police

Road Closures, Events Planned for Marine Corps Marathon

By ARLnow.com

Preparations are underway in Rosslyn, Crystal City and elsewhere in Arlington for the 37th Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 28.

The race will start at about 7:55 a.m. and the 26.2 mile course, which winds through Arlington and the District, will close at 3:00 p.m. During the marathon, Crystal City will be hosting an all-day family festival, complete with moon bounces, face painting, obstacle courses and live DJs. Rosslyn will be hosting the marathon’s finish festival, featuring live bands, a beer garden and free massages for runners.

The Arlington County Police Department is planning to close the following roads and highways to make way for the 30,000 runners expected to participate in the race.

  • 4:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Route 110 ramp from Washington Boulevard to Route 110
  • 4:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Marshall Drive from N. Meade Street to Route 110
  • 4:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Route 110 from I-66 to U.S. Highway 1
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. N. Meade Street from Marshall Drive to Lynn Street
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Wilson Boulevard from N. Nash Street to Route 110
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Lynn Street from N. Meade Street to Lee Highway
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Fort Myer Drive from N. Meade Street to Lee Highway
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. N. Moore Street from Wilson Boulevard to Lee Highway
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 19th Street N. from Lynn Street to N. Nash Street
  • 7:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Lee Highway eastbound from Lynn Street to N. Kirkwood Street
  • 7:00 a.m. – 9:25 a.m. Spout Run Parkway from Lee Highway to GW Memorial Parkway
  • 7:30 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. GW Memorial Parkway from Spout Run to Key Bridge off ramp
  • 7:45 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Army Navy Drive from S. Eads Street to 12th Street S.
  • 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. 15th Street S. from Crystal Drive to Eads Street
  • 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. 12th Street from Army Navy Drive to Crystal Drive
  • 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Crystal Drive from 12th Street to 23rd Street
  • 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Long Bridge Drive from 12th Street to N. Boundary Channel Drive
  • 7:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. N. Boundary Channel Drive from I-395 ramps to Washington Boulevard

Temporary parking restrictions will also be in place along the marathon route.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Crime Report: Elderly Landlord Beaten

By ARLnow.com

An elderly landlord was found beaten and incoherent in his apartment in the Woodmont neighborhood on Monday, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

The man was in his 80’s and police believe the assailant was a prior tenant who owed the landlord money, said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 10/22/12, 3300 block of N. Lorcom Lane. On October 22 at 8:35 am, a resident of a multi-unit dwelling found his elderly landlord in his bedroom incoherent, with a orbital fracture of the right eye. The victim had been assaulted but struggled to recall the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

Last Thursday a woman was dragged about 25 feet by a vehicle in the Douglas Park neighborhood. Police say the vehicle was being driven by the woman’s boyfriend following an argument..

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 10/18/12, 3700 block of S. 16th Street. On October 18 at 10:00 am, a female victim was dragged by a vehicle driven by her boyfriend after an argument. The victim sustained a large cut to the back of her head and other minor injuries, requiring transport to Virginia Hospital Center. Warrants were executed against the suspect, Giancarlo Perez, 23, of Arlington, for malicious wounding and destruction of property. He remains at-large.

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

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ACPD to Hold Paintball SWAT Exercise in Neighborhood

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Police Department will be holding a SWAT training exercise in the Donaldson Run neighborhood tomorrow.

The exercise is expected to involve officers using paintball guns and flash grenades. Residents in the area should expect some loud noises and the presence of numerous police vehicles.

From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s (ACPD) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team will be conducting a training exercise at 3963 N. 26th Street on Tuesday, October 23rd between 6:00 am – 3:00pm. The purpose of the training is to simulate real life situation and a coordinated response in your neighborhood.

There will be no live ammunition used in this exercise. However, realistic looking training weapons that shoot paint projectiles will be utilized. Noise flash diversionary devices may also be utilized during this exercise. These devices will make considerable noise but do not dispense any munitions. The noise may be upsetting to small children, pets or those with sensitive hearing. If someone in your household falls into one of those categories we ask you take precautions you believe are appropriate.

Numerous Police vehicles will be parked in the area. These vehicles will not block any driveways or the right of way on the road. Should a vehicle need to be relocated because it is blocking your access, please contact one of the on-scene control officers for assistance. The control officers can be identified by the bright yellow traffic control vests they will be wearing.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Realistic training is critical to enhancing our capabilities to serve and protect you to the best of our ability. Your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated.

Investigators Searching Fire Bomb Suspect’s Apartment

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police, the county bomb squad and FBI agents are on the scene at the Woodbury Park Apartments, on the 2200 block of 11th Street N. near Clarendon, searching the apartment of Leon A. Traille, Jr.

Video of the search, courtesy of Fox 5, can be found below. So far, there’s no indication that the apartment building has been evacuated, but the investigators are still on the scene. Bomb technicians entered the apartment via the window.

Traille is facing a federal arson charge after police say he tried to fire bomb the Ballston Common Mall food court. He was arrested several hours later while eating lunch at Courthouse Plaza.

Social media accounts linked to Traille, along with public records, suggest he’s an out-of-work computer programmer who has previously lived in Georgia, Oregon and New York City.

Courtesy photo
DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Hefty New Fines Proposed for Noise Ordinance

By ARLnow.com

On Saturday, the Arlington County Board is expected to vote to advertise a proposed set of changes to the county’s 37-year-old noise control ordinance.

Among the proposed changes, county staff is recommending an increase in the fine for a noise violation from $25 to a maximum of $2,500. Jail time would also be possible under the revised ordinance.

The county started the process of revising the ordinance in 2009, which the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a provision in Virginia Beach’s noise control ordinance — a “reasonable person” standard for judging noise violations — was “unconstitutionally void due to its vagueness.”

Arlington’s current ordinance contains the same “reasonable person” standard. At the moment, the only enforceable parts of the ordinance require police or inspectors to either use a volume meter to see if noise is above a set threshold, or to catch someone engaging in a “prohibited act,” like idling an engine for too long or sounding a car horn for reasons other than as an “emergency warning signal.”

The revised ordinance will help with enforcement of the ordinance by clarifying how sound level meters are to be used to determine violations.

Under the ordinance, construction and special event noise above 90 dB will be prohibited. According to the staff report, it also “strengthens requirements to have developers and owners determine and provide industry-standard sound mitigation solutions for noise sources at construction sites.”

The threshold for vehicle noise will be 70-90 dB, depending on the vehicle’s speed and weight, and the threshold for other sources of noise will be 55-70 dB, depending on which part of the county the noise is impacting (residential, commercial, etc.).

The new ordinance also clarifies some of the “prohibited acts.” For instance, it will prohibit residents from playing music or blasting their TV so loud that it can be heard in another apartment or house at least 20 feet away, or in an adjacent yard at least 50 feet away.

The county government and its contractors are exempt from the ordinance.

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UPDATED: Ballston Mall Molotov Cocktail Suspect Charged

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police have filed charges against the suspect in yesterday’s attempted fire bombing of the Ballston Common Mall food court.

Leon A. Traille, Jr., 29, of no fixed address, has been charged with reckless endangerment, attempted malicious bodily injury by use of fire, and use of a fire bomb.

Traille is due in Arlington County Court this morning for a preliminary hearing. Traille is still being interviewed by federal investigators, but Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said he has so far not been very cooperative. Federal charges, which may supersede the local charges, have also been filed (see below).

Sternbeck said the crime Traille is accused of — tossing a glass bottle, with a lit wick and containing a flammable liquid, into the mall food court — was likely not an act of terrorism.

“Right now we don’t believe it’s an act of terrorism,” he said. “It’s more like it’s an act of stupidity.”

The LinkedIn account for an individual with the same name and age as Traille says he’s a computer programmer who has been out of work since Aug. 2011. According to public records, Traille has previously lived in Georgia and Oregon. A public records search turned up no prior criminal history.

Update at 12:35 p.m. — Traille is being now facing a federal arson charge, which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison if he’s convicted. The U.S. Attorney’s office has released the criminal complaint against Traille and issued the following press release.

Leon Alphans Traille Jr., 29, has been charged with committing arson for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail into the food court area of the Ballston Common Mall in Arlington, Va.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Richard W. Marianos, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office; and M. Douglas Scott, Arlington Chief of Police, made the announcement.

Traille was taken into custody on Oct. 18, 2012, and was charged through a federal criminal complaint this morning with arson, which carries a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, if convicted. He will make an initial appearance at 2 p.m. before United States Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan in Alexandria federal court.

According to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, a man possessing a distinctive gray and red backpack threw a lit improvised explosive device, sometimes called a Molotov cocktail, into the food court area of Ballston Common Mall in Arlington. The device – a brown glass bottle fixed with matches – did not explode, but it produced a flame that was extinguished. After throwing the device, the man proceeded to the second floor skyway area of the shopping mall and dropped a bag containing three additional Molotov cocktails before exiting the mall.

The complaint alleges that witnesses who saw the man throwing the device provided law enforcement with a description matching that of Traille, and a video surveillance system allegedly caught a picture of Traille as he exited the shopping mall. He was apprehended yesterday afternoon in a public area nearby the mall in possession of the gray and red bag.

This case was investigated by the ATF’s Washington Field Division, FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Arlington Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fitzpatrick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia’s National Security and International Crime Unit.

Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Glee Star to Visit W-L Today — Glee star Lauren Potter and Best Buddies founder Anthony Shriver will be visiting Washington-Lee High School’s Best Buddies chapter at 3:00 p.m. today (Friday). “The Washington-Lee chapter of Best Buddies was ranked number one among DC-MD-VA chapters based on the quality of friendships, student leadership and dedication to the Best Buddies mission,” according to Arlington Public Schools. Potter, who has Down syndrome, is best known for her role as Becky Jackson on the hit Fox TV series.

Chef Beats Out ‘Chief’ in Culinary Competition — Eventide Chef Adam Barnett emerged as the big winner in the Arlington Food Assistance Center’s “Chiefs vs. Chefs” cooking competition between professional restaurant chefs and amateur firehouse cooks. AFAC hopes to turn the fundraiser into an annual event. [Sun Gazette]

Violent Crime Down in ACPD’s First District — Violent crime is down 15 percent in Arlington’s first police district, which encompasses much of North Arlington, minus Lyon Village, Clarendon, Courthouse and Rosslyn, according to police. The number of rapes are up, however; all of the instances involved a known suspect, not a random attacker. [Patch]

Pike Neighborhoods Plan Wins Award — The Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Area Plan, which aims to transform Columbia Pike into a more urban and walkable community while maintaining affordable housing, has won an award from the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA). The plan won the “2012 Benjamin Banneker Award for Outstanding Social Commitment and Community” for demonstrating “sustained commitment to reach beyond the traditional scope of planning, particularly advancing social objectives.” [Arlington County]

UPDATE (7): Man Questioned for Molotov Cocktail at Mall

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:25 a.m. — Charges have been filed against the suspect, identified by police as 29-year-old Leon A. Traille.

Update at 6:40 p.m. — See video of the suspect being arrested, courtesy of Fox 5, below.

Update at 5:55 p.m. — A “person of interest” was detained at Courthouse Plaza, near the Arlington County government building on the 2100 block of Clarendon Blvd, around 3:00 p.m. The county’s bomb squad was called to inspect the suspect’s belongings — a gray and red backpack containing electronics and other items — but no hazards were found.

Police were first tipped off about the suspect when someone inside the Cheesecake Factory in Clarendon saw a man, who matched the suspect description from news reports, walking down Clarendon Boulevard, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The suspect is in custody and is being questioned at police headquarters.

Update at 5:15 p.m. — Wilson Boulevard has reopened to traffic and the mall has reopened to shoppers, according to Arlington County.

Earlier: Arlington County (Va.) Police and federal agents are searching for a man who threw a Molotov cocktail-like incendiary device inside the Ballston Common Mall.

The man threw what was described as a “flaming bottle” from an upper level of the mall down to the food court. The device, said to be 40 ounce beer bottle, possibly containing gasoline or a similar substance, shattered on impact but did not explode, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. No one was injured.

Two to three additional bottles, which “smelled like gasoline,” were found in a bag by mall security after the man fled.

Employees and shoppers are being allowed to stay in the mall, but all mall and parking lot entrances are being blocked by police and no one is being allowed in. Police are currently reviewing security camera footage and police K-9 units are searching the inside and outside of the mall. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is taking over the investigation, according to ACPD spokesman Lt. Michael Watson. The ATF, Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon Police are assisting with the investigation.

Asked whether this was an incident of terrorism, Sternbeck said it’s “too early to tell.”

Police are looking for a slender 5’11” black male, in his late 30s, with medium-length curly hair and a beard. He was seen wearing a gray jacket, a white dress shirt, a necktie and a white or gray backpack with a red inverted ‘V’ on it.

Eastbound Wilson Boulevard has been shut down outside the mall due to the emergency response.

 

 

Arrest photos (below) courtesy Meet Kadiwar

Update at 1:50 p.m. — Police have issued the following press release about the incident.

Arlington County Police are investigating an incident today involving a “molotov cocktail” at Ballston Common Mall. At 12:10 p.m., a call came into Arlington’s Emergency Communications Center, reporting that a lit bottle had been thrown into the Food Court from the top level of the mall.

The initial investigation revealed that a black male with curly hair and wearing a gray jacket stood on the top level of the mall and dropped the bottle into the Food Court. The 40-ounce bottle was filled with an unknown substance, with a fuse attached. The bottle shattered, but there was no explosion or fire. There were no reported injuries. The suspect fled the scene on foot and remains at large at this time.

Three additional bottles of similarity were found on the second level of the mall.

Arlington County Police evacuated the mall and established a perimeter when they arrived on scene. The investigation is ongoing.

Police are asking anyone with any knowledge of this incident to call the non-emergency line at 703.558.2222.

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Crime Report: Woman Robbed While Walking from Ballston Metro

By ARLnow.com

A woman had her purse forcefully stolen from her while walking home from the Ballston Metro station around 10:00 Tuesday night. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ROBBERY, 10/16/12, 1100 block of N. Utah Street. On October 16 at 9:56 pm, a female victim was walking home from the Ballston Metro station when she was attacked by a male subject and had her purse stolen. The victim chased the man briefly on foot until she lost sight of him behind a row of townhouses. The suspect is described as a black or Hispanic male, approximately 5’8″ tall and very heavy set, with a bald head. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, grey sweatpants and white sneakers at the time of the incident.

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

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ACPD Reminding Rosslyn Drivers Not to ‘Block the Box’

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Police Department is embarking on a public education campaign to get drivers to stop blocking intersections and crosswalks on Lynn Street in Rosslyn.

Starting this week, the police department has assigned extra traffic patrols to the area during the morning rush hour, when gridlock gets especially bad on Lynn Street. (Although traffic is often heavy during the evening rush hour, as well.)

The officers will remind drivers that it’s illegal to block the box — to enter into an intersection during a green light when there is no room to clear the intersection. For now, the officers will not be issuing citations, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, who called morning congestion on Lynn Street a “disaster.”

“You should expect to see additional police presence in that area,” Sternbeck said. “We’re hoping in the immediate future that this education campaign will get people to change their behavior. Hopefully we can make an impact there, because it’s been a concern for a long time.”

In support of the campaign, the Transportation Engineering and Operations Bureau of Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services will be installing “Do Not Block Intersection” signs at all of the intersections along N. Lynn Street between Wilson Boulevard and the Key Bridge. Existing Do Not Block Intersection signs at N. Lynn Street and Wilson Boulevard, meanwhile, will be replaced with larger versions of the sign.

“The signs are currently being fabricated and should be installed within the next three (3) weeks,” said DES spokeswoman Myllisa Kennedy. In addition to the signs, this coming spring DES will be installing pavement markings at the Wilson Boulevard and Lynn Street intersection which are intended to “help define the ‘box.'”

Lynn Street serves commuters heading to the GW Parkway, I-66 and D.C. via the Key Bridge.

Police Investigate ‘Suspicious Death’ of 87-Year-Old Man

By ARLnow.com

Police are investigating the death of an 87-year-old resident of Arlington’s Old Glebe neighborhood.

From a police press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating the suspicious death of an Arlington County resident.

The body was discovered at 10:17 a.m. on October 13, 2012 inside his residence in the 3700 block of N. Wakefield Street by a family member. The investigation is ongoing at this time.

The man has been identified as Mack L. Wood, 87, of Arlington, VA.

As of 9:00 a.m., Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck told ARLnow.com that he did not have any additional information about the incident.

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