police

Police Seek Help Locating Sexual Assault Suspect

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 3:25 p.m.) The Arlington County Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a man accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl.

Toribio Antonio Rodriguez-Soriano is a 31-year-old Hispanic male, around 5’5″ tall and weighing around 160 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.

Due to the sensitive nature of the case and the ongoing investigation, police will not disclose exactly where or when Rodriguez-Soriano allegedly assaulted the girl. However, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, the suspect knows the victim. Rodriguez-Soriano was last seen on the night of Sunday, Sept. 23.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Rodriguez-Soriano is asked to contact Detective Jim Stone of the ACPD Special Victims Unit at 703-228-4245 or at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477).

Shirlington Road Closures for 9/11 Heroes Run

By ARLnow.com

The 9/11 Heroes Run Shirlington will shut down a number of roads in the area on Saturday (Sept. 29).

The 5K race is being held to benefit Travis Mills, an Army staff sergeant who lost all four limbs to an IED in Afghanistan earlier this year. Registration for the race — $35 for individuals — is still open.

The race will start at 8:30 a.m. at the corner of S. Randolph and S. Quincy Streets in Shirlington Village.

In order to facilitate the race, the Arlington County Police Department will be shutting down a number of streets from about 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Among them:

  • Westbound Four Mile Run Drive between Walter Reed Drive and George Mason Drive
  • Northbound Walter Reed Drive between Arlington Mill Drive and Four Mile Run Drive
  • Arlington Mill Drive between Walter Reed Drive and S. Quincy Street
  • All of the roads immediately surrounding Shirlington Village

Street parking will also be restricted in the area. Cars parked in areas marked as temporary ‘no parking’ will be ticketed or towed.

Crime Report: Boss Beats Employee With Bat

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a man was allegedly beaten with a baseball bat after smashing his boss’ car window.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 09/20/12, 2000 block of S. Langley Street. At 11:11 pm on September 19, two intoxicated coworkers, one was a supervisor, were engaged in a conversation about work productivity at the supervisors girlfriends residence. The conversation became contentious and the employee walked outside and smashed the car window of the supervisor. In return, the supervisor struck the employee in the head with a baseball bat. The victim was transported to GW Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Carlos Guadalupe Lopez Lopez, 26, of Hyattsville, MD, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding. He is being held without bond.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Video: ACPD in Dramatized Hostage Situation

By ARLnow.com

A newly-released video shows the Arlington County Police Department at work during a dramatized hostage situation.

The video, which is just under a minute long, shows ACPD officers negotiating with an armed man who took two people hostage. Then, after the hostages are released, the department’s SWAT team moves into take the fictional suspect into custody without incident.

ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said the video is at least a year old and is used for recruitment purposes. It will be featured on an ACPD jobs website that’s expected to launch “shortly,” Sternbeck said.

Prescription Take-Back Day on Saturday

By Katie Pyzyk

If you’re doing some fall cleaning, it might not be a bad idea to include the medicine cabinet on the checklist. This Saturday (September 29) is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

Stations will be set up throughout the country and right here in Arlington for residents to turn in any expired and unused medications. In addition to preventing drug abuse and theft, the initiative helps to prevent drugs from being disposed of improperly, such as being flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash.

The Drug Enforcement Administration runs the program, in cooperation with local officials. During the last such event in April, residents around the country turned in a record breaking 276 tons of unwanted drugs.

“While a uniform system for prescription drug disposal is being finalized, we will continue to sponsor these important take-back opportunities as a service to our communities,” said DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart in a statement. “Our take-back events highlight the problems related to prescription drug abuse and give our citizens an opportunity to contribute to the solution. These events are only made possible through the dedicated work and commitment of our state, federal, local, and tribal partners and DEA thanks each and every one of them for their efforts on behalf of the American people.”

The disposal service is free and there are no questions asked.

The following Arlington locations will participate in the drug take-back from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Saturday:

  • Arlington Fire Station #1, 500 S. Glebe Road
  • Arlington Fire Station #8, 4845 Lee Highway
  • Arlington Fire Station #9, 1900 S. Walter Reed Drive
  • Pentagon Parking Lot, 551 Army Navy Drive

The following two locations will not operate on Saturday. Instead, they will be open from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 28:

  • Arlington Hall Station Building 1, 111 S. George Mason Drive
  • Ft. Myer Commissary, 523 MacArthur Circle

 

Police, Military Performing Training Exercises

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) A couple of training exercises will be taking place in Arlington today and tomorrow.

An Arlington County Police Department training exercise has been ongoing since 6:00 a.m. in the 3900 block of N. 26th Street. Explosive Ordnance Disposal units will join the SWAT team for the joint training exercise. It will continue until about 3:00 p.m. today and isn’t expected to cause much disruption to residents.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), neighbors around Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall (JBM-HH) might hear some noise during a “force protection” exercise from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. There will be real and simulated training responses for personnel there, including lockdowns and gate closures. There may also be sirens, blank cannon fire and simulated emergency announcements on the outdoor speaker system.

A number of first responder units, including police and firefighters, will be on base for the training. Residents should not be alarmed at seeing this large emergency presence, or any of the personnel who may be wearing makeup to simulate wounds.

More information will be provided as necessary on the JBM-HH Facebook page and Twitter site.

Arlington Police Searching for Missing Adult

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police are searching for a missing 26 year old woman who might have been spotted in Arlington shortly after her disappearance.

The woman has been missing for four days. From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing adult. Munkhdul Bold is missing from Arlington County. She was last seen by her employer leaving work in the 6200 block of Georgia Ave NW in D.C. on September 17, 2012. A female with a similar description was seen around midnight of that night in front of 1520 N. Pierce Street in Arlington.

Ms. Bold is a 26 year old Asian female. She is approximately 5’3” tall and weighs 135 lbs. Ms. Bold has black hair and brown eyes. Additionally, she was wearing a dark top and blue jeans at the time of her disappearance.

Anyone with any information about Ms. Bold’s whereabouts is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department at (703) 558-2222 or Detective Rosa Ortiz at (703) 228-7402. Information may also be reported to [email protected].

Alleged Shoplifter Had Diplomatic Immunity

By ARLnow.com

Two alleged shoplifters were detained by security at the Pentagon City Macy’s store yesterday evening, but only one suspect was taken to jail because the other had diplomatic immunity.

Police responded to the store, in the Pentagon City mall, around 5:45 p.m. after getting a call from Macy’s about two female shoplifters who were taken into custody by security officers. The women were accused of collectively trying to steal more than $600 worth of clothing.

When police arrived, both suspects claimed to have diplomatic immunity, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. After checking with the State Department, it was determined that one suspect, a 35-year-old woman, was indeed a diplomat from Jordan and had diplomatic immunity. She was released on a court summons, accused of trying to steal $205 worth of merchandise.

Sternbeck declined to release the name of the woman. The embassy of Jordan was contacted about the incident, he said.

The second suspect, identified as 48-year-old Entaser Alsmady, did not have diplomatic immunity and was charged with grand larceny, according to Sternbeck. Alsmady is accused of trying to steal $427 worth of merchandise. She is currently being held in the Arlington County jail, Sternbeck said.

Alleged crimes by individuals with diplomatic immunity are not unheard of in Arlington. Sternbeck said he could recall at least one other diplomat accused of a crime in the past year.

ACPD to Conduct Sobriety Checkpoint on Friday

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police will be conducting  a sobriety checkpoint on Friday, Sept. 21 as part of the nationwide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” drunk driving enforcement effort.

Together with the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office, ACPD officers will set up a checkpoint at an undisclosed location Friday night.

“Officers will stop all vehicles passing through the checkpoint and ask to see the licenses of drivers,” the police department said in a press release. “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 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.”

SUV Flips on Its Side in Lyon Park

By ARLnow.com

An SUV flipped on its side on N. Fillmore Street in Lyon Park last night.

The accident happened around 9:30 p.m., in the middle of the block, approaching the intersection with 2nd Road N. According to police on the scene, the adult female driver was likely distracted when she ran into a parked vehicle, causing her SUV to flip on its side.

The driver was not hurt and remained on scene. Nobody else was in her vehicle or the other damaged vehicle. No word on any changes against the driver.

 

Crime Report: Sexual Assault Near Rosslyn Metro

By ARLnow.com

A deaf and mute woman was sexually assaulted and robbed near the Rosslyn Metro station early Saturday morning.

The woman had walked out of the Metro station and was looking for a taxi when a man, possibly homeless, touched her inappropriately and took her money, according to police. Officers had to use written communication in order to gather details about the crime, since the woman could not hear or talk and was unable to communicate with sign language, police said.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

SEXUAL ASSAULT / ABDUCTION / ROBBERY, 09/15/12, 1700 block of N. Moore Street. At 2:05 am on September 15, a female victim states she was sexually assaulted by an unknown suspect as she was walking from the Rosslyn Metro Station to find a cab. The suspect also robbed the victim of $45 cash. The suspect is described as black male with a thin build and beard. He was wearing all grey clothing at the time of the incident.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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