police

Crime Report: Manhandled by Masseur

By ARLnow.com

A woman was receiving a massage at a Columbia Pike salon on Saturday when the masseur apparently took things too far. From this week’s Arlington County crime report.

SEXUAL BATTERY, 06/24/12, 3000 block of S. Columbia Pike. Between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm on June 23, a victim was sexually assaulted while getting a massage at a salon. The subject is described as a Hispanic male, in his late 20s to early 30s, approximately 6’4″ and 200 lbs. He had black curly hair in a pony tail and stated his name was Juan.

On Sunday morning, a woman in the Radnor – Fort Myer Heights neighborhood reportedly woke up to find a man having sex with her, after she had gone to sleep drunk and alone.

RAPE, 06/26/12, 1400 block of N. Scott Street. A female victim woke up naked the morning of June 24 with a known male subject beside her in bed that admitted to engaging in sexual intercourse. The victim had gone to bed alone intoxicated the night before. The victim does not wish to press charges at this time.

On Monday, a man exposed himself to a female rider on the VRE train, then ran off when the train stopped in Crystal City.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 06/25/12, VRE Train approaching Crystal City. Between 8:15 and 8:30 am on June 25, an unknown subject exposed himself to a female rider. The subject fled the scene as the train stopped in Crystal City. The suspect is described as a white male, 30’s, 5’8″ tall, 130 lbs., with short black hair. He was wearing a black suit at the time of the incident.

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

(more…)

New Arlington Police Officers Sworn In

By ARLnow.com

Thirteen new Arlington County police officers were sworn in this afternoon at Kenmore Middle School.

The recruits — eight male, five female — pledged an oath and were given their badges. The ceremony followed the recruits’ graduation from a regional police academy. They will now undergo nearly half a year of field training before becoming full officers.

The ceremony included a speech from Arlington County Police Chief M. Douglas Scott. The swearing in was conducted by Arlington Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Ferguson. Loved ones of the new officers helped to pin the badges on their uniforms while other friends and family members in the audience applauded.

After the swearing in, the event continued with a ceremony for 12 police department members who have received promotions.

Also recognized was Officer Ronald Grannis, who received the Departmental Purple Star after being seriously injured in a crash with an impaired driver on July 20, 2011. Grannis “spent over a month in the hospital and has battled through over ten surgeries while continuing to fight to return to full duty,” according to police.

1/6

Police: Man Flashed Boy in W-L Parking Garage

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police are looking for a man who reportedly exposed himself to a 14-year-old boy in the Washington-Lee High School parking garage this morning.

The incident happened around 10:15 a.m. A white male in his 40s, wearing nothing but white athletic socks and white Nike shoes, jumped out and exposed himself to the boy in a secluded part of the parking garage, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. There was also some incidental contact between the man and the boy, Sternbeck said.

The boy, who was at the school for an orientation session for rising freshmen, ran off and reported the incident to school staff, Sternbeck said. Numerous police officers and a K-9 unit searched for the suspect but were unable to locate him.

The suspect is described as 6’2″ tall, with an average build and short dark hair. Anybody with information about the incident is asked to call Arlington police at 703-558-2222.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Assists With Falls Church Barricade — The Arlington County Police Department’s SWAT team relieved the Fairfax County SWAT team overnight at the scene of a barricade situation on Hillwood Avenue in Falls Church. Despite efforts to coax him out, an armed man remains in a Hillwood Avenue house, in a standoff with police. Alexandria’s SWAT team is now relieving Arlington’s team, ARLnow.com is told. Paramedics from the Arlington County Fire Department are also on the scene. [WTOP]

Survey: More Residents Will Ride Streetcar — According to a survey cited by Arlington County officials, 60 percent of area residents say they will never take the bus, while 60 percent of residents say they’re willing to try a streetcar. In an ARLnow.com survey on Friday, just over 50 percent of respondents said they would prefer a streetcar on Columbia Pike, versus bus options. [Washington Post]

Citizen Seating at Bus Stops — A local resident has added plastic chairs to 10 bus stops along major thoroughfares in Arlington and Falls Church. The chairs demonstrate “a latent need for dignified seating at the region’s bus stops,” according to writer Matt Caywood. [Greater Greater Washington]

Leonsis on Kettler Iceplex — At the inaugural annual meeting of the new Ballston Business Improvement District, Washington Capitals owner and former top AOL executive Ted Leonsis said Ballston’s Kettler Capitals Iceplex is essential to the team. “I’m not sure if we [the Washington Capitals] would be able to keep MVP-caliber players, like [Alex] Ovechkin, without a facility like the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston,” Leonsis said.

Police: Potty Mouthed Prostitute Solicited Officer

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 9:30 p.m.) An Arlington County police officer had an unexpectedly eventful night on Wednesday, June 20, when he was approached by a prostitute with a potty mouth.

Police say the woman was at a bus stop in the 5000 block of Columbia Pike around 9:50 p.m., and started waving at the officer’s vehicle as he approached. The officer was in an unmarked car, wearing plain clothes.

According to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, the woman leaned into the officer’s open window and said, “F–ky, f–ky.” The officer responded with, “Excuse me?” The alleged prostitute repeated, “F–ky, f–ky, 10 dollars.”

At that point, the officer called in the incident to headquarters and uniformed officers arrived on the scene to deal with 38-year-old Sherry Taylor of Arlington. Taylor was still at the scene and charged with solicitation and trespassing.

Crime Report: Woman Escapes Boyfriend’s Zip Tie

By ARLnow.com

An Arlington man has been charged with abduction and domestic assault and battery after police say he tried to tie his girlfriend’s hands behind her back during a fight.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ABDUCTION, 06/15/12, 300 block of S. Adams Street. At 2 pm on June 15, a female victim and her boyfriend got into a physical altercation. During the fight, the suspect held the victim down on the bed and attempted to tie her hands behind her back with zip ties. The victim was able to bite the suspect on the arm and he left the room. Jeffrey Teagno, 24, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with abduction and domestic assault and battery. He was held without bond.

The suspect, Jeffrey Teagno, is listed by Virginia State Police as a registered sex offender for possession of child pornography in 2009.

The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

(more…)

Five Local Cops Receive Crisis Response Awards

By Katie Pyzyk

Five members of the Arlington County Police Department have received awards for their work in responding to calls involving people with a mental health crisis.

Captain Andy Penn, Officer Garrett Bombard, Sergeant Eliseo Pilco, Officer Ben Brown-Bieber and Deputy Andrew Flowers received the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Northern Virginia Chapter 2012 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) award. They received the awards, which include a plaque and a $500 donation to the Department of Human Services to fund ongoing CIT training, at a banquet on June 7.

“Our department fully supports the CIT training initiative and our goal is to continue to increase the number of officers certified by offering several training opportunities each year,” said Arlington Police Chief M. Douglas Scott.

Since its inception in 2008, Arlington’s CIT program has trained more than 175 law enforcement personnel. Officers voluntarily sign up for the program and receive 40 hours of training, during which they learn to de-escalate difficult and potentially dangerous situations with an individual who has a mental illness.

Through the training, officers learn skills such as reducing injuries, and preventing inappropriate restraint and incarceration of a troubled individual. They also help to link individuals with mental illness to resources for receiving appropriate treatment.

CIT Coordinator Christina Clarkson was able to explain a type of situation similar to those the five officers received awards for. A man had been threatening himself and his family after having an adverse reaction to a new medication. He had been hallucinating, hearing voices and locked himself in the bathroom. Two officers used their CIT training to talk to the man and calm him down enough so he came out of the bathroom on his own, and checked into a mental health facility.

Information could not be provided about the specific incidents the five officers received the awards for.

Lights Blinking at Intersection After Fire in Walk Signal

By ARLnow.com

The traffic lights at the intersection of westbound Lee Highway and Lynn Street, in Rosslyn, are blinking due to an earlier fire.

A pedestrian walk signal at the intersection somehow caught on fire around 11:30 this morning. The fire was minor and eventually burned itself out, but not before passersby caught sight of smoke coming from the signal. As a result of the fire, power was temporarily cut to all traffic signals at the intersection.

As of 12:10 p.m., the lights were operating on battery power and blinking red. Police were on scene assisting with traffic control.

Crime Report: Man Threatens Mall Security With Knife

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a man allegedly stole items from a store in the Pentagon City mall, then threatened a security officer with a knife when confronted.

ROBBERY, 06/09/12, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. On June 9 at 7:45 pm, a subject stole merchandise from a store at the mall and when approached by the loss prevention officer, he fled the scene on foot. After being followed by the loss prevention officer, he threatened him with a knife. Police apprehended the subject a short time later in the mall parking garage. Lonnell Andre Buford, 40, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with robbery and possession of burglarious tools. He was held without bond.

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

(more…)

UPDATE (3): Woman Dies After Being Hit By Cyclist

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 9:25 a.m.) An 80-year-old woman has died after being hit by a bicyclist on the Four Mile Run Trail this morning.

The incident happened around 7:15 this morning (Monday) on the trail near the intersection of Columbia Pike and Four Mile Run Drive. According to police, an adult male cyclist was coming down a hill when he called out “on your left, on your left,” to the victim, who was walking on trail.

The victim turned around, moving into the path of the cyclist, and said “what? — at which time she and the cyclist collided, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The woman fell backwards and her head hit the pavement, causing significant trauma.

The woman was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital with life-threatening injuries, Sternbeck said. She was pronounced dead in the hospital later in the day. Police originally reported the woman’s age as 70, then as 81, but later said it was actually 80.

The cyclist, a 62-year-old man, suffered only minor injuries and did not require transport to the hospital. He was riding a NEXT Power Climber mountain bike at the time of the accident, according to Sternbeck. No charges have been filed against the cyclist, he said.

The trail is eight feet wide at the point of the collision, Sternbeck noted. Arlington does not have speed limits on its bike trails, according to county officials.

On Tuesday morning, police issued the following press release about the incident.

A 80 year old Arlington resident was pronounced dead late yesterday afternoon at Fairfax Hospital after being struck by a bicyclist.

The Arlington County Emergency Communications Center received the initial 9-1-1 report at 7:11 a.m. on June 11, 2012, regarding a collision between a bicyclist and pedestrian on the Four Mile Run Bike Path in the area of the 4900 block of Columbia Pike. The victim sustained significant head trauma after falling backwards, striking the back of her head on the pavement. The 62 year old bicyclist remained on scene and received treatment for a minor knee injury. He did not require transport to a hospital.

According to a witness and the bicyclist, the 62 year old man was heading downhill on his Next Powerclimber bike when he saw the victim ahead of him and attempted to warn her by yelling “to your left” and ringing a bell. This is when the 80 year old woman stepped to her left and turned around to be struck head-on, causing her to fall backwards to the ground.

Ita Lapina, 80, of Arlington, VA, succumbed to the injuries she sustained during the June 11 incident. She was pronounced dead at the hospital at 6:20 p.m.

For information related to bicycle and pedestrian safety, please visit the Prevention and Safety section on the Arlington County Police Department homepage at http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/Police/PoliceMain.aspx

Pedestrian Struck on Route 50

By ARLnow.com

A woman was struck and seriously injured by a vehicle on Route 50 overnight, according to police.

“At 2:30 am, an adult female attempted to cross Route 50, just prior to the on-ramp to Washington Boulevard, after darting out from the tree line,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “The driver was unable to stop his vehicle in time and the pedestrian was struck. She remains in critical condition at GW Hospital.”

Several lanes of eastbound Route 50 were closed for an extended period of time while police investigated the accident. Those lanes had reopened by 5:30 a.m.

View More Stories