police

Crime Report: Would-Be Robbers See the Light

By ARLnow.com

A beating and robbery attempt in Douglas Park last week was stopped after someone drove up and shined their headlights on the attackers.

The incident happened around 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30. According to police, a man had just gotten off the bus, on his way back home from work in Georgetown, and was walking up S. Monroe Street when he saw two suspects hanging out in front of abandoned house.

The victim then noticed the suspects following him. He started to run but the suspects caught up with him and demanded money and his backpack. When the victim refused, the suspects started punching him and then kicking him after he was knocked to the ground, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

A car then pulled up to the scene and shined its headlights on the scuffle, which scared off the suspects. Police were called and the victim was taken to the hospital for numerous minor injuries, including lacerations to his forehead.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY BY FORCE/MALICIOUS WOUNDING BY MOB, 05/31/12, 1800 block of S. Monroe Street. At 11:51 pm on May 30, two subjects ran down a victim in an attempted robbery and beat him until fleeing the scene after witnesses came to his assistance. The victim sustained multiple injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Suspect #1 is described as a black male, approximately 25 years old, 6’0″ tall, thin build with a goatee. He was wearing a skull cap with shoulder length cornrows, with a white t-shirt and dark colored pants. Suspect #2 is described as a black male, approximately 5’5″ tall, with a medium and stocky build. He was also wearing a skull cap and a black shirt at the time of the incident.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Special Olympics Torch Run to Wind through Arlington

By Katie Pyzyk

An Olympic torch will be making its way through Arlington on Thursday. Not the one that’s going to be lighting up London in a few months, but the Virginia Special Olympics torch.

More than 2,000 law enforcement officers take part in the eight day Virginia Law Enforcement Torch Run, when the torch is carried on a 1,900 mile trek across the state. Forty-seven Arlington County Police Department personnel will participate.

Opening ceremonies begin at the Marine Corps Memorial in Rosslyn at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, June 7, and the torch run begins at 9:30 a.m. During the run, officers will head over the Memorial Bridge, past Gravelly Point, past Reagan National Airport and will hand off the torch at the Alexandria line. Full route details can be found online. Spectators are welcome to cheer on the athletes along the route.

Following the run, which originates in seven different parts of the state, the torch will end up at the Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games Opening Ceremony in Richmond. At that point, a Special Olympics athlete will receive the torch and light the new Olympic Cauldron.

A police chief in Kansas spearheaded the first torch run in 1981 to raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics. Virginia’s first torch run took place in 1986.

“Now in its 27th year, the Virginia Law Enforcement Torch Run, has raised more than $14 million for Special Olympics Virginia, including a record-breaking $924,000 this year alone,” according to an ACPD press release.

All 50 states as well as 40 countries hold similar torch run events.

UPDATED: Man Arrested After Stabbing Vandal

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 9:10 p.m.) A 27-year-old Arlington man has been arrested after police say he stabbed a man who was vandalizing houses near Clarendon.

The incident happened just before 2:00 a.m. this morning, June 1, on the 800 block of N. Irving Street. According to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, three subjects were vandalizing houses — breaking items and throwing porch chairs and plants into the street — when Mauricio Canales, 27, came outside to confront them.

At some point Canales — who had been drinking, according to investigators — went back into the house and retrieved a large kitchen knife.

Canales told police that one of the subjects took a swing at him. Then, police say, he pulled out the knife and stabbed the subject just below the jawline. The subject fled the scene and eventually staggered over to Fire Station No. 2 in Bluemont with a five inch stab wound to his jaw area, along with lacerations to his forearm and hand. The subject was brought to a local hospital and his injuries are considered non-life-threatening, Sternbeck said.

Police arriving on scene at Irving Street found the bloody knife and the vandalized chairs in the street. Canales was located at his home, wearing a white shirt with blood on it, Sternbeck said. He was arrested, charged with malicious wounding, and is currently being held without bond.

So far, no charges have been filed against the three alleged vandals.

Man Charged for Accidental Gunshot in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

A Rosslyn man is facing criminal charges after accidentally shooting his television.

The incident happened last night (May 31) around 10:45 p.m. on the 1500 block of N. Key Boulevard.

Police say the suspect was cleaning his .40 caliber Sig Sauer handgun when it accidentally discharged. The bullet went through the suspect’s TV, through a window, and across the street in the direction of an office building. Officers searched for the bullet but were ultimately unable to locate it.

The man was charged with reckless handling of a firearm.

File photo

Crime Report: Sexual Battery By Ballston Bicyclist

By ARLnow.com

A woman had to run to safety at Ballston Common Mall after a bicyclist grabbed her buttocks and started riding in circles around her on N. Stuart Street.

As detailed in this week’s Arlington County crime report, the incident happened early Saturday morning outside the Ballston Metro station.

SEXUAL BATTERY, 05/26/12, 900 block of N. Stuart Street. Between 1:10 and 2:10 am on May 26, an unknown male subject on a bicycle grabbed the female victims buttocks as he rode past. The suspect circled the female several times on the bicycle before she walked to a well lit area at the Ballston Common Mall. Police were contacted and a suspect was not located. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his 20’s, approximately 6’1″ tall with a thin build. He was wearing gray t-shirt, dark colored plaid shorts and baseball hat at the time of the incident. The victim does not wish to prosecute.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Lyon Park Resident Arrested for Firing Bullet

By ARLnow.com

A Lyon Park resident has been arrested and accused of firing a bullet that whizzed by a man’s head.

Police say Laselle Booker, 57, was armed when he was arrested at his home on the 700 block of N. Edgewood Street. Booker is charged with attempted malicious wounding and reckless discharge of a firearm in public following a bizarre alleged incident that ended in the early morning hours of Friday, May 25.

According to Arlington County police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, Booker had earlier approached a man at a gas station in D.C. and wrote him a check for $500, claiming he was on a mission to help less fortunate people and had been told by God to write the check.

The man then drove Booker to his Lyon Park home, and Booker subsequently offered to let him stay in his guestroom, according to Sternbeck. The men had a four hour conversation at the house, which investigators say eventually escalated into an argument in the home’s front yard. Booker is alleged to have asked for the check back, writing a $50 check instead after the victim asked for money for a hotel.

The victim became “agitated” at that point, Sternbeck said, and eventually Booker took out a .40 caliber handgun and pulled the trigger several times, without actually firing the gun, investigators say. He then racked the gun’s slide and fired a round that whizzed by the victim’s head, according to Sternbeck. The victim fled the scene and called police.

Booker had the weapon in his possession when he was arrested just after 4:30 a.m., according to Sternbeck. As of this afternoon he remains in custody.

Brick Thrown at Unlawful Filming Suspect’s Front Door

By ARLnow.com

A brick was thrown at the front door of a man accused of unlawfully filming his ex-girlfriend as she slept, then sending the photo to her.

The incident was reported around 11:30 last night, May 28, in the Radnor – Fort Myer Heights neighborhood. According to the police report, a brick was thrown at — but did not break — the front door of an individual accused of burglary, stalking and unlawful filming on May 13. Police would not confirm the identity of the victim, but the charges referenced in the report match those lodged against a 27-year-old Arlington man, whose trial is scheduled for June 27.

The brick had a note with the words “sleep tight” attached to it, according to Arlington County police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Police Investigate Shooting Outside Crystal City Hotel

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police are investigating a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning in Crystal City.

The incident happened just after 3:00 a.m. According to police, four people were posing for photos behind a vehicle parked in front of a hotel on the 2700 block of Jefferson Davis Highway when an unknown suspect fired between 3 and 6 gunshots. The hotel desk staff heard the shots and called police.

Responding units found a male victim shot in both ankles. The man was treated by medics and taken to George Washington University Hospital, according to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Four bullet casings were found at the scene.

The victim and his three friends claimed that they had only heard the gunshots and had not seen the shooter. Sternbeck said there was “not much cooperation” from the group, and that the investigation is ongoing.

The incident is not believed to be connected to the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally, Sternbeck said. The Hyatt Regency Crystal City hotel at 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway is the rally’s official hotel.

Two Sentenced for Gas Station Armed Robbery

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:20 p.m.) Two men have been sentenced for the Christmas Day armed robbery of a South Arlington gas station.

Arlington residents Earl Brown, 28, and Liban Jama, 24, were convicted of a brazen daytime hold-up at a gas station convenience store on the 4100 block of Four Mile Run Drive. The crime took place around 12:15 p.m. on December 25, 2011.

According to a police report, Jama entered the store, brandished a handgun, and demanded money and cigarettes from the cashier. With the stolen goods in hand, he then hopped into a getaway car driven by Brown.

The pair started to drive away but were pulled over and arrested three blocks away, thanks to a witness who called police while watching them flee.

“The midday robbery occurred just after noon on Christmas Day and drew numerous police officers to the area with guns drawn in an effort to arrest the two as they tried to flee the scene,” said Theo Stamos, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County.

An Arlington jury sentenced Brown to 11 years in the penitentiary on an armed robbery charge and 3 years on a weapons charge. Jama was sentenced to 7 years for armed robbery and 3 years on a weapons charge.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Molly Newton and Assistant Commonwealth’s attorney D. Scott Porter over the course of a three day jury trial. The court is expected to hold a final sentencing hearing for the case on August 24.

Police Officer Delivers Baby on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

An Arlington County police officer helped to deliver a baby while out on a traffic stop on Columbia Pike last night.

Corporal Steve Troyano had just pulled over a car on the 5300 block of Columbia Pike when a woman ran over and frantically requested the officer’s assistance for her pregnant sister, who was in labor in a nearby SUV. The officer used his radio to request paramedics, but when he arrived at the SUV the baby’s head was crowning and ready for delivery.

Corporal Troyano helped to deliver a healthy, 6 pound, 3 ounce baby girl at 6:41 p.m. He managed to unwrap the child’s umbilical cord from around her neck, then wrapped her in a towel until an ambulance arrived four minutes later.

“The family remains at the hospital at this time and has informed the Arlington County Police Department they will be using the middle name ‘Stephanie’ in honor of Corporal Troyano,” said police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Corporal Troyano, an 11-year veteran of the department, said he acted instinctively to handle the situation.

“When I realized I would be delivering the baby in the backseat, my instincts took over,” he said.

As for the car Corporal Troyano pulled over, another officer was called the scene to assist with the traffic stop, Sternbeck said, but ultimately no ticket was issued.

Crime Report: Adding Insult to Injury Edition

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police are investigating an incident in which goods purchased with a stolen credit card were mailed to the victim of the credit card fraud, then stolen from the victim’s home.

“There were at least ten pairs of women’s shoes and several purses mailed to [the victim’s] residence several days after his credit card was stolen,” said Arlington County police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “A day later the package he received was stolen, along with jewelry from the house.”

BURGLARY/CREDIT CARD FRAUD, 05/18/12, 3000 block of N. Lee Highway. On May 18 at 4:50 pm, a victim reported a burglary at his residence of various items. One day prior, the victim received numerous packages in the mail that were purchased with his stolen credit card, which were stolen during the burglary along with additional items. There is no suspect description.

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

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