police

Arrest Made in Clarendon Bank Robbery

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police have made an arrest following this morning’s bank robbery in the Clarendon/Courthouse area.

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the robbery of the PNC Bank at 2601 Clarendon Boulevard, police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal confirmed this afternoon. In an earlier press release, police said the suspect entered the bank around 9:50 a.m., implied that he had a weapon and demanded money. He then fled on foot after receiving cash. Police released surveillance images taken from the bank, above.

The suspect’s identity is not being released at this time, but detectives are investigating whether he may have also been responsible for other bank robberies in Arlington.

The description of the suspect released by police today — “white Middle Eastern male in his early 20’s, 5’7” to 5’8” with a medium build” — is similar to that of the suspect in last week’s robbery of a Bank of America on Columbia Pike.

Photo courtesy Arlington County Police Department

UPDATED: Police Respond to Fight at Pentagon City Mall

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:45 p.m.) Police responded to Pentagon City mall this afternoon after a fight broke out between two groups of people.

The call originally came in as a report of a man spotted with a gun near the Capital One Bank, on the food court level. Police took five people into custody near the Pentagon City Metro station, and soon determined that the initial report of a gun was erroneous.

The five people initially taken into custody were all banned from the mall, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. One of the men was arrested for assaulting another man, she said, and the other four were released from custody.

Crime Report: Escort Robbed

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a female escort is robbed at gunpoint in Crystal City.

ROBBERY, 12/15/11, 2000 block of Jefferson Davis Highway. On December 15 at 10:50 am, a man brandishing a handgun robbed a female escort of cash. The suspect is described as an African American male in his late 20’s, 5’6″ and 180 lbs. He was wearing a white t-shirt reading “Myrtle Beach”, jeans, a black jacket, and a black knit cap.

The rest of this week’s crime report — including the trespassing charges against five BASE jumpers accused of climbing a radio tower near Big Walnut Park — after the jump.

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Rash of Car Break-Ins in Bluemont, Arlington Forest

By ARLnow.com

About a dozen residents of the Bluemont and Arlington Forest neighborhoods woke up Tuesday morning only to find that their vehicles were broken in to overnight.

According to police, an unknown suspect broke in to at least 12 unlocked vehicles on the 100 block of N. Columbus Street, the 500 block of N. Jefferson Street, and the 5600 blocks of N. 5th and N. 7th Streets. All four streets are within easy walking distance of the Bluemont and W&OD trails.

The suspect stole various items like change and GPS units, according to police.

One vehicle was also stolen during the break-in spree, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. NBC4 is reporting that stolen vehicle was a van belong to the charity Treats 4 Our Troops. The van was filled with candy and care packages for wounded and deployed military servicemembers, the station reported.

Police say they don’t have any suspects at this time.

Reader Recounts Getting Stranded on Old JD Hwy

By ARLnow.com

Big potholes aren’t the only hazard on Old Jefferson Davis Highway, which is set for a reconstruction project in 2012.

With rain in the forecast over the next couple of days, it’s worth recounting this scene from two weeks ago. A reader — who we’ll call “Joe” — says he was driving down Old Jefferson Davis Highway, between the Pentagon and Crystal City, in the middle of a rainstorm on Dec. 7. Despite the fact that a couple of cars passed him going in the opposite direction, all of a sudden Joe found himself and his car stranded in high standing water.

“The cars had apparently turned around going the opposite direction, something I should also have done,” Joe lamented. “I entered what I thought was a muddy puddle and quickly came to realize just how dangerous it was.  The car started to choke and it was too late for me to get out.”

Joe said he called 911 and had difficulty getting the dispatcher to understand where “Old Jefferson Davis Highway” was. Eventually, an Arlington police officer showed up and was “very helpful.”

Joe added that there was a “road closed” sign on one end of the street, but not on the end he was traveling on.

“Even I’m not stupid enough to bypass a road closed sign, why was there not one on both sides?” he asked.

County officials expect to start installing a new storm water system along Old Jefferson Davis Highway as soon as February. In April the road will be renamed “Long Bridge Drive” after the adjacent Long Bridge Park.

Credit Card Skimming Investigation Began in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Last week, a Maryland man was convicted of running a credit card skimming ring that operated in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania from 2010 to 2011.

Authorities say the ring victimized hundreds of people and businesses by stealing credit card numbers, using those numbers to buy gift cards and merchandise, then returning the merchandise for cash. In some cases, the credit card numbers were stolen when restaurant servers, paid by the ring, ran customer credit cards through a “skimming” device that recorded each number.

The case against the now-convicted ringleader, 33-year-old Olubunmi Oladapo Komolafe, began building in Arlington.

According to an affidavit, a co-conspirator of Komolafe was stopped and questioned by police at an Arlington Macy’s store on January 30, 2010. The co-conspirator was attempting to make a purchase at Macy’s using gift cards that had been either re-encoded or purchased using a stolen credit number, according to the affidavit.

Eventually the suspect was let go, but he surrendered several gift cards to officers. From there, ACPD detectives began an investigation that eventually led to a U.S. Secret Service investigation and a federal case against Komolafe and four other men, including the co-conspirator who was initially stopped in Arlington.

Inbound Lanes of Key Bridge Closed

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6:25 p.m. — All lanes have reopened.

The northbound (inbound) lanes of the Key Bridge are closed due to a “police situation.”

Initial reports suggest a person may have jumped off the bridge, possibly on the D.C. side. Traffic cameras show Arlington police redirecting traffic heading toward the bridge on N. Lynn Street onto northbound Lee Highway and the George Washington Parkway.

Traffic appears to be flowing from the District into Arlington across the Key Bridge.

Very heavy traffic has been reported in Rosslyn and across the bridge in Georgetown.

Photos of Pike Bank Robbery Suspect Released

By ARLnow.com

Police have released surveillance photos of the man they say robbed a bank on Columbia Pike yesterday afternoon.

Police say the man walked into the Bank of America branch on the 3400 block of Columbia Pike at about 3:20 p.m., implied he had a weapon and demanded money. He fled on foot after receiving cash.

“The suspect is described as a white Hispanic male in his early 20’s, 5’7” to 5’8” with a medium build,” Arlington County Police said in a press release. “At the time of the robbery he wore a black hooded jacket and dark pants.”

“Anyone who has information about this robbery or the identity of the suspect is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703 228-4242, or Detective John Donaggio at (703) 228-4167,” the press release continued. “Det. Donaggio can also be reached by email at [email protected].”

BASE Jumper Startles Residents Near Big Walnut Park

By Katie Pyzyk

Residents near Big Walnut Park report being surprised by odd noises around 10:30 last night. When they checked outside, they discovered that someone had apparently performed a parachute jump off the WETA television tower.

The jumper reportedly became tangled when she landed in a tree in the 5200 block of N. 19th Rd. Onlookers say they saw her detach from her parachute and attempt to climb down the tree. She fell and was taken to the hospital for her injuries.

Police charged five people with trespassing for climbing the tower: three men, ages 48, 30 and 25, along with two women, ages 48 and 30. The jumper is listed as being from Litchfield, CT.

The parachute remains in a tree, which is in a residential backyard. So far, it’s unclear how it will be removed.

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Crime Report: Knife-Wielding Robbers Edition

By ARLnow.com

Whether you’re out delivering a pizza or walking a dog, sometimes you can never be too careful after dark. In this week’s Arlington County crime report, there were two instances of people being robbed by knife-wielding individuals on the street at night.

ROBBERY, 12/07/11, 1000 block of Randolph Street. On December 7 at 8:40 pm, a man delivering pizza was robbed by an unknown male brandishing a knife. The suspect is described as an African American male, 5’8″ and 150 lbs. wearing all black clothing including a black ski mask.

ROBBERY, 12/10/11, 800 block of S. Harrison Street. On December 10 at 8 pm, a man was walking a small dog when an unknown man confronted him. The suspect brandished a knife and demanded money. The victim gave him a small amount of money, and the suspect fled. The suspect is described as an African American male in his 20’s, 6″ tall and 190 lbs. He was wearing a red and blacked checked button-down shirt and a red knit hat with ear flaps.

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

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Six Detained at Columbia Pike Days Inn

By ARLnow.com

Six people were detained by police at the Columbia Pike Days Inn motel yesterday after a tip about prostitution led officers to a stolen vehicle.

Officers investigating a tip about prostitution activity at the Days Inn discovered an SUV that had been reported stolen out of Pennsylvania in the parking lot, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. Officers kept an eye on the SUV and, when several people got in and started to drive off yesterday afternoon, police swooped in in dramatic fashion, blocking the vehicle in and handcuffing the occupants.

Six people — four women and two men — were detained. As of this morning, charges have still not yet been filed against the six suspects, we’re told.

NBC4 — which had a photographer on the scene within minutes of the arrests — led its 11:00 p.m. newscast with the story. The station’s website says the arrests were related to a “suspected prostitution ring in Arlington.”

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