police

Emergency Exercise to be Held at Pentagon City Mall

By ARLnow.com

The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall will be the site of a large-scale emergency training exercise next weekend.

From 4:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, first responders from Arlington’s police, fire and sheriff’s departments, as well as the Arlington County Office of Emergency Management and the Alexandria Police Department, will conduct a joint training exercise inside the mall.

“The purpose of the exercise is to test the response of Arlington County’s public safety agencies in a simulated emergency situation,” Arlington Police said in a statement. No word on the exact type of emergency that will be simulated.

“Residents are advised that there could be some temporary traffic delays as emergency equipment is moved into place,” the statement said. “There will be a large number of public safety vehicles in the area of The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, The Arlington County Trades buildings, and several parking lots along Army Navy Drive across from the mall. The vehicles will not use their lights or sirens during the exercise. The mall will open for normal shopping hours.”

“Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Arlington County has devoted its resources to emergency preparedness,” the statement continued. “This exercise is one example of the many ways the agencies of the National Capital Region train to ‘expect the unexpected.'”

Boot Bandit Busted in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

It was a bold move — trying to defeat a county parking boot just steps away from Arlington police headquarters in Courthouse. Unfortunately for the driver accused of attempting it, cops caught up with him before he could get away.

Police received a call around 5:00 last night for a man who had his booted car jacked up in the county surface parking lot across from police headquarters. The man allegedly removed the wheel with the boot on it, placed it in the trunk and replaced it with a “donut” spare tire.

He was getting ready to drive away when police showed up and put the kibosh on the whole operation.

Officers recovered the boot from the man’s trunk and, after talking to him for a while, placed him handcuffed in the back of a squad car.

Bike Accident Involving Police Car Along Custis Trail

By ARLnow.com

A bicyclist struck an Arlington County police cruiser on Lee Highway this afternoon as the cruiser was responding to a bicyclist struck by a car a couple of blocks away.

The cyclist was heading downhill on the Custis Trail, toward Rosslyn, at the time of the accident. He struck the front bumper of the police cruiser as it was entering westbound Lee Highway from N. Oak Street, tumbled to the ground and suffered a bloody head wound. The wound was said to be superficial and the cyclist was conscious when medics arrived to treat him.

There is a painted stop sign on the trail just before the intersection.

It’s unclear if the cyclist was wearing a helmet at the time, but none was spotted near the scene. He was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

The police officer involved in the accident was responding to a bicyclist who was reported struck by a car at Lee Highway and N. Quinn Street, also along the Custis Trail. The cyclist in that accident reportedly only suffered minor injuries.

BB&T Bank Robbed in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) Police are investigating yet another bank robbery in Arlington.

The BB&T Bank branch at 3001 N. Washington Blvd in Clarendon was robbed this afternoon by a man described as an older white male. The suspect fled on foot after the robbery.

The man is thought to be the same serial bank robber who’s suspected in four other bank robberies in Arlington this summer, including a robbery of the same Clarendon BB&T bank branch in June.

This is the eighth bank robbery in Arlington this summer. The last robbery happened on Aug. 9 on Lee Highway.

Update on 8/17/11 — See surveillance images of the suspect here.

Man Arrested After Brazen ATM Robbery in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) A man has been arrested after a brazen daytime robbery attempt just outside the county government building in Courthouse.

The crime was called into police around 1:10 p.m. Initial reports suggest the man put a female victim in a choke hold after she entered her PIN number into the Arlington County Federal Credit Union ATM in Courthouse Plaza, just steps from the main entrance of the county government building and across the street from the Arlington County Police headquarters.

The woman reportedly ran away while the man attempted to use her ATM account. It’s unclear whether he withdrew money from the machine.

Several people then started chasing the suspect into the residential Lyon Village area, just north of Courthouse, according to police radio traffic and a witness. Police eventually took over the chase and arrested the man in a yard just near Key Elementary school.

One of the people who initially helped to chase the suspect was an employee in the county’s Commissioner of Revenue office, according to county spokeswoman Mary Curtius. The employee heard the victim scream and then gave chase, Curtius said.

Deer Struck on I-66 Ramp Left Dead in EFC Yard

By ARLnow.com

This morning, just before 8:30, a small deer was struck by a vehicle on a ramp from Sycamore Street to I-66, in East Falls Church. The gravely injured deer apparently stumbled down to the corner of Sycamore Street and 19th Street, where it collapsed and died in a grassy yard next to the southbound Sycamore Street sidewalk.

Three and a half hours later, the deer is still there and visible to passersby.

Arlington Police, called to the scene after the deer was struck, left shortly after confirming the deer was dead and placing a call to the county’s animal control contractor. But we hear that the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, which performs animal control and sheltering services to the county under a contract worth more than $1.2 million as of FY 2010, has told police that it may take a while to pick up the deer since there’s only one animal control officer working today.

ARLnow.com has been told in the past that animal control is often short-staffed in Arlington. A message on the League’s answering machine said its main offices were closed today.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Police Searching For Serial Groper — Arlington Police are on the lookout for a man who has been assaulting women and girls by grabbing their breasts as they walk down the street. Among the victims are Eastern European women working as lifeguards and a 13-year-old girl. The attacks started in June. [WUSA9]

Virginia NOW Endorsements — The Virginia National Organization for Women PAC has endorsed four Arlington candidates for state office. Virginia NOW endorsed both Adam Ebbin and Libby Garvey in the three-way race for the 30th state Senate District (skipping over Rob Krupicka). The group also endorsed both Stephanie Clifford and Alfonso Lopez in the two-way race for the 49th House of Delegates District. [Virginia NOW]

Arlington Helps Battle Arlandria Fire — Arlington County firefighters helped Alexandria firefighters extinguish a two-alarm blaze at an apartment complex in the Arlandria section of Alexandria yesterday. The fire, across from St. Rita’s Catholic Church, forced the closure of Russell Road between Mt. Vernon Avenue and W. Glebe Road for much of the morning. [Patch]

Areizaga-Soto Funnels More Money into Campaign — State Senate candidate Jaime Areizaga-Soto has lent his campaign another $70,000, in addition to the $145,000 he already loaned to the campaign. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Illegal Gambling Bust — This morning the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force will announce that it has made multiple arrests and taken down a gang-related illegal gambling operation after a months-long investigation. Arlington County was one of the police agencies that aided the task force by assisting with the investigation and executing warrants, according to a spokesperson.

Overview of Arlington Prosecutor’s Race — In race for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Arlington, Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos has far out-raised defense attorney David Deane. But Deane is hoping his stance against the death penalty will give him an edge against Stamos in the upcoming Democratic primary. [Washington Post]

An Outsider’s View of Seven Corners — To anyone who has driven far enough west on Wilson Boulevard, Arlington Boulevard or Route 7, an anecdote in this article, written by a recent Arlington transplant, will ring true. [The New Atlantis]

Arlington Plans 9/11 Commemorations

By ARLnow.com

We’re one month away from the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and Arlington is planning several events to commemorate the solemn occasion.

On Saturday, Sept. 10 Arlington County will host a special 9/11 tribute event to honor the 184 people who perished during the terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

“The event will be held at the Air Force Memorial and will be emceed by ACFD Lieutenant Dave Santini, with an invocation by ACFD Chaplin Reverend Leonard L. Hamlin, live instrumental music and a vocalist to lead attendees in singing ‘America the Beautiful,'” according to the county web site. “This event is free and open to the public.”

Also on Sept. 10, Arlington’s public safety personnel are hosting a 9/11 memorial 5K race in Pentagon City. Registration for the race, which benefits several 9/11-related charities, is still open.

Another annual public safety-sponsored commemorative event, the First Responders Cup softball tournament, will take place Sept. 9 to 11 at three separate South Arlington fields.

For anyone interested in giving back to the community to honor the memory of 9/11 victims, Arlington County is compiling volunteer opportunities for the 9/11 Day of Service. Among the options is a Sept. 10 and 11 grocery store food drive to benefit the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

More information on 9/11 events in Arlington can be found on the county’s “Arlington Remembers September 11, 2001” web page.

Man With Abortion Sign Targeting Route 50 Commuters

By ARLnow.com

A man holding a huge “Abortion is Murder” sign has been targeting Route 50 commuters in the Rosslyn area this week.

According to tipsters and police dispatches, the man stands along Route 50 during the morning and evening rush hours, holding the graphic sign for all to see.

“You may have already heard about this, and the police knew about it when I called the non-emergency line, but there is a hideous Abortion is Murder banner right before the Rosslyn/Key Bridge exit on Rt. 50 Eastbound,” a tipster told us this morning. “It’s about 10 feet wide, maybe 3 feet tall, and incredibly graphic.”

Another tipster had a few more details.

In the past week, I have seen a white male in his early 30s standing near the Marine Corps Memorial on 50E/50W (Rosslyn exit) holding a large sign of with grotesque pictures of supposedly aborted fetuses at 10 weeks. I have twice seen Arlington or U.S. Park police escorting this man away and asking him to take down the sign. I assume he does not have a permit or it is illegal to protest on federal grounds or in areas that may cause traffic disturbances. But today he found a better hiding place. I really don’t want to give him any publicity, but I don’t appreciate being inundated with those images on my morning and evening commutes.

Crime Report: Food Fight Edition

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, there were a couple of instances of food and food utensils being used as a weapon.

Last Thursday, in the Pentagon City area, a woman threw a piece of fruit at the clerk.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 08/04/11, 1500 block of S. Fern Street. On August 4 at 3 pm, a woman threw a piece of fruit at a convenience store clerk, striking him in the face. The suspect is an African American female, 5’4″ and 130 lbs. She was wearing a blue sweatshirt and khaki pants.

Last Tuesday, a restaurant manager in Rosslyn allegedly attacked an employee with a knife.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING-ARREST, 08/05/11, 1100 block Wilson Boulevard. On August 2 at 1 pm, a restaurant manager assaulted an employee with a knife. Youssef Elkhayir, 41, of Falls Church, was charged with Malicious Wounding and held without bond.

The rest of this week’s crime report, including two instances of teen girls being inappropriately touched, after the jump.

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