police

Arrest Made in Ballston Hit-and-Run

By ARLnow.com

A Fairfax man has been arrested and charged in a hit-and-run accident that seriously injured a 22-year-old woman in Ballston.

The accident happened just after midnight on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010. Police said the woman was trying to cross Fairfax Drive near the Ballston Metro station when she was struck by a dark-colored vehicle that then sped away. The woman was taken to the local hospital in serious condition.

Police say they used debris left at the scene to charge 24-year-old John Christopher Reynolds of Fairfax with Felony Hit and Run.

Reynolds’ Facebook page says he studied psychology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University and has been working as a “leadership consultant” for the Kappa Delta Rho national fraternity.

He is currently being held at the Arlington County Detention Center.

Photo courtesy Arlington County Police Department

Crime Report: Road Rage Edition

By ARLnow.com

In this week’s Arlington County crime report, two drivers pulled to the side of the South Carlin Springs Road, near Kenmore Middle School, in an apparent case of road rage. A slap ensued.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY 03/08/11, 200 block of S. Carlin Springs Road. On March 8 at 5:30 pm, the drivers of two vehicles were involved in aggressive driving behavior. Both drivers pulled to the side of the road and an unknown male slapped a woman in the face. The suspect is described as a middle-aged white male with dark blond hair driving a dark colored SUV.

Also in this week’s crime report, a Herndon man was arrested and charged with stealing GPS devices.

POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY-ARREST 03/03/11, 6700 block of Lee Highway. On March 3 at 4:30 am, police stopped a subject in possession of several stolen GPS devices. Anthony Ellison, 25, of Herndon, was charged with two counts of Felony Larceny with Intent to Sell.

The rest of report, after the jump.

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Arlington PD Still Investigating DMV Awards Melee

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police are still looking for the people responsible for turning the DMV Music Awards show in Crystal City into a large-scale brawl.

Despite the fact that 1,500 people attended the event, dozens of offers responded to the scene, and some of the fights were caught on video, police still have not made any arrests, according to department spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal.

Investigators are asking anybody who witnessed or video taped an assault at the awards to come forward by contacting Det. John Donaggio at 703-228-4167.

UPDATED: Police Search for Wrong-Way Driver After I-395 Crash

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:20 p.m.) Police were combing the area around I-395 early this morning after a hit-and-run crash involving a reported wrong-way driver.

Around 2:30 a.m., police got a call for a gray Lincoln Town Car heading southbound in the northbound HOV lanes of I-395. Just moments later, a call came in for a collision under the Arlington Ridge Road bridge.

According to Virginia State Police, the Town Car crashed head-on into a red Mitsubishi sedan, sending the Mitsubishi flying into a northbound tractor-trailer. The driver of the Town Car then fled on foot.

Arlington Police and Virginia State Police searched for the suspect — described as at the time as young, well-dressed man — but he remains at large.

Miraculously, the female driver of the Mitsubishi only suffered minor injuries. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.

HOV lane traffic backed up as police investigated the accident. Investigators are still trying to figure out how the Town Car entered the HOV lanes going the wrong way.

See the press release from Virginia State Police, after the jump.

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Melee Breaks Out at Hip Hop Award Show in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Update on 3/7/11 — Another video of the brawl has been posted on DMVLife.com.

Update at 3:05 a.m. — A video posted on AllDMVHipHop.com (NSFW) shows a group of nearly a dozen people fighting inside the hotel.

A huge brawl broke out at a local hip hop award show in Crystal City Saturday night, sending several people to the hospital.

Multiple fights broke out at the 2011 DMV Music Awards at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, authorities said. Reports of more than 20 people fighting amid an audience of more than 1,500 prompted Arlington County police to take the rare step of sending every available unit to the scene.

“We’re going to need everyone,” an officer radioed to the dispatch center just after 9:30 p.m. “Apparently the whole place is out of control.”

Police arrived after most of the fighting had been broken up. Arlington officers were joined by units from Alexandria and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, a witness said. Some officers were armed with assault rifles, riot shields and other tactical gear, according to multiple witnesses.

The violence sent at least five people to local hospitals, according to Arlington Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. Among the injured were a hotel employee and an individual who suffered “severe trauma to left eye.”

As of 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, no arrests had been made, according to Nosal. At that time police were still conducting an “active investigation” inside the hotel, Nosal said.

Local resident Doug Wendt witnessed the aftermath of the melee from outside the hotel. He reported this from the scene:

Approximately 30+ police cruisers converged upon the scene within minutes, as well as multiple paramedic units. While uniformed officers – some wearing tactical gear – and plainclothes detectives searched the hotel for suspects and persons of interest, victims were being treated on the streets outside the hotel by emergency medical personnel. Medical staging areas were set up on South Clark Street in front of the Hyatt, as well as at the nearby Courtyard by Marriott hotel. Police units clogged Crystal Drive and South Clark Street as patrons streamed out of the hotel after the event was ended as a result of the incident.

According to TBD, the general manager of the hotel said security for the event was provided by “police, a private company, and the hotel’s own security staff.”

No word yet on why the fighting started.

Photo courtesy Doug Wendt. Hat tips to Doug, Alan and John.

Hundreds of Bikes Stolen in Arlington Despite Cables, Chains

By ARLnow.com

Cables and chains are not an effective theft deterrent for bikes, Arlington Police said in an email to neighborhood newsletter editors today.

As evidence, ACPD said that 390 bikes secured with cable or chains were stolen last year.

“The cables can quickly be cut with a rechargeable cutting tool and the padlocks are easily broken,” police noted in the email, which was sent as part of the department’s effort to reduce the number of bicycle larcenies around the county.

Police say the best way to prevent bike theft is to use a U-lock. See other bike theft prevention tips here.

Volunteer Opp: Arlington County Auxiliary Police Unit

By ARLnow.com

It’s perhaps the only volunteer opportunity in Arlington that requires a background investigation, polygraph exam, physical fitness test, drug screening and a sworn oath to protect and serve.

The Arlington County Auxiliary Police Unit is looking for a few good men and women to join their ranks.

The unit was formed in 1942 to help keep Arlington safe while the full-time police force was reduced due to military service during World War II. It has been an active unit ever since.

Auxiliary officers volunteer at least 180 hours per year performing various law enforcement functions, including:

  • Bike and foot patrols of county roads, parks, trails, and commercial areas
  • Handling accidents and other traffic incidents
  • Assisting at DUI checkpoints
  • Conducting child safety-seat inspections and installations
  • Providing security and crowd control at special events, such as the Marine Corps Marathon, July 4th celebration, Crystal City 5K Friday and other parades, festivals, and races
  • Patrolling shopping malls during the holidays

Interested applicants should be “21 years of age, a resident of Northern Virginia, and a U.S. citizen with 60 college credit hours and a good driving record.” Find more information here or here, or call Heather Hurlock at 703-228-4057.

Crime Report: Shooting and Syracuse Edition

By ARLnow.com

This week’s Arlington County crime report features a Rosslyn Holiday Inn guest who’s accused of firing a gun at what he “thought” was an intruder in his room. As police dryly noted, “there was no intruder.”

RECKLESS HANDLING OF A FIREARM-ARREST 03/01/11, 1900 block of Ft. Myer Drive. On March 1 at 12:45 am, a man in a hotel though there was an intruder in his room and fired a round from a handgun. There was no intruder, and no hotel patrons were injured. Russell Wooten, 60, of Vienna, West Virginia, was charged with Reckless Handling of a Firearm and Released on a summons to appear in court.

Last weekend two men were arguing on Washington Boulevard, two blocks from the Clarendon Metro, when police say one hit the other in the face with a beer bottle. The perp was wearing an orange Syracuse basketball jersey, cops say. Also of note: the Syracuse men’s basketball team defeated Georgetown earlier in the day in a game played in D.C.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING 02/27/11, 3200 block of Washington Boulevard. On February 27 at midnight, two men argued. One struck the other in the face with a beer bottle. The suspect is described as white male in late 20’s, 5’8″ with an average build. He was wearing an orange Syracuse University basketball jersey.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Police Shut Down 14th Street Bridge

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:45 p.m. — News outlets are reporting that the officer’s injuries are not life-threatening.

Update at 3:15 p.m. — All lanes of I-395 in D.C. have been reopened.

Update at 12:00 p.m. — D.C. is telling Arlington that the accident was fatal (this has NOT been confirmed). Police are blocking I-395 on the D.C. side of the 14th Street Bridge to allow for an extended investigation. Traffic is being diverted onto 14th Street in D.C.

Update at 11:45 a.m. — The bridge has been shut down again. Traffic is being diverted onto Boundary Channel Drive.

Update at 11:20 a.m. — All lanes of the 14th Street Bridge have reopened. Traffic issues remain in D.C., where eastbound I-395 is still blocked.

Earlier: Arlington police have shut down the northbound lanes of the 14th Street Bridge at the request of D.C. officials.

The closure is due to the landing of a Medevac helicopter in D.C. The helicopter will be landing in the area of I-395 and 7th Street SW, where a U.S. Park Police motorcycle officer (per WTOP’s Adam Tuss) was injured in a collision.

Northbound I-395 traffic is being diverted onto the George Washington Parkway.

Large Pothole Flattens Tires On I-395

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:25 a.m. — The pothole has been filled, VDOT reports.

At least a half dozen cars suffered flat tires after hitting a big pothole on southbound I-395 this morning.

The pothole is located in the left lane between the 14th Street Bridge and the exit for Route 1, according to VDOT spokeswoman Jennifer McCord.

“Our contractor is en route right now and will be repairing it ASAP,” McCord said in an email.

Arlington police assisted a number of the disabled motorists.

Officer Struck While Investigating Deadly Accident on Key Bridge

By ARLnow.com

A D.C. police officer was struck by a car while investigating a deadly accident on the Key Bridge last night.

According to NBC 4, a person who was walking a moped across the Key Bridge was struck and killed by an SUV that then fled the scene. The officer was on the bridge investigating the accident when he was struck from behind by another vehicle.

The driver that hit the officer stayed on the scene and the SUV driver was later stopped in Maryland, NBC 4’s Tracee Wilkins reported. Both drivers are suspected of driving under the influence.

Initial reports suggest the officer briefly lost consciousness after being thrown into the striking vehicle’s windshield. He’s expected to be okay.

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