police

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

McDonnell Gives State of the Commonwealth Address — Speaking to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly last night, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) urged state lawmakers to put aside their partisan differences to help solves the state’s challenges, particularly roads and transportation. He also spoke of job creation and the rapid rise of college tuition. The speech was so polished that one state delegate from our area tweeted that he thinks McDonnell “is running for president.” Despite the overall bipartisan tone, McDonnell took the time to lavish praise on Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s pending lawsuit against the Democrat-backed federal health care reform bill. [Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post]

Arlington Cop Helps Nab Jersey Bank Robbery Suspect — While driving on westbound I-66 early Tuesday morning, an alert Arlington police officer got a hit on a vehicle belonging to a suspected bank robber out of New Jersey. The officer stayed with the car as it exited the county. Backup — in the form of Fairfax County and Virginia State Police — eventually caught up and helped arrest the suspect after he pulled off the highway in Fairfax. [Bergen Record]

Hynes to Speak About Helicopter Noise — County Board Vice-chairman Mary Hynes will discuss helicopter noise before the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments today. Noise from helicopters is a persistent source of resident complaints in Arlington. Hynes is expected to talk about what’s being done to mitigate the noise. [WTOP]

County Releases Revised EFC Area Plan — The county has released the latest version of its controversial plan to urbanize the area around the East Falls Church Metro station. [TBD]

Crime Report: Lots of Larcenies from Auto

By ARLnow.com

It was an especially busy week for thieves in Arlington County. At least 32 cars were broken into in the past seven days, according to the latest Arlington County crime report.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 01/06/11, 3200 block of Wilson Boulevard. On January 6 between 8 pm an 9 pm, an unknown subject broke into at least four vehicles in the same area. Various items were stolen. There are no known suspects.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 01/08/11, 1000 block of Arlington Boulevard. Between 8 pm on January 7, and 6 am on January 8, an unknown subject broke into at least seven vehicles in the same area. Various items were stolen. There are no known suspects.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 01/08/11, 800 block of N. McKinley Street. Between 11 pm on January 7, and noon on January 8, an unknown subject broke into at least three vehicles on the block. Various tools were stolen. There is no suspect description.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 01/08/11, 200 block of N. Granada Street and the 300 block of N. Edison Street. Between 10:30 pm on January 7, and 10 am on January 8, an unknown subject entered at least four unlocked vehicles in the same area. Various items were stolen. There are no known suspects.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 01/10/11, 5200 blocks of S. 10th Place and S. 11th Street, and the 1000 block of S. Edison Street. On January 10 between midnight and 7 am, an unknown subject broke into at least ten vehicles in the same area. Various items were stolen. There are no known suspects.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 01/11/11, 4900 block of Chesterfield Road. On January 11 between 3 pm and 5:30 pm, an unknown subject broke into at least two vehicles in the same parking lot. Various items were stolen. There are no known suspects.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 01/11/11, 1400 block of N. Quincy Street. On January 11 between 8 pm and 10 pm, an unknown subject broke into at least two vehicles in the same area. Various items were stolen. There is no suspect description.

The rest of the report, including a man who’s accused of pulling a gun on a tow truck driver because he “thought” his car was being towed, after the jump.

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Assault At Courthouse Metro Station

By ARLnow.com

A man was taken into custody after a reported assault at the Courthouse Metro station around 12:30 this afternoon.

Arlington paramedics were called to evaluate the victim, who appeared to have only minor injuries. The suspect was in Metro Transit Police custody near the turnstiles when medics arrived on scene.

The incident comes on the heels of a widely-publicized, caught-on-camera assault at the L’Enfant Metro station Sunday night.

Police: Teen Ran Into Path of Car While Being Chased

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police have released new details about yesterday’s pedestrian accident involving a Wakefield High School student on Four Mile Run Drive.

Police say the 15-year-old boy ran into the street while being chased by some fellow teens. He was struck by a car, suffering critical injuries. The driver remained on the scene.

In a press release, police ask for anyone who witnessed the accident to step forward.

The Arlington County Police Department, is investigating a critical accident that occurred yesterday afternoon in the 4500 block of Four Mile Run Drive.  At approximately 3:35 p.m. on Wednesday, January 5, police responded for a pedestrian stuck by a vehicle.

Investigation revealed that a 15-year-old male ran into the street when chased by teenagers known to him. The accident is still under investigation. The driver of the striking vehicle stayed at the scene and is cooperating with police.

Police ask that anyone who witnessed the accident or has information relating to this incident call Detective Robert Icolari at (703) 228-4240.

Two Arrested After Attempted Robbery in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Two juveniles are in police custody after a daylight attempted robbery just blocks from the Clarendon Metro, according to police radio traffic.

A call came in around noon for an attempted robbery involving a suspect who displayed a knife. Police responded to the intersection of Washington Boulevard and North Johnson Street, about two blocks away from the Clarendon Metro.

Initial reports suggest two teenage suspects, a boy and a girl, have been taken into custody.

The robbery victim was not hurt.

Crime Report: Towing and Parking Assaults

By ARLnow.com

Parking can be a frustrating thing. If parking is sparse, finding that one parking spot can turn into a competition. And if you park in the wrong spot, getting towed is certainly not very fun.

Should you should find yourself in such a situation, however, you should remain calm. Otherwise, if you lose your cool, you could wind up in handcuffs.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY-ARREST 12/31/10, 4000 block of N. 5th Street. On December 31 at 5 pm, a man assaulted a tow truck driver and broke a glass window at the towing property. Steven McClinchey, 48, of Arlington, was charged with Assault and Battery and Destruction of Property.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY-ARREST 01/02/11, 3700 block of Columbia Pike. On January 2 at 4 pm, a man assaulted a woman regarding an argument over a parking space. Barahona Marquez, 40, of Arlington, was charged with Assault and battery. He was released on a summons.

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

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BREAKING NEWS — Pedestrian Struck on Four Mile Run Drive

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) A 15-year-old boy suffered critical injuries when he was struck by a car on the 4500 block of South Four Mile Run Drive, police said Wednesday evening.

The accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. The driver of the striking vehicle stayed on the scene, according to police spokesperson Det. Crystal Nosal.

Nosal said police are continuing to investigate the accident. As of 5:30 p.m., the westbound lanes of Four Mile Run Drive had reopened, but the eastbound lanes were still closed.

Based on initial reports from the scene, the victim was said to have been bleeding profusely from the head after he was struck by the black Honda heading eastbound on Four Mile Run Drive. The car’s front windshield appeared to have suffered heavy damage as a result of the collision. A parked car also suffered damage to its rear driver’s side window, apparently as a result of the accident.

A shoe lay across the street from where the victim was struck. A black backpack also could be seen near the point of impact.

Police were seen interviewing a group of school-aged children shortly after the accident occurred.

Update at 5:55 p.m. — All lanes of Four Mile Run Drive are now open.

Update at 9:30 p.m. — Wakefield High School principal Dr. Chris Willmore sent the following letter to parents this afternoon.

Dear Wakefield Parents:

I wanted to inform you about an incident that happened this afternoon. While walking home from school, a Wakefield student was seriously injured when he was hit by a car near the 4500 block of Four Mile Run Drive.

The student was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Parents were notified and are at the hospital with the student.

The Arlington Police Department is investigating the cause of the accident.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 703-228-6700.

Sincerely,

Dr. Chris Willmore
Principal

1/5

Grand Theft Golf Cart in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) This police blotter item is just too good to save for Wednesday’s weekly crime report. A 22-year-old man is accused of stealing a golf cart from a local mall and driving it on the interstate… while drunk.

GRAND LARCENY AUTO-ARREST, 1/3/2011, 4200 block of Wilson Boulevard On December 30 at 5 am, an officer pulled over a subject driving a golf cart on the interstate. The driver was intoxicated and the golf cart had been stolen from a mall. Everths Moran-Reyes, 22, of Fredericksburg, was charged with Driving Under the Influence, Grand Larceny of an Automobile and Driving While Suspended. He was held on a $15,000 bond.

An officer pulled the golf cart over as it was getting passed by tractor trailers on westbound I-66. The cart belonged to the security department at Ballston Common Mall, we’re told. Police say they’re still trying to figure out how the man managed to steal it (allegedly).

One interesting fact in all this is that you can apparently be charged with driving under the influence while driving a golf cart.

Cigarette-Smoking Duo Keeping Clarendon Classy on NYE

By ARLnow.com

Via YouTube user NovaPJ comes the following video, which purports to show the aftermath of some sort of New Year’s Eve incident at Mister Days in Clarendon.

Officers in the video are shown talking with two young, cigarette-smoking men who seem upset about something that happened in the bar.

The cops apparently weren’t giving the men whatever resolution they were seeking. Instead, one officer encouraged them to “go home and sober up.” That led to the following exchange at 1:40 in the video.

Smoking Guys (starting to walk away): F— you. You did a hell of a job, D.C.’s finest. F—ing cops.

Female Officer: Have a good night.

Smoking Guys: Go to hell. F— you. Go f— yourself. C–t! You stupid bitches!

It’s at that point that one of the pair threw his lit cigarette at the officers. Needless to say, the dynamic duo walked about half a block before having the cuffs slapped on ’em.

See a longer version of the video here. Obviously, you won’t want to play it at work with the sound up.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Area Bars Ring In New Year’s With Ringing Cash Registers — Initial reports from the field suggest Arlington bars and restaurants did big business on New Year’s Eve. In particular, two Irish bars brought in plenty of green. Ireland’s Four Courts in Courthouse was crowded, he hear. Another tipster tells us that the cavernous Columbia Pike watering hole P. Brennan’s — which charged a $5 cover for an evening that included a champagne toast and live music — was so busy that it apparently ran out of glasses. Said our Pike partier: “Congrats to them… higher cover next year?”

HGTV Couple Moves to South Arlington — A recent episode of HGTV’s House Hunters featured a couple who ended up moving from a condo in the District to a house in the Shirlington Crest development, reports Shirlington Village Blog.

Arlington Man Arrested in N.C. Over Hair Gel Purchase — A 23-year-old Arlington man has been arrested in Burlington, N.C. and accused of trying to buy goods with counterfeit $100 bills. The man bought hair gel and conditioner at one store and was attempting to buy hand lotion at another store when he was arrested, police said. A local newspaper that reported the arrest listed an Arlington address for the man that, as far as we can tell, does not exist. More from the Greensboro News-Record.

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

Young Woman Hit By Car, Seriously Injured Near Ballston Metro

By ARLnow.com

A 22-year-old woman was hit by a car and seriously injured while trying to cross Fairfax Drive near the Ballston Metro station early this morning.

Police say a dark-colored sedan hit the woman in the 4200 block of Fairfax Drive around 12:20 a.m. The car did not stop and police are investigating the accident as a hit-and-run.

The young woman is in serious condition at a local hospital, according to police.

Anyone who witnessed the accident or has information about the accident is asked to call Det. Robert Wright at (703) 228-4618. Police say the striking vehicle should have noticeable front-end damage.

Update on 12/31/10 — Police have released additional information about the striking vehicle.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a hit and run accident that occurred yesterday morning in the 4200 block of Fairfax Drive. At approximately 12:20 a.m. on Thursday, December 30, 2010, police responded for a pedestrian stuck by a vehicle.

A woman was crossing Fairfax Drive in a crosswalk when she was struck by a vehicle. The striking vehicle did not stop at the scene. She was transported to a local hospital in serious condition.

The striking vehicle has been identified as a dark colored 2003-2005 Dodge or Plymouth Neon. The vehicle would have noticeable damage to the front passenger side and passenger side mirror.

Police ask that anyone who witnessed the accident, or has information relating to this incident or the striking vehicle, contact Detective Robert Wright at (703) 228-4618.

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