police

Motorcyclist Killed in Collision on Route 50

By ARLnow.com

A motorcyclist died after a violent collision with a car on Route 50 Friday night.

The accident occurred just after 9:00 p.m. at the intersection of Route 50 and Irving Street. The car, a Nissan, collided with the motorcycle in the intersection, police said. The motorcyclist was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the car remained on scene.

Police say the accident is under investigation. So far, no charges have been filed. The name of the motorcyclist is being withheld while police notify his next of kin.

The accident scene told the story of a horrific collision. Parts of the motorcycle were spread across the eastbound lanes of Route 50. The car’s front end was badly damaged, the airbags were deployed, and the front windshield was shattered. A single black leather cowboy-style boot lay upright near the side of the road.

The wreck shut down the eastbound lanes of Route 50 for several hours as investigators took photos and tried to figure out how the accident happened.

One man who lived nearby said he heard the accident from his house and walked to the scene to see what had happened. He said there have been at least three other accidents at the intersection in recent memory.

Update on 10/17: The driver is expected to be charged with DWI and manslaughter, sources tell ARLnow.com. The accident happened when the victim was heading eastbound and the suspect was turning from the westbound lanes, we’re told.

Police say they expect to release more information about the crash on Monday.

Update on 10/18: The suspect has been charged with manslaughter, and the victim has been identified. The possible DWI charge, mentioned above, has not materialized yet. But police tell us they’re still investigating whether alcohol could have played a factor in the accident.

From a police news release:

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a fatal accident that occurred on Friday, October 15, 2010, at Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) and Irving Street.  At approximately 9:09 P.M., a vehicle collided with a motorcycle in the intersection.

The driver of the motorcycle was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He has been identified as Gerald Glasper, 42, of Arlington.

The striking vehicle remained on scene. Jonathan Mendez, 25, of Washington D.C. charged with Manslaughter later that evening. He was held at the Arlington County Detention Center without bond.

The accident is still under investigation. Arlington County Police ask that anyone who witnessed the accident or has information relating to this incident call Detective Tamara Celestini at (703) 228-4164.

Crime Report: ‘Maybe It Was Colonel Mustard’ Edition

By ARLnow.com

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING 10/12/10, 2900 block of S. Glebe Road. On October 12 at 3:30 am, a known suspect hit the male victim in the face with a metal candlestick.

The victim’s injury was not life-threatening, we’re told. Mr. Boddy was unavailable for comment.

The past week also saw an attempted carjacking and a case of police impersonation on Columbia Pike.

ATTEMPTED CARJACKING-ARREST 10/11/10, 4800 block of Columbia Pike. On October 11 at 12:20 am, two men approached a man sitting in his vehicle. They stated that they wanted his truck and assaulted the victim before fleeing the area. Police located the suspects. Nelson Castaneda, 18, and Nelson Garcia Recinos, 20, both of Hyattsville, MD, were charged with Attempted Carjacking. They were held without bond.

POLICE IMPERSONATION-ARREST 10/11/10, 3100 block of Columbia Pike. On October 11 at 7:40 am, a man wearing a hat that read “Police” stopped a vehicle in the middle of the roadway for an alleged traffic infraction. Mario Tellez, 50, of Falls Church, was charged with Impersonating a Police Officer. He was released on a summons.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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ICE Director: Arlington Can’t Opt Out of Secure Communities

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s quest to opt out of the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program has hit a brick wall. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton tells the Associated Press that local governments cannot withdraw from Secure Communities, because the program is between states and the federal government.

Secure Communities checks the immigration status of those booked into local jails by comparing fingerprints sent to the FBI’s criminal database to an ICE immigration database. Because the fingerprints are first sent to the state, which then sends them to the FBI, local communities can’t opt out, Morton said.

He also dispelled the notion that Secure Communities forces local police departments to enforce immigration laws.

“No one in the Department of Corrections, no one in Arlington County, no one in the other jurisdictions of Virginia is being asked to enforce federal immigration law,” Morton told the AP. (That, despite this press release announcing the successful conclusion of a joint local, state and federal immigration enforcement operation in Virginia last week. Morton himself traveled to Richmond to join Gov. Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in announcing deportation proceedings against 13 immigrants convicted of sex crimes in Virgina.)

On Thursday, Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan sent a letter to Morton asking for clarification on whether Arlington can withdraw from Secure Communities. Morton says he’ll meet with individual localities to discuss the issue.

So far, federal authorities say Secure Communities has helped facilitate the removal of 40,000 criminal illegal immigrants.

County Presses for Clarification on Secure Communities

By ARLnow.com

At the board’s behest, Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan sent a letter to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton yesterday, seeking clarification on whether Arlington can withdraw from the Secure Communities program, and, if it can, how it may do so.

“We need to ask him to clarify this conflicting information we’ve been getting,” county board member Walter Tejada said in a telephone interview last night. He was referring to a recent Washington Post article that suggested communities will not be able to opt-out of the immigration enforcement initiative, as the county board had been led to believe.

“Once we have that clarification, and we better understand what else we need to be asking, we’re going to go from there,” Tejada said.

The board’s effort to opt-out of Secure Communities received a public endorsement this week when the New York Times ran an editorial calling on the Obama administration to accomodate the request. San Francisco, Santa Clara, Ca. and the District have also expressed interest in opting out of the program.

“Washington needs to find a way to allow cities like San Francisco and Washington to enforce the law without turning into a branch of ICE,” the Times said.

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UPDATED: Pedestrian Struck in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:15 p.m.) A pedestrian was struck by a car at the intersection of North Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive just after 1:00 this afternoon.

Bystanders who witnessed the aftermath of the accident say the victim was an older man. He was bleeding from the face when police arrived on scene, but was conscious and was able to sit up before being loaded onto an ambulance, they said.

After the man was taken to the hospital, emergency personnel hosed down the road to wash away the blood.

There was no visible damage to the striking vehicle, a red Toyota. It’s not clear whether the man was crossing the street in a crosswalk when he was struck. A police officer was taking photos of the scene about a half-hour after the accident.

This is the second pedestrian accident on that particular block of Fairfax Drive so far this week. A pedestrian was injured in a two-car accident that also knocked down a light pole on Tuesday.

Crime Report: Rough Neighborhood Edition

By ARLnow.com

A prolific burglar somehow managed to break in to at least nine cars, sneak in to a locked garage, steal a bike and steal tools all on the same night, in the same area, without being caught.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 09/30/10, the 1800 blocks of N. Scott and N. Quinn Streets. Between 8 pm on September 29, and 7 am on September 30, an unknown subject broke into at least nine cars in the area. A bicycle was stolen as well, and a subject entered a locked garage and stole tools during the same time period. There are no known suspects.

That particular two-square block area is no stranger to the Crime Report. It has seen burglaries, attempted burglaries, a sexual battery, an abduction, more larcenies from auto and an unlawful entry, all within the past 10 months.

The rest of the crime report, including an inappropriately amorous cabbie and a pair of fighting cabbies, after the jump.

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ACPD Helps Give Segways to Wounded Veterans

By ARLnow.com

At a ceremony on the grounds of the Iwo Jima memorial this morning, some 50 wounded warriors will receive brand new Segway personal transport vehicles, the reward for “graduating” from a training program sponsored by the military charity Segs4Vets.

Although two such graduation ceremonies have taken place here every year for the past couple of years, this is the first in which the Arlington Police Department is playing an integral part.

ACPD, which has 12 officers trained to operate the department’s six Segways, helped train today’s recipients, and helped assemble and transport the 51 Segways that are being given away. County motorcycle officers are also helping to escort the group between the ceremony and meals at Army Navy Country Club today.

It’s a partnership that Segs4Vets and the police department hope to extend.

“Here was a way to reach out to the community,” said Capt. David Herbstreet, one of the overseers of the department’s Segway program. “How can you say no? This is an awesome cause and we’re humbled and honored to do it.”

The officers involved in the training all volunteered for the program.

“It’s a wonderful relationship that we’re really excited about,” said Mike Kelly, who serves on Segs4Vet’s advisory board.

Segs4Vets has given away 525 Segways to severely injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans nationwide since 2005. The organization says the device gives wounded vets an additional degree of freedom and mobility while not drawing attention to their disability.

Man Falls in Apartment Laundry Room

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:00 p.m. on 10/6/10) Correction: This incident was initially reported to be an assault. The man appeared to have injuries to his face consistent with an assault. However, police now say the man was drunk, implying that this was likely an accident.

It happened Tuesday afternoon on the 4300 block of North Henderson Road, two blocks from Ballston Common Mall.

The man was ultimately able to walk out of the apartment building on his own power. His face bloodied and swollen, he was put on a stretcher, placed in an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

BREAKING NEWS — Five People Taken to Hospital After Pepper Spray Incident at Ballston Common Mall

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) Customers fled Ballston Common Mall just after noon today after a shoplifter sprayed pepper spray while making a getaway.

The woman swiped merchandise from the Payless shoe store on the second level of the mall, according to police spokesperson Det. Crystal Nosal. As she was running to the escalator, she sprayed pepper spray at a manager who was chasing after her.

The substance caused numerous people in the mall to develop symptoms that included difficulty breathing and burning eyes.

Firefighters set up a triage area outside the mall. A dozen people were treated and five people were brought to the hospital, including the store manager, Nosal said. They’re expected to be fine.

Witnesses described a foul odor in the mall shortly after the incident.

“There was a smell, a funny smell, and people were coming through [the hall] coughing and gagging,” said Danielle Davis, who works in the mall building. “Once I saw that… I turned around.”

The woman got away and is still at large. Police will be reviewing surveillance footage in an attempt to identify her.

A fire department spokesperson initially said the mall was evacuated during the incident. Nosal said everyone who left the mall did so on their own volition.

Update at 3:25 p.m. — Police describe the suspect as “an African American female, medium height, mid-length dark hair, red shiny puffy jacket, tight light colored pants, and white shoes.”

Feds Slap Down Arlington’s Immigration Resolution

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s effort to withdraw from the federal Secure Communities immigration enforcement program has hit a big snag. Turns out withdrawing is harder than the county board originally thought.

The program checks the immigration status of individuals arrested by local police agencies by using fingerprints submitted to the FBI. If an offender is a known illegal immigrant, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement asks the local agency to hold the prisoner until immigration officers can take appropriate action.

The Washington Post reports that since local police need to check prisoners’ wanted status via the FBI database, withholding fingerprints from the Feds is not feasible.

“It is most frustrating,” said county board member Walter Tejada, upon learning of the revelation from a Washington Post reporter. Tejada, who championed the resolution that instructed the county manager to take steps to withdraw from Secure Communities, said lawyers and officials spent the summer researching how to opt out of the program.

Crime Report: Man Touches Teen Girl on Shoulder, Gets Tased

By ARLnow.com

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ASSAULT AND BATTERY-ARREST 09/23/10, 2000 block of S. 27th Street. On September 23 at 6:30 pm, a man touched a teenage girl on her shoulder without her permission. The man fled the area when confronted by another adult. The suspect was located by police. A tazer was deployed because the suspect was uncooperative. Alton Dixon, 46, of no fixed address, was charged with Assault and Battery and Fail to Identify to Law Enforcement. He was held on a $1,000 bond.

Also on the crime report, a drunken brawl broke out inside Bailey’s Pub in Ballston early Wednesday morning.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING 09/29/10, 4200 block of Wilson Boulevard. On September 29 at 1:30 am, a group of intoxicated males was in a fight inside a bar. One male was hit in the face. Police received reports that another man had been cut on his back, but that could not be proven. The suspects are unknown.

The rest of the report, including an especially frightening attempted robbery near Ft. Myer, after the jump.

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