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Morning Notes

Published August 5, 2022 at 7:30AM | Updated August 5, 2022 at 9:10AM

Ballston at twilight with storm clouds looming (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Issues at Court House Station — Noted in a new Washington Metrorail Safety Commission report on the maintenance, cleaning and inspections of automatic train control systems: “For example, at Court House Station on the Orange and Silver Lines, a technician noted racks that were dusty and covered with black soot and noted that an electronic-friendly vacuum cleaner was required for proper cleaning, but no work order was opened. The records also showed missing manuals and reference documents, but no work order was opened.” [WMSC]

Anniversary of Pentagon Officer’s LODD — “Pentagon Police Cpl. George Gonzalez died in the line of duty one year ago today. At the Training Range named for him, members of his Pentagon Force Protection Agency platoon honored Gonzalez again on Tuesday.” [WJLA]

School Board Race Fundraising — “For the period through June 30, independent James ‘Vell’ Rives IV outraised Democratic endorsee Bethany Sutton by $14,286 to $13,132, according to figures from the Virginia Department of Elections. But from those figures you have to subtract the $7,000 loan that Rives gave his campaign, and also chop off a couple of thousand dropped in by Sutton family members to hers, when parsing the data.” [Sun Gazette]

Light Pole Knocked Down on the Pike — “Scanner: Columbia Pike temporary shut down at S. Wakefield Street after a vehicle ran into a county light pole, knocking it down. Driver reported to be injured, but not seriously.” [Twitter]

It’s Friday — After a stormy Thursday night comes another hot day with rain and strong storms in the evening and overnight. High of 91 and low of 76. Sunrise at 6:15 am and sunset at 8:17 pm. [Weather.gov]

ACPD: Man runs off with bag of cash as ATM is being filled at Pentagon City store

By ARLnow.com

Published August 4, 2022 at 1:45PM

Police on scene of theft of cash at the Harris Teeter in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A man absconded with thousands of dollars yesterday after swiping a bag of cash from an employee who was filling an ATM in Pentagon City.

The incident reportedly happened around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Harris Teeter store at 900 Army Navy Drive, in the Pentagon Row shopping center.

“Upon arrival, it was determined the reporting party was filling an ATM with money when the unknown suspect approached and stole a bag containing an undisclosed amount of cash,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “The suspect then fled the scene on foot.”

An armored truck could be seen parked outside of the store as an ARLnow photographer arrived on scene. Initial reports suggest that the suspect may have stolen tens of thousands of dollars simply by running off with the cash without any use or threat of force.

“There was no force reported,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “The incident is a larceny.”

The suspect was described as a teen or man in his early 20s. Police searched the area but did not locate him.

“The suspect is described as a Black male in his late teens to early 20s with a slim build,” said the crime report. “He was wearing dark gray pants, a black long sleeve shirt and carrying a backpack. The investigation is ongoing.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 4, 2022 at 8:55AM

Mostly empty fields at Long Bridge Park during a heat advisory (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Virtual Learning Program Audit — “An audit of Arlington Public Schools’ calamitous start to its virtual-learning program during the 2021-22 school year was about as damning as expected, with school-system leadership responding to it by accepting some blame but also suggesting they did the best they could under trying circumstances.” [Sun Gazette]

Road Rage Drink Toss — “Lorcom Lane and Langston Boulevard. At approximately 7:33 p.m. on August 2, police were dispatched to the report of an aggressive driver. The investigation determined the victim was driving in the area when the suspect vehicle pulled in front of her abruptly. The unknown male suspect then pulled next to the victim’s vehicle and allegedly threw a beverage at her vehicle before fleeing the scene.” [ACPD]

Hit-and-Run Fundraiser Update — The GoFundMe campaign for the family of a woman killed by a hit-and-run driver is now approaching $30,000 after exceeding its $25,000 goal in just over a day. [Twitter, Twitter]

APS HR Mystery — “Mike Krulfeld recently returned to his job as director of student activities at Yorktown High School, having been put on administrative leave in early June for reasons that were not made clear to the 24-year employee of Arlington Public Schools or the public that rallied to his cause… there was no further explanation given of what the school system had been investigating, according to sources.” [Sun Gazette]

I-395 Rush Hour Drama — From public safety watcher Dave Statter: “#caughtoncamera: Rush hour drama on I-395N when a car won’t stop for [Virginia State Police] & takes off. It hit another vehicle before coming to a stop on GW Parkway where arrests occurred.” [Twitter]

Boeing Comms Chief Based Here — “The Boeing Company today named Brian Besanceney as the company’s senior vice president and chief communications officer effective September 6… He will be based at the company’s global headquarters in Arlington, Va.” [PR Newswire]

Police Shooting in Seven Corners — “A Fairfax County detective shot a man last night (Tuesday) during what police say was a narcotics investigation in the Seven Corners area. The shooting occurred near the intersection of Arlington Blvd and Patrick Henry Drive, the Fairfax County Police Department tweeted at 11:27 p.m.” [FFXnow]

It’s Thursday — Humid throughout the day with storms and heavy rain possible later. A Heat Advisory goes into effect at 11 a.m. High of 95 and low of 76. Sunrise at 6:14 am and sunset at 8:18 pm. [Weather.gov]

BREAKING: A woman has died after a hit-and-run crash Monday evening

By ARLnow.com

Published August 2, 2022 at 10:20AM | Updated August 2, 2022 at 11:56AM

Viviana Oxlaj Pérez (family photo via GoFundMe)

Intersection of 2nd Street S. and Old Glebe Road (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 11:55 a.m.) A woman has died after being struck by a driver who then fled the scene, according to police.

Viviana Oxlaj Pérez was walking near the Thomas Jefferson Community Center around 7:30 p.m. Monday when the driver of a truck struck her and then drove off, a family member told ARLnow.

Police and medics quickly responded and treated the critically injured woman, but she later died at the hospital.

Police closed the intersection of 2nd Street S. and S. Glebe Road, in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, for about two hours to investigate the hit-and-run crash.

Police remain on scene investigating. Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call police at 703-558-2222.

— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) August 2, 2022

An online fundraiser was established for Oxlaj Pérez early Tuesday morning by her daughter, Hilary Lopez Oxlaj.

Reached by phone, Lopez Oxlaj said her mother was walking across the street with her bike, on her way to the nearby 7-Eleven store, when the driver blew through a stop sign at the intersection and struck her.

Lopez Oxlaj said her mother, who was 53, had lived near the Arlington Career Center for 17 years and was known as the “lady with the bike” who sells cold drinks and ice cream to soccer players at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center fields.

“She was a mother who worked very hard,” she said. “Everyone knew her as a very kind woman.”

Oxlaj Pérez was a married mother of six and frequent churchgoer, who would often donate food to people who were struggling, her daughter said.

Lopez Oxlaj hopes that her mother’s generosity is returned so the family can afford funeral expenses.

“We are collecting funds to… send my mother’s body to Guatemala,” Lopez Oxlaj wrote on the GoFundMe page. “She was a very hardworking lady fighting every day… Please ask for your help, it will be a great blessing.”

As of 11 a.m. the page had raised nearly $3,000 of its $25,000 goal from a few dozen donors.

Police said Tuesday morning that officers arrested the alleged driver, a 62-year-old Arlington man, after finding the striking vehicle about a mile away from the crash scene. Alcohol is “believed to be a factor in the crash,” according to police. The man is now facing numerous charges.

Police investigating early morning stabbing in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published August 1, 2022 at 1:45PM

Arlington County police car at night — File photo

A man was stabbed in Clarendon shortly before bar closing time over the weekend.

The stabbing happened around 1:45 a.m. Sunday along the 3000 block of Wilson Blvd, a busy stretch amid the neighborhood’s bar district, just down the block from the Metro station entrance.

“Upon arrival, officers located the male victim suffering from a laceration and began providing emergency medical care until the arrival of medics,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report.

Police say the man was stabbed after a verbal dispute with two people he did not know escalated into a fight.

“The investigation determined the victim and two unknown suspects became involved in a verbal dispute which escalated into a physical altercation, during which the victim was stabbed,” said the crime report. “The victim was transported to an area hospital with injuries considered non-life threatening.”

Both suspects fled the scene in a white SUV, police say. Officers searched the area but could not locate them nor the vehicle.

“Suspect One is described as a Black Male, approximately 5’11 tall with dreadlocks wearing a white shirt and blue jeans,” the crime report continues. “Suspect Two is described as a Black or Hispanic male, in his early 20s to mid-30s, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. The investigation is ongoing.”

Police investigating attack in Shirlington by scooter-riding kids

By ARLnow.com

Published August 1, 2022 at 9:45AM

Intersection of S. Quincy Street and Campbell Avenue in Shirlington (via Google Maps)

A trio of scooter-riding teens or tweens attacked and seriously injured someone in Shirlington early Friday morning, according to police.

The incident happened shortly before 5 a.m. near the intersection of S. Quincy Street and Campbell Avenue. The motive for the alleged attack is unclear.

“At 4:52 a.m. on July 29, police were dispatched to the report of an assault that had just occurred,” said an Arlington County Police Department crime report. “The investigation determined the male victim was walking in the area when three unknown juvenile male suspects approached and assaulted him. The suspects then fled the scene on scooters.”

Police described the victim’s injuries as “serious but non-life threatening.” He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

ARLnow asked police for more information about the attack and whether anything was taken from the victim.

“Nothing was reported stolen,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “The investigation is ongoing and police continue to work to determine the events that preceded the assault.”

Savage said the victim described the suspects as “possibly middle to high school-aged.”

Photo via Google Maps

Another spate of airbag thefts, this time in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published July 29, 2022 at 3:00PM

Arlington County police are investigating another series of airbag thefts.

The latest series was reported on the 1900 block of S. Eads Street in Crystal City just before 5:30 a.m. Thursday. A tipster tells us that thieves appeared to target Honda Civics parked at the Crystal House apartment complex.

Man arrested for randomly pepper spraying people on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Published July 28, 2022 at 11:30AM | Updated July 28, 2022 at 12:07PM

Arlington police car (file photo) — File photo

(Updated at 12:05 p.m.) A local man is in jail after police say he sprayed four people with pepper spray along Columbia Pike for no apparent reason.

The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. yesterday (Wednesday) near the Bob & Edith’s diner at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Wayne Street.

According to police, the man first struck the driver of a car that was waiting at the intersection, then sprayed the driver and another occupant “with what was believed to be pepper spray.”

The 38-year-old suspect then assaulted a woman who was walking in the area and sprayed her and another woman with the chemical irritant, according to police.

Three of the victims were taken to a local hospital, while the suspect was taken into custody “without incident,” police said.

More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2022-07270109, Columbia Pike and S. Wayne Street. At approximately 11:35 a.m. on July 27, police were dispatched to the report of an assault that had just occurred. The investigation determined the male suspect allegedly approached a vehicle at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Veitch Street, struck the driver and sprayed both of the vehicle’s occupants with what was believed to be pepper spray. The suspect continued along Columbia Pike where he approached two female victims walking in the area, assaulted one and sprayed both with what was believed to be pepper spray. A lookout was broadcast and officers located the suspect and took him into custody without incident. Medics responded to the scene and evaluated the four victims with three being transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries considered non-life threatening. Wade Westmoreland, 38, of No Fixed Address was charged with Malicious Wounding by Caustic Agent (x4) and Assault and Battery (x2). He was held without bond.

Court records show the suspect, Wade Westmoreland, was previously released on his own recognizance after an arrest in May 2021.

He was charged with destruction of property and multiple counts of assaulting police and obstructing justice after police say he jumped on the hood of a stopped car in the Ballston area, smashed the windshield, and later “became physically combative with officers.”

Westmoreland was charged with failure to appear in court in May of this year, in connection with the case.

He’s due back in court for the latest and the previous in September and October, respectively. He was previously charged in Arlington with vehicle theft in 2017 and public intoxication in 2021, according to court records.

Police, prosecutor trade accusations after suspect in botched case is accused of murder

By ARLnow.com

Published July 27, 2022 at 3:45PM | Updated July 27, 2022 at 4:52PM

Commonwealth's Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti at Arlington Democrats election watch party in 2019, when she was elected (Staff photo by Jay Westcott) — Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti at Arlington Democrats election watch party in November 2019, when she was elected to office (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 4:50 p.m.) The Arlington police union is pushing back on accusations that officers mishandled the search of a suspect who is now linked to a double murder.

In a rare public rebuke of Arlington’s top prosecutor, the Arlington Coalition of Police this afternoon sent out a press release accusing Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti of “ineptitude” and “deflection of blame.”

The barbs stem from a 2020 case against Francis Rose, who is currently in jail in Alexandria after a series of break-ins at an apartment complex there reportedly led to two construction workers, a stepfather and stepson described as “innocent bystanders,” each being fatally shot in the head.

As ARLnow exclusively reported last week, Rose was released from Arlington County jail this past February after the 2020 case against him fell apart when a judge ruled that evidence was obtained during an unconstitutional search of his bag. With the gun and the drugs allegedly found in Rose’s bag disallowed as evidence, prosecutors dropped the charges against him, including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Rose spent nearly two years in jail awaiting trial before being freed when charges were dropped.

“As court records show, our office attempted to proceed on those charges, but during a suppression hearing, a judge ruled that the police had performed an unconstitutional search and, as the law required, suppressed the evidence in the case,” Dehghani-Tafti told ARLnow last week. “Obviously, we could not prove a case without the evidence, and therefore dismissed it.”

“My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the people killed this weekend,” she added.

Dehghani-Tafti subsequently said on Twitter, in response to criticism from the Virginia Republican party, that she’s “not casting blame on anyone” for the case falling apart.

https://twitter.com/parisa4justice/status/1549782520983654400

The Arlington Coalition of Police, however, suggests that Dehghani-Tafti should be taking more of the blame, accusing her of “attempting to throw police officers under the bus for a lost [evidence] suppression hearing.”

The full statement from the union is below.

Commonwealth Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti’s recent statements regarding the suppression hearing for Francis Rose, intentionally worded to cast fault on the officers involved, were based on self-preservation and deflection of blame. Unlike the Commonwealth Attorney, the Arlington Coalition of Police ordered the transcript of the hearing to have a full understanding of what happened before making public comment.

Prior to the hearing, the Assistant Commonwealth Attorney handling the case believed there would be “no problem” regarding the suppression and believed the officer’s actions were lawful. At the time of the suppression hearing, Mr. Rose had spent approximately two years in jail awaiting trial. The Commonwealth Attorney opposed giving him bond on multiple occasions. If the Commonwealth Attorney believed the actions of the officers were unlawful, opposing bond and holding Mr. Rose for two years would be unethical.

(more…)

ACPD: Robbery suspects drove down sidewalk toward security guard

By ARLnow.com

Published July 25, 2022 at 3:10PM

Arlington County police car — File photo

A theft at a Pentagon City shopping center led to the suspects driving down a sidewalk, police say.

The alleged robbery happened Saturday evening on the block of S. Hayes Street that’s home to both the Pentagon Centre shopping center and the Pentagon City mall.

According to Arlington County police, a suspect seen removing security tags from merchandise left the store and started running when confronted by a security guard. He hopped in a car, with the assistance of a second suspect, and drove down the sidewalk, narrowly missing the security guard, before fleeing the area, police say.

More from today’s ACPD crime report, below.

ROBBERY, 2022-07230176, 1200 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 5:19 p.m. on July 23, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny that had just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined a loss prevention officer observed Suspect One allegedly remove security tags from merchandise before exiting the business with the stolen items. When the loss prevention officer confronted Suspect One, the suspect pushed him and ran outside to a parked vehicle. Suspect Two followed and provided the vehicle’s keys to Suspect One. Suspect One then fled in the vehicle, driving on the sidewalk and nearly striking the loss prevention officer in the process. Suspect Two fled the area on foot. A lookout for the suspects was broadcast and officers canvassed the area yielding negative results.

Retired Marine Corps general facing brandishing charge in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2022 at 3:15PM

Lt. Gen. Frederick McCorkle (Image via Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame/YouTube)

A retired Marine Corps lieutenant general is facing a misdemeanor charge in Arlington after police say he drew a gun on someone having a dispute with his wife.

Lt. Gen. Frederick McCorkle (ret.), currently a resident of Tennessee, retired from the Marine Corps in October 2001 after serving as the Deputy Commandant for Aviation.

The alleged incident happened just before 9 p.m. last night (Wednesday). McCorkle was on the 900 block of S. Orme Street, near the Sheraton Pentagon City hotel and the entrance to Marine Corps headquarters at Henderson Hall, when police say there was a dispute between his wife and another woman.

According to Arlington County police, the 77-year-old McCorkle “became involved” in the dispute and “allegedly brandished a firearm.” He was stopped by officers and charged with brandishing, a misdemeanor in Virginia.