police

Two people to be charged after W-L fireworks incident

By ARLnow.com
Police on scene of a shots fired report, which turned out to be fireworks, at Washington-Liberty High School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Two juvenile suspects are being charged with fire code violations after police say they set off fireworks at Washington-Liberty High School, prompting an active shooter panic.

Shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, Arlington’s emergency communications center received multiple 911 calls about shots being fired in the school. W-L was locked down and police responded en masse, conducting an extensive search of the school which only yielded evidence of fireworks.

Arlington police say two people under the age of 18 are now facing misdemeanor charges, including one found to be in possession of fireworks on school grounds.

“This remains an active criminal investigation,” the police department added.

More from an ACPD press release, below.

The Arlington County Police and Fire Departments are conducting a joint investigation after fireworks were located during an incident at Washington-Liberty High School.

At approximately 7:50 a.m. on July 19, police were dispatched to the report of a possible person with a gun at Washington-Liberty High School located at 1301 N. Stafford Street. Initial information reported to the Emergency Communications Center indicated possible shots were heard coming from a bathroom within the school. Responding officers entered the school, began a search of the building and located evidence of discharged fireworks. In the interest of public safety, the school was placed on lockdown as officers completed a thorough search of the building. The search concluded with no evidence of a shooting located and no injuries reported.

During the course of the investigation, officers developed a possible suspect description based on evidence located at the scene and witness interviews. The suspect was located and detained. A second individual was determined to be in possession of fireworks on school grounds. Petitions for both juveniles for misdemeanor violations of the Statewide Fire Prevention Code are pending.

This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

County Board approves policy limiting police cooperation with ICE despite criticism from activists

By Mavis Chan
1/3

The Arlington County Board approved a policy limiting police cooperation with federal immigration agencies despite continued concern from activists.

In response to criticism on the proposal, dubbed the “Trust Policy,” the County Board updated some sections ahead of the unanimous vote at its meeting yesterday (Tuesday). However, criticism from immigration advocacy groups remains.

Around 60 regional and national organizations endorsed a letter by La ColectiVA, National Immigration Project and the Legal Aid Justice Center opposing the policy. A handful of members from those groups attended the Board meeting, holding up a banner saying, “#ICE out of Arlington.”

“We continue to be extremely concerned that the Trust Policy is woefully inadequate when placing limits on Arlington County law enforcement’s collaboration with ICE,” the letter stated.

The main change to the policy that passed was the addition of a compliance provision, which was the result of community feedback, County Board member Matt de Ferranti said.

The county attorney will review all relevant warrants, court orders and subpoenas received by county government offices, other than the police department, to determine if compliance is required, according to the policy.

Department and agency heads are to investigate all alleged violations of the policy, while the Community Oversight Board will investigate alleged policy violations by the police. Findings from the investigations will go to the County Board. The Board will also receive reports from the police and the Sheriff’s Office on law enforcement contact with ICE.

The board added the compliance section because it illustrated the role of the Board and the County Manager in ensuring the policy would be fairly and uniformly applied, de Ferranti said.

Language was also added prohibiting police officers from asking people for their immigration status. And the policy now requires officers to get an approval to notify federal immigration authorities if they suspect someone they’ve arrested was breaking federal immigration laws.

Police officers may only contact federal immigration authorities after getting approval from the on-duty watch commander or a supervisor ranked lieutenant or above, under circumstances laid out in the Arlington County Police Directive Manual 523.04.

The circumstances include instances when an undocumented immigrant is arrested on a violent felony, a non-violent felony if specific facts of the case establish a threat to community safety, terrorism or human trafficking, street gang offenses, as well as those who have previously committed a felony or been deported.

“It makes it clear that an officer has to go up the chain of command,” de Ferranti said.

However, the policy’s affirmation of the police directive “places no meaningful controls on [police officers’] actions,” according to the letter from advocacy groups. The groups also criticized the policy for not ensuring people can provide a non-standard ID to access services and benefits, as well as to prove their identity when stopped for offenses.

The groups wanted the Board to put pressure on the Sheriff’s Office, which operates the county jail, to stop notifying ICE when undocumented immigrants are released from jail. Such collaboration between law enforcement and ICE led to “a breakdown of trust” in the migrant community, according to the letter. From January 2019 to October 2020, ICE arrested 104 people released from the Arlington County jail because of the collaboration, the letter said.

Despite criticism, the Board believed the trust policy is a step for Arlington to become an inclusive community.

“This does not transform Arlington overnight,” said Board member Christian Dorsey, who worked with de Ferranti on the policy. “It’s a necessary step, a vital prerequisite.”

NEW: Possible abduction attempt near Ballston

By ARLnow.com

An older man may have tried to abduct a boy who was riding his bike in the Ballston area yesterday (Tuesday) evening.

Police say the incident happened just before 7 p.m. on the 4100 block of 4th Street N., in the Buckingham neighborhood.

A man in his 50s or 60s struck up a conversation with a boy then tried to grab him, according to Arlington County police. The boy then confronted the suspect, who drove off.

From today’s ACPD crime report:

ATTEMPTED ABDUCTION, 2022-07190178, 4100 block of 4th Street N. At approximately 6:50 p.m. on July 19, police were dispatched to the report of an attempted abduction. Upon arrival, it was determined the juvenile male victim was riding his bicycle in the area when the unknown suspect attempted to make contact with him from inside a parked vehicle. The victim initially approached the vehicle believing he knew the suspect, at which time the suspect attempted to reach out towards the victim’s arm. The victim confronted the suspect and he fled the scene in the vehicle. The suspect is described as a white male, 50-60 years old with short white hair wearing a short-sleeve collared shirt and dark sunglasses. There is no description of the vehicle. The investigation is ongoing.

Also according to the crime report, a man was robbed of a laptop by a suspect armed with a gun during a “pre-arranged sale.” It happened yesterday afternoon along S. Glebe Road, in the Green Valley neighborhood.

The robbery suspect, like the abduction suspect, is still on the loose.

ROBBERY, 2022-07190142, 1900 block of S. Glebe Road. At approximately 4:21 p.m. on July 19, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim and suspect met for the prearranged sale of electronics. During the attempted sale, the suspect brandished a firearm, threatened the victim and fled the scene on foot with the stolen laptop. A lookout was broadcast for the suspect and officers canvassed the area which yielded negative results. The suspect is described as a Black male, 20-27 years old, approximately 5’8, approximately 170 lbs, wearing a black hoodie and black jeans. The investigation is ongoing.

Alexandria double murder suspect was released from jail in Arlington earlier this year

By ARLnow.com
Two people were killed in the 200 block of Century Drive on Saturday, July 16 (staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated at 4:30 p.m. on 7/20/22) The man arrested after the fatal shooting of two construction workers in Alexandria over the weekend was set to be tried for weapons and drug charges in Arlington earlier this year, but charges were dropped.

The reason: a ruling that police conducted an unconstitutional search prior to a 2020 arrest.

Francis Deonte Rose, 27, has so far only been charged with burglary in connection to an incident earlier Saturday morning at an Alexandria apartment complex, the scene of the double murder, but additional charges are expected.

Police say two workers, ages 48 and 24, were shot in the head and were “innocent bystanders to the whole situation.” Officers had been called to the Assembly Alexandria apartment complex around 7:30 a.m. Saturday for reports of someone kicking in the doors at “multiple” apartments, our sister site ALXnow reported yesterday.

Alexandria police radio traffic at the time suggested that the burglary suspect was the ex-boyfriend of an apartment resident and known to carry a gun.

Rose, meanwhile, has a history of gun charges. In 2019, a then-24-year-old Rose was arrested by Metropolitan Police in D.C. and charges with Carrying a Pistol without a License, Bench Warrant, Possession of Unregistered Ammunition, and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm.

The .45 caliber handgun he was allegedly carrying in the Columbia Heights neighborhood was confiscated, according to an MPD press release.

In October 2020, Rose was arrested again, this time in Arlington.

From Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage:

At approximately 10:23 p.m. on October 17, 2020, officers conducted a traffic stop in the 2300 block of Richmond Highway for a suspended operator’s license. During the course of the investigation, the passenger was found to be in possession of narcotics and a loaded handgun and ammunition were located in a bag alleged to belong to the passenger. Francis Rose, 25, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substance (x2), Possession of a Firearm while in Possession of a Controlled Substance (x2), Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon, Possession of Ammunition as a Convicted Felon and Carrying a Concealed Weapon.

Rose was charged with possession of cocaine and intent to manufacture, sell or distribute fentanyl, according to court documents, as well as possession of a gun and ammunition by someone convicted of a felony within the past 10 years.

The charges against Francis Rose, which were then dropped

A grand jury indicted Rose in September 2021, and he was set for a jury trial this past February when defense attorneys made a motion to suppress evidence in the case.

That motion was granted by Arlington Circuit Court Chief Judge William Newman, according to court records, and charges were then dropped for a lack of evidence. Rose was later freed.

In all, he was in the county jail from Oct. 18, 2020 until Feb. 23, 2022, according to the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office.

Reached via email by ARLnow, Arlington and Falls Church Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti said the case was made impossible to prosecute after the judge’s ruling.

“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,” the county’s top prosecutor said. “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,” Dehghani-Tafti said.

Asked about the case, an Arlington police spokeswoman said “ACPD does not opine on decisions made by the court.”

The defense motion to suppress the evidence, obtained by ARLnow from the circuit court after the initial publication of this article, argues that both the drugs and the guns should be excluded from any jury trial. It says that officers found the gun in a bag that Rose was wearing but ordered by officers to leave in the car. The bag was then searched and the gun found, followed by the discovery of “a small quantity” of drugs, the motion says.

(more…)

UPDATED: Only fireworks found after shots fired call at Washington-Liberty HS leads to lockdown

By ARLnow.com
1/4

(Updated at 12:50 p.m.) Police received a report of shots fired inside Washington-Liberty High School this morning, prompting a massive emergency response, but it turned out to likely be something else.

Police say an extensive search of the school found evidence of fireworks being discharged inside but no gunshots. No one has been hurt.

Several 911 callers reported hearing gunshots inside the school, possibly on the fourth floor, shortly before 8 a.m., according to police radio traffic.

That prompted police and medics to rush to the scene en masse and search throughout the building. The school remained on lockdown for much of the morning, until the search concluded around 10:30 a.m. The county bomb squad, including a K-9 unit, was requested to the scene during the search.

Summer school classes were underway at W-L at the time of this morning’s incident. In a School Talk email to families, sent shortly before 9 a.m., Arlington Public Schools said that students will be dismissed for the day once the lockdown is lifted.

W-L Summer School Families

We are following up on this morning’s incident at Washington-Liberty. At [approximately] 7:50 a.m., a student reported that they heard shots in the building. The school [immediately] went on lockdown. During the investigation, police located evidence of discharged fireworks. No injuries have been reported and students and staff are all safe.

W-L remains on lockdown as the ACPD continue to investigate and conduct a [thorough] search of the building. Students will be [dismissed] for the day as soon as the investigation is concluded. Regular dismissal will be followed once the all clear is given.

As of 9 a.m., there was a report of one adult who was inside the school seeking treatment for a minor medical issue.

https://twitter.com/DUngarIRL/status/1549368473385672704

Police investigating carjacking near Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Police are looking for a group of men who carjacked a man as he was getting out of his car around midnight last night.

The incident happened on the 2700 block of S. Fern Street, a dead-end residential street near a park in the Crystal City area.

Police are now searching for four suspects, including two who allegedly assaulted the man and forcibly took his keys, wallet and cell phone after he refused to turn them over when approached, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.

More from ACPD:

CARJACKING, 2022-07170241, 2700 block of S. Fern Street. At approximately 12:07 a.m. on July 18, police were dispatched to the report of a carjacking. Upon arrival, it was determined that the male victim was exiting his parked vehicle when he was approached by the two unknown suspects. The suspects pushed the victim against the vehicle and demanded his belongings. When the victim refused, Suspect One assaulted him and Suspect Two reached into his pockets and stole his car keys, wallet and cell phone. The suspects then pushed the victim out of the way and entered his vehicle, accompanied by two additional suspects, and fled the area at a high rate of speed. Officers canvassed the area for the suspect vehicle yielding negative results.

The last reported carjacking in Arlington happened on July 5.

Man arrested after alleged shopping spree with credit cards swiped from building lobby

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A man is facing numerous charges for allegedly going on a shopping spree immediately after stealing someone’s wallet in Virginia Square.

The incident started Thursday morning at a building along the 3800 block of Fairfax Drive, a block or two down the road from the Metro station.

“At approximately 11:02 a.m. on July 14, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred,” said an Arlington County Police Department crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect entered the lobby of a business and allegedly stole the victim’s wallet and car keys from behind the counter.”

“The victim then began receiving multiple notifications of attempted and approved fraudulent charges on his credit cards,” the crime report continued. “A lookout was broadcast and officers located the suspect in the area of Langston Boulevard and N. Glebe Road and took him into custody without incident. During the course of the investigation, the victim’s property and the fraudulently purchased merchandise were recovered.”

The 34-year-old suspect from Montgomery Village, Maryland is facing nearly a dozen charges, including “Credit Card Theft (x3), Attempted Identity Theft (x3), Identity Theft, Attempted Credit Card Fraud (x3), Credit Card Fraud (x1), and Petit Larceny,” according to ACPD.

“He was held on bond,” the crime report noted.

Three arrested after a spate of men exposing themselves in various parts of Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Arlington police car (file photo)

Arlington is seeing a spate of men exposing themselves.

The past two Arlington County Police Department crime reports have included five separate indecent exposure incidents, four of which involve men masturbating in public and three of which resulted in arrests.

The incidents happened in the Pentagon City, Courthouse and Buckingham neighborhoods, as well as along Langston Blvd between the Yorktown and High View Park communities.

In the Buckingham incident, the given location of which is 2-3 blocks from Ballston, the suspect was following a female victim late at night when he allegedly started to touch himself inappropriately.

More from ACPD:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2022-07110110, 5200 block of Langston Boulevard. At approximately 11:10 a.m. on July 11, police were dispatched to the report of an indecent exposure. Officers met with the reporting party who stated she was walking into a building when she observed a male suspect on a bench with his genitals exposed and masturbating. The victim continued into the building and called police during which the suspect fled in an unknown direction. A lookout was broadcast and additional units canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2022-07120017, 2200 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 1:32 a.m. on July 12, police were dispatched to the report of a trespassing. Upon arrival, officers located the suspect, who had been previously banned from the business, and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined the suspect entered into the lobby of the building, sat in the common area and allegedly began masturbating. [The suspect], 34, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Drunk in Public, Trespassing, and Indecent Exposure.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2022-07090174, 1200 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 4:26 p.m. on July 9, police were dispatched to the report of an exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect entered into the business and began looking at merchandise before allegedly placing his hands in his pants and touching himself inappropriately. Responding officers located the suspect and took him into custody without incident. [The suspect], 46, of Arlington Va., was arrested and charged with Public Masturbation.

INDECENT EXPOSURE (Late), 2022-07090002, N. George Mason Drive at N. Henderson Road. At approximately 12:02 a.m. on July 9, police were dispatched to the late report of an indecent exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined that at approximately 11:25 p.m. on July 8, the female victim was walking in the area when she observed the unknown male suspect walking behind her. The suspect exposed himself and began masturbating before fleeing the area on foot.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2022-07090118, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 11:36 a.m. on July 9, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny from a business just occurred. While officers were enroute, dispatch advised that the suspect had entered into a second business and began exposing himself. Responding officers located the suspect and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined that the suspect allegedly entered into the first business and concealed merchandise before fleeing on foot into the second business and exposing himself. During a search of the suspect incident to arrest, the stolen merchandise and suspected drug paraphernalia were recovered. [The suspect], 47, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Possession of Schedule I/II Controlled Substance, Indecent Exposure, Petit Larceny: Shoplifting. He was held on no bond.

Police investigating armed mugging in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
Arlington police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) A man was attacked by two would-be robbers, including one with a gun, in the Courthouse neighborhood Friday night, police say.

The mugging happened around 10:30 p.m. in the area of Rocky Run Park.

The suspects threatened the victim with a gun after knocking him to the ground, but fled without stealing anything after he called out for help, according to police

From today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2022-07080245, N. Barton Street at Fairfax Drive. At approximately 10:27 p.m. on July 8, police were dispatched to the report of an assault. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was walking southbound on N. Barton Street when Suspect One struck him with an unknown object, knocking him to the ground. Suspect Two then brandished a firearm, threatened the victim and demanded his property. The victim yelled for help and the suspects fled the scene on foot without the victim’s property. A canvass of the area for the suspects yielded negative results. The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated on scene by medics. Suspect One is described as a Black male in his 20’s, slim build, approximately 5’7, with short black hair, light-colored shirt and jeans. Suspect Two is described as a Black male in his 20’s, slim build, approximately 6’0, with short black hair wearing a light colored shirt and jeans.  The investigation is ongoing.

The crime report also has details about an arrest made after an alleged road rage incident Friday afternoon.

Police say a 21-year-old Falls Church man was charged with brandishing a weapon after the incident — which started in Courthouse and ended with a dramatic, guns-drawn traffic stop along Route 50 — even though the weapon ended up being an airsoft gun.

The man is facing additional charges, police say, because two children were inside his car at the time.

From ACPD:

BRANDISHING, 2022-07080144, 1500 block of N. Veitch Street. At approximately 1 p.m. on July 8, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Arriving officers located the two involved vehicles and initiated a traffic stop in the area of Arlington Boulevard and N. Irving Street. The investigation determined the occupants of the vehicles had been traveling along Arlington Boulevard when they became involved in a traffic dispute, during which the passenger in the suspect vehicle allegedly displayed what was believed to be a handgun. During the traffic stop, officers recovered an airsoft gun inside the suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle was also determined to have to juvenile occupants at the time of the incident. Manuel Rivas, 21, of Falls Church, VA was taken into custody without incident and charged with Brandishing and Contributing to Delinquency of a Minor (x2).

Portion of Route 50 shut down after reported road rage incident

By ARLnow.com
Traffic stop shutting down WB Route 50 after reported gun brandishing

A road rage incident that allegedly involved a gun has temporarily shut down all westbound lanes of Route 50.

Around 1 p.m. police received a 911 call reporting that someone in a vehicle had brandished a gun and threatened the occupants of another vehicle during some sort of road rage dispute. One of the drivers followed the other driver until police caught up with them at the intersection with N. Irving Street, according to scanner traffic.

Several people in the suspect vehicle have been detained while police sort everything out. No injuries have been reported.

At least one lane of westbound traffic is being reopened, though the right-hand lane is expected to remain closed while police investigate.

ACPD using electronic signs to warn against loud cars

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Arlington County police want you to know that loud mufflers are against the law, and they’re now using electronic signs to get the message across.

The department has deployed four electronic signs in various parts of the county amid an effort to get the word out about a change in state law.

On July 1, Virginia police were again authorized by the state legislature to pull over vehicles for excessively loud exhaust systems. That followed a year in which, in the hopes of reducing racial disparities in traffic stops, state law had been changed to prohibit pulling drivers over for noise alone.

The 2021 law backfired when complaints about loud cars dramatically increased.

An Arlington County Police Department spokesperson tells ARLnow that the department has deployed electronic signs with the message “No Loud Mufflers… It’s the Law” to the following locations:

  • Route 110 near Memorial Bridge (2)
  • S. Joyce Street and Army Navy Drive, in Pentagon City
  • 500 block of S. Glebe Road, between Arlington Heights and Alcova Heights

“The signs are used to enhance ACPD’s efforts to educate motorists on Virginia’s [law] governing exhaust systems,” said Alli Shorb.

As we reported last month, ACPD is seeking to inform members of the public about the change before issuing citations.

With its enforcement authority restored, the Arlington County Police Department says it will start with a public education campaign. After that, spot enforcement will take place, and the department will evaluate whether “other traffic enforcement efforts are needed.

“With changes in legislation, ACPD first begins with a period of education as our goal is to seek voluntary compliance with the law,” department spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “ACPD is sharing information regarding the legislative change through social media, listservs and with community members and organizations. Once sufficient public messaging is completed, the department will evaluate if random rotating enforcement of observed violations as part of our routine patrol duties, is sufficiently addressing the issue or if other traffic enforcement efforts are needed.”

“Community members can report an ongoing and recurring loud exhaust issue using our ongoing transportation complaint enforcement request,” Savage added. She noted that this is essentially a return to the same rules that were in place prior to the 2021 law.

“It’s important to note that the language of the legislation has not changed,” Savage said. “The provision restricting officers from stopping a vehicle for this violation is being removed effective July 1, 2022 which will essentially move this to a primary offense, rather than a secondary offense.”

The police department has used its fleet of electronic signs for different purposes over the years.

A pair currently up along Langston Blvd in northern Arlington are advertising a public safety block party and imploring residents to lock their homes at night, respectively. In 2013, a sign placed near the crash-prone Route 50 and Washington Blvd interchange famously flashed “Don’t Hit the Car in Front of You.”

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