police

Police investigating ‘suspicious’ incident at local middle school

By ARLnow.com
Williamsburg Middle School (photo via Google Maps)

A stranger tried to lure a Williamsburg Middle School student into her car during Friday’s dismissal, according to police.

Arlington County police are so far classifying the incident as “suspicious,” stopping short of confirming it as an attempted abduction.

ACPD released the following statement about what happened to ARLnow.

At approximately 3:09 p.m. on December 8, police were dispatched to Williamsburg Middle School, located at 3600 N. Harrison Street, for the late report of an enticement. The preliminary investigation indicates between 4:00 and 4:15 p.m. on December 7, a student was waiting to be picked up outside the school when the female subject approached in a black Subaru and reportedly stated she had been sent by the student’s parents to pick them up. When the student declined, the subject drove away. The subject is described as a white female with shoulder length dirty blonde hair. The incident is being investigated as suspicious circumstances and police would like to identify and speak with the female subject. Anyone with information regarding the incident can contact Arlington County Police Department’s tip line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected].

The middle school, meanwhile, sent the following to families on Friday evening.

Dear Williamsburg Families:

We wanted to alert you of an incident that happened yesterday at dismissal. A student reported that a woman they did not know approached them outside of school at the pickup loop in a vehicle and told them she was sent by their mom to pick them up. Fortunately, the student had just spoken with their mom and said they would not go with her. The incident has been reported to local law enforcement.  Although we have not had incidents like this in the past, it is important for our students and families to exercise caution.

Please remind your students about steps they should take to ensure their safety when they are out in the community:
> Never get in a vehicle or leave the school with an individual you do not know without speaking to a trusted adult first.
> Always report all incidents immediately to an adult (parent, principal, teacher, resource officer) whenever something occurs that makes them feel unsafe.
> Be aware of their surroundings.
> Don’t wear devices that block their hearing or seeing.
> Avoid talking to, engaging with or answering questions to passersby or strangers.
> Always walk or bicycle with at least one buddy in well-lit areas.
> Use a cell phone, if available, to call for help. (If students have cell phones, make sure that emergency numbers are programmed into the    phone so they can be dialed quickly. Also, remind your student that the cell phone should not be used during class time at school.)
> Also remind them that if something occurs, they should report it to a trusted adult as soon as possible.

By working together, we can help to ensure that our students have a safe community in which they can continue to grow and learn. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions.

WMS Administration

UPDATED: Police investigating shooting in Green Valley

By ARLnow.com
1/6

A woman was shot this afternoon in the Green Valley neighborhood.

The shooting happened around 1 p.m., reportedly near the intersection of S. Kemper Road and S. Oxford Street. Photos taken afterward show a crime scene along nearby S. Four Mile Run Drive.

Initial reports suggest that the shots were fired from a silver Honda SUV with Virginia tags and four people inside. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Arlington County police said, and was taken via ambulance to a local hospital.

The U.S. Park Police helicopter assisted with a search for the suspects but so far there’s no word of any arrests.

Update on 12/10/23 — Arlington County police issued the following press release about the shooting.

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a shooting in the Green Valley neighborhood which occurred on the afternoon of December 9, 2023.

At approximately 1:03 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of a shooting at S. Kemper Road and S. Oxford Street. The preliminary investigation indicates the female victim was a passenger in a vehicle traveling on S. Oxford Street when four suspects approached on foot and discharged firearms, striking the victim and the vehicle. Following the shooting, the driver of the victim vehicle continued to the 4000 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive where officers located them and began rendering aid to the victim. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment.

The suspects subsequently fled the area in a silver SUV. The suspects are described as four Black males with skinny builds wearing dark clothing and facial coverings.

This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information or home surveillance that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.

BREAKING: Suspect killed in house explosion, police believe

By ARLnow.com
1/13

(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) The man whose house exploded during a standoff with police is dead.

James Yoo, 56, is presumed dead as a result of the explosion of the duplex at 844 N. Burlington Street, in the Bluemont neighborhood, Arlington County police confirmed during a news conference this afternoon.

Human remains were located at the scene, said Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn, and the medical examiner is working to identify the remains. There are no ongoing threats to the community and no outstanding suspects, Penn added.

The explosion happened around 8:25 p.m. Monday and was heard — and felt — from miles around. It followed a standoff that started around 4:45 p.m. as Yoo fired some 30-40 flares from his window, sending them over neighboring Fields Park and in the direction of Key Elementary School.

The force of the explosion shattered home and car windows near the blast site and injured several Arlington police officers. The officers suffered only minor injuries, police previously said.

As many as a dozen surrounding homes were damaged and ten households temporarily displaced by the explosion, ACPD said today. Nearby residents, including those in the duplex unit adjoining Yoo, were evacuated by firefighters about an hour and a half prior to the explosion, authorities said. Those displaced are being provided with temporary housing and necessities, Penn said.

Gas to the house was turned off at the meter prior to the explosion, according to ACFD Assistant Fire Chief Jason Jenkins.

“Their efforts last evening saved lives, period,” Jenkins said. “They minimized damage to property, and I thank them for their efforts.”

Before the explosion, ACPD used a SWAT vehicle to breach the front door and establish communication with Yoo, ordering him to come out. As officers “tried to engage with the suspect,” they “experienced what is believed to be multiple gunshots from a firearm coming from within the dwelling,” Penn said.

Arlington police then “began to deploy non-flammable, less-lethal chemical munitions” in several parts of the home they thought Yoo might be hiding, in an attempt to get him to surrender. Shortly thereafter, the house erupted in a giant fireball that sent debris soaring through the air. Some debris was found several streets away, authorities said.

Firefighters battled the resulting fire for hours, until the early morning hours, with ACFD using a water stream from a ladder truck to douse the potentially gas-fed flames. The fire is now out, authorities said.

Neighbors told ARLnow that Yoo had previously pulled a knife on people looking at the house while it was listed for sale for a few months in 2021. Three days before Monday’s incident he had posted a paranoid rant on Linkedin against his neighbors in the duplex, at the end of quiet street that dead-ends at the Bluemont Junction Trail, near Arlington County Fire Station No. 2.

Penn said that police are now aware of Yoo’s “concerning” social media posts, but noted that he was otherwise largely off the police department’s radar before last night.

“The Arlington County Police Department does not have any prior documented interactions with the suspect at this address other than two calls for service for loud noise,” Penn said.

At Fire Station No. 2 today, numerous personnel from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could be seen, helping the Arlington County police and fire departments investigate what caused the explosion. Penn said the ATF and the FBI are both assisting with the investigation, alongside the Northern Virginia Critical Incident Response Team and the Arlington County Fire Marshal’s Office.

David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said the bureau received communication from Yoo in the past about “alleged frauds” against him.

The FBI and ATF both sent bomb technicians and other investigators to the scene and are working to determine the cause of the explosion, spokespeople said. No timeline was given for when the investigation will conclude, other than it is expected to “extensive and time consuming.”

BREAKING: Large house explosion in Bluemont amid police incident

By ARLnow.com
1/10

Update on 12/5/23: The suspect, now officially identified as James Yoo, is presumed dead following the explosion, police say.

(Updated at 11:30 p.m.) A large explosion, heard throughout Arlington, has rocked the Bluemont neighborhood after a police standoff.

A duplex, where a suspect was involved in an ongoing incident with police, exploded in a massive fireball as police, including a SWAT armored vehicle, moved in. It followed the suspect repeatedly firing a flare gun over nearby Fields Park.

Residents in the area were being instructed to shelter in place, while others were evacuated by police.

Arlington County police said the person inside the house fired shots as officers tried to enter the home, just before the explosion. A video, below, shows the explosion (the video contains strong language and disturbing imagery.)

“As officers were attempting to execute a search warrant at the residence, the suspect discharged several rounds inside the home,” said ACPD. “Subsequently, an explosion occurred at the residence and officers continue to investigate the circumstances of the explosion.”

“I think it blew up the entire duplex,” one neighbor told ARLnow in the immediate aftermath. “I’m sure the family next door was evacuated before it blew up but they lost their home.”

Firefighters were still working to extinguish small residual fires from the resulting blaze as of 11:30 p.m., three hours after the explosion. Investigators — including from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — are on scene.

Paramedics were initially told to expect “multiple burn patients” after the explosion, but police said around 9:30 p.m. that officers on scene only “reported minor injuries with no one transported to the hospital.”

Numerous residents described the shock of the huge blast to ARLnow.

One said the explosion “literally shook my bed” and described an “acrid stench” afterward.

Another said he was in the shower at the time.

“It shook my entire house and I didn’t know what it was at first,” said Dave Tran. “So I ran outside and I saw… the entire house was just leveled.”

Alex Wilson, the neighbor who took the video seen above — and shared worldwide on social media tonight — told ARLnow that the resident of the home was firing a rifle at police as they used the SWAT vehicle to try to get inside.

“When they rammed the front door he started firing an AR back at them,” he said. Wilson said he saw at least one officer injured following the explosion.

“He was able to walk but he was like holding his head,” said Wilson.

(more…)

NEW: Police investigating gunshots heard in Green Valley neighborhood

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Update on 12/20/23 — Two arrests have been made, ACPD announced.

Earlier: Gunshots were fired near where a group of children were playing this afternoon in the Green Valley neighborhood.

Multiple 911 callers reported the sound of gunshots shortly before 3:30 p.m. Saturday. One caller heard seven shots, near the 2200 block of Shirlington Road. Others reported seeing a group of men arguing and then running away after the shots.

Arlington County police said around 4:15 p.m. that they’ve found no evidence of injuries or property damage as a result of the gunfire. Officers remain on scene investigating,

A group called Green Valley Matters was holding a children’s soccer game in a park near where the shots were fired. The group was founded to advocate for public safety and community improvement in the neighborhood.

ACPD issued the following press release about the incident on Sunday.

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a shots fired incident which occurred in the Green Valley neighborhood on the afternoon of December 2, 2023.

At approximately 3:25 p.m., police were dispatched to S. Kenmore Street and 23rd Street S. for multiple reports of shots fired. Responding officers canvassed the area and located evidence confirming several shots had been fired. The preliminary investigation indicates approximately six male suspects were walking in the area when they approached a vehicle exiting the parking lot. The vehicle stopped briefly during which at least one suspect discharged a firearm at the vehicle before it fled the scene at a high rate of speed. The suspects ran from the area immediately following the incident and were not located.

The suspect who allegedly discharged the firearm is described as a Black male wearing a black puffy jacket and gray pants. The vehicle involved in the incident is described as a silver Nissan sedan.

No injuries related to the incident were reported and minor damage to a nearby building was located.

This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information or home surveillance that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Green Valley has seen a number of shots fired calls over the past few years, including in June 2021, July 2021, August 2022, October 2022, January 2023 and June 2023.

Suspect heading to court in cross-jurisdiction vehicular mayhem case

By Jo DeVoe
Falls Church carjacking suspect (courtesy City of Falls Church)

The case involving the man who allegedly went on a carjacking and assault spree through Falls Church and Arlington is moving forward.

Last week — eight months after his arrest — he was identified as Garrett Reeves, of Lorton, according to Susan Finarelli, a public information officer for the City of Falls Church Police Department.

He has been charged with carjacking, malicious wounding, destruction of property with intent and felonious charges of failure to stop at an accident and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, per court records. He has hearings for these charges on Jan. 4 and 10, 2024.

Falls Church police arrested Reeves in March. According to police and a surveillance video aired by NBC 4, Reeves struck a pedestrian near the Beyer Volvo dealership and crashed into several cars, while driving a carjacked Jeep.

He fled and allegedly ran to a nearby shopping center, where he attacked a man and stole his car. He drove into Arlington and was reported to have rear-ended a woman driving on Langston Blvd. This stolen car was later found in Fairfax County, police said at the time. Two days later, he allegedly carjacked another car in Falls Church.

Between his arrest and now, however, he has spent most of his time in a state psychiatric facility because he was not deemed fit to stand trial. Statewide, this is an increasingly common finding that has strained state hospitals, the Virginia Mercury reports.

Falls Church police conducted two investigations before obtaining warrants for Reeves’ arrest, Finarelli said. He was arrested on multiple charges, including carjacking, and taken to the Arlington County Detention Facility — where Falls Church arrestees are jailed — though he was uncooperative and did not reveal his name.

“During his first arraignment, the Courts deemed him not mentally competent hence his transfer to the Western State mental hospital,” Finarelli said.

Last Tuesday, the Falls Church police department learned that the man was identified and transferred back to the Arlington County jail. There, Finarelli says, he was served with additional warrants and held in jail without bond.

The Arlington County Police Department is not seeking charges for the hit-and-run in the county — considered a misdemeanor — because Reeves faces felony charges for the hit-and-run and carjacking in Falls Church, ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow.

Smoke shop employee beaten during overnight robbery in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
1/2

An employee of a shop in Courthouse was beaten by a robber early Wednesday morning, according to police.

The robbery happened around 3 a.m. at the Tobacco Vape Cigars store at 2305 Wilson Blvd.

“The employee was inside the closed business when he heard the male suspect force entry into the store by shattering a glass door,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “The employee attempted to confront the suspect, who began collecting merchandise, and a physical altercation ensued during which the suspect struck the employee before fleeing the scene on foot.”

“Medics evaluated and released the employee on scene,” the crime report continued. “Responding officers broadcast a lookout and canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results.”

The smoke shop is located in a small building that formerly housed SuperStar Tickets.

The circumstances surrounding this morning’s robbery are somewhat similar to those of a high-profile case in Arlington from March 2020. A group of three people broke into a smoke shop in the Green Valley neighborhood during early morning hours, and an employee who was sleeping in the back shot one of them. The employee was charged with Malicious Wounding but found not guilty last year.

The wee hours of the morning ended up being a busy time for Arlington first responders today. Around the same time as the robbery was dispatched for police, firefighters were arriving on scene of a small fire at the Ethiopian Community Development Council building, just off Columbia Pike on S. Highland Street.

NOW: Police searching for suspect after man with gun robs two people

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Police are investigating back-to-back reported armed robberies in the Arlington Mill neighborhood.

The robberies happened around 2:30 p.m. on the 800 block of S. Frederick Street. Initial reports suggest that a masked man with a semiautomatic handgun separately robbed two people of cash.

The Fairfax County police helicopter is currently overhead, assisting Arlington police with a search for the suspect.

Neither robbery victim has been reported to be injured.

ACPD investigating armed robbery near Ballston

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Arlington County police are investigating a bold, broad-daylight armed robbery near Ballston.

The robbery happened two days before Thanksgiving — around 3 p.m. Tuesday — on the 4600 block of Washington Blvd. Businesses on that block include the Sunoco gas station and market.

Police say a man went inside the business, brandished a gun, stole cash and then ran off. Responding officers were unable to locate him nearby.

More, below, from an ACPD crime report.

ROBBERY, 2023-11210134, 4600 block of Washington Boulevard. At approximately 3:11 p.m. on November 21, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect entered the business, went behind the counter while brandishing a firearm and demanded cash. The suspect stole an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing the scene on foot. Responding officers established a perimeter, broadcast a lookout and searched the area for the suspect yielding negative results. The suspect is described as a tall, thin-build male with a medium complexion, wearing a black jacket, hoodie, jeans and a black mask. The investigation is ongoing.

Arlington County zeroes in on automated enforcement to tackle dangerous driving

By Jo DeVoe
ACPD officer conducts traffic stop during November 2023 Street Smart campaign in Courthouse (staff photo by James Jarvis)

High speeds, traffic scofflaws and distracted drivers are the top three reasons people feel unsafe when traveling around Arlington.

That is according to the county’s latest Vision Zero mid-year report, which summarized how Arlingtonians responded to online and in-person surveys about their top concerns as travelers.

County data on fatal and severe-injury crashes appear to back that up. Among speeding, distracted driving and alcohol, speeding leads the pack as a factor in serious crashes.

To tackle speeding — and one day, other traffic violations — Arlington County is laser-focused on automated enforcement. The road to get there, however, is long and some goals could take years of politicking to achieve.

First, the county has to implement speed cameras in school and work zones, which the Arlington County Board authorized in January 2022, shortly after the General Assembly permitted this.

Although Arlington is still working on procuring a contract for speed cameras, the County Board, the Vision Zero team and ACPD are working on expanding the use of speed cameras by including it among legislative priorities in the upcoming General Assembly session.

This could be an uphill battle, as some local legislators told ARLnow there is not yet an appetite in Richmond for widespread automated enforcement.

“The General Assembly has been reticent to allow full use of red light cameras,” said Sen. Adam Ebbin. “I think there might be some hesitancy to having fully automated enforcement, in general.”

Still, the county is pursuing automated enforcement to influence driver behavior when police are not present, lower its reliance on in-person enforcement and reduce potentially adverse interactions with police.

“They’re doing everything they can with what they’ve got right now,” says Vision Zero Coordinator Christine Baker, of the traffic enforcement Arlington County Police Department currently conducts. “We’re both just really hoping for more automation to help keep that progress toward better behaviors.”

Automation would also “let officers do the work that they need to do and leave the traffic enforcement up to ubiquitous, unbiased technologies,” she said.

Mike Doyle, the president of Northern Virginia Families for Safer Streets, agrees that it would limit potential racial bias and escalation in routine stops as well as alleviate police staffing shortages.

“Technology, with a photo and sending the ticket to the person, mitigates the risk of the officer,” he said.

Cameras would be effective, he says, “as long as the speed cameras are balanced in terms of equity: we can’t put them just in all the poor sections of town — they have to be where the speeding is.”

ARLnow asked ACPD whether it supports more cameras or has concerns about the hours officers might have to dedicate to reviewing footage.

Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage says the department “will continue to work collaboratively with the County on any future legislative changes to automated enforcement programs.”

ACPD reports keeping busy with enforcement 

Despite staffing concerns — and scaling back operations due to low numbers — ACPD says it is committed to traffic enforcement and considers it a key safety initiative.

ACPD is authorized to have 377 officers and currently has a “functional staffing level” of 278 sworn officers, down from 284 this fall. Sworn offices can stop people for traffic violations and are “expected to meaningfully contribute to the department’s key initiatives,” through education and enforcement, Savage said.

How many are assigned to traffic duties is sensitive information, she said.

“In March 2022, the department announced service changes due to a reduction in our workforce,” says Savage. “There were no key impacts to transportation safety and the department reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring the orderly flow of traffic in the County while conducting transportation safety enforcement and education campaigns.”

Enforcement stats from ACPD (data visualization by Jo DeVoe)

ACPD’s Special Operations Section conducts education and enforcement in “identified areas of concern with the goal of voluntary compliance when police are not present, Savage said.

They also address safety concerns, work with Vision Zero staff, deploy variable message boards and other technology, and manage the police department’s participation in local and regional traffic safety programs.

The unit includes civilians who work as parking enforcement agents; traffic directors during events, crashes and emergencies; and school crossing guards.

(more…)

UPDATED: Man shot in face in apparent road rage shooting

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

(Updated at 11:45 a.m.) A man was shot Monday night while riding in a car, according to Arlington County police.

Police were dispatched shortly before 7:45 p.m. to the intersection of Langston Blvd and N. Kirkwood Road for an apparent shooting. Initial reports suggest the man was riding in the passenger seat of a car when he was shot in the face, near the eye, and started bleeding.

He was not sure when and where the shooting happened, according to scanner traffic.

The victim was rushed to a local hospital in what was initially described as critical condition, but ACPD said just before 10 p.m. that he was in stable condition.

In a press release late Tuesday morning, ACPD said the man was shot along Route 110 near Memorial Bridge, in was is suggested to be a road rage incident.

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a shooting which occurred on the evening of November 20, 2023.

At approximately 7:42 p.m., police were dispatched to the 3100 block of Langston Boulevard for the report of an assault with a weapon. Upon arrival, officers located the adult male victim in the passenger seat of a parked vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers immediately began rendering aid before the victim was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. He is in stable condition.

The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and a witness were driving on Richmond Highway when the suspect vehicle, which had two occupants, pulled alongside them and a verbal dispute over driving ensued. In the area of Richmond Highway and Memorial Avenue, an occupant of the suspect vehicle brandished a firearm and discharged rounds, striking the victim. Following the shooting, the driver of the victim vehicle traveled to the 3100 block of Langston Boulevard and sought help.

The suspect vehicle is described as a black sedan. The driver is described as a Black female with shoulder length hair. The passenger is described as a Black male wearing a face mask.

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] or anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.

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