police

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
The departures lanes at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

More Huge Covid Testing Lines — “This is the current situation at VA Highlands Park #COVID19 testing center! How do they expect people to preemptively get tested if that means standing in the bitter cold for hours?” [Twitter]

Libraries Run Out of At-Home Tests — “And Arlington libraries are out of tests, less than an hour after doors opened. No more tests until at least after Jan. 1.” [Twitter]

Arlington Band Gets Another Grammy Nod — “When the nominations for the Grammy Awards were announced on Tuesday, featured among the artistes up for the Best Reggae Album is the American band SOJA. The band was nominated for their seventh studio album Beauty in the Silence which was released on September 24 on ATO Records. It is not their first time to the party having been nominated on two previous occasions for their 2017 project Live in Virginia and Amid the Noise and Haste released in 2015.” [Jamaica Observer]

Teen Arrested for Armed Robbery — “The victim was walking in the area when he was approached by the two juvenile male suspects. Suspect One allegedly brandished a firearm and demanded the victim give them his belongings, while Suspect Two stole his backpack, cell phone, wallet and car keys. The two suspects then fled the scene on foot. A description of the suspects was broadcast and a short time later, officers located Suspect One in the area of S. George Mason Drive and Columbia Pike. During a search of his person incident to arrest, officers recovered the victim’s belongings, as well as a firearm.” [ACPD]

Our Holiday Wish — Despite being repeatedly cited as a source on Wikipedia, ARLnow does not currently have its own Wikipedia entry. The online encyclopedia frowns upon you creating a page for yourself, so our holiday wish is for someone to see fit to finally create one that briefly tells our story.

It’s Winter — It’s officially winter, after yesterday’s winter solstice. On the plus side, the days will only get longer and lighter from here on out. Today will start cloudy in the morning before becoming sunny in the afternoon. It will be breezy, with a high of 45. Sunrise at 7:23 a.m. and sunset at 4:50 p.m. Tomorrow will be clear throughout the day, with a high of 42 and a low of 27. [Capital Weather Gang, Darksky]

Police: Man who tried to enter gym without membership fights two officers, tries to take their guns

By ARLnow.com

A Fairfax County man is facing numerous charges after an incident at the Planet Fitness in Pentagon City.

Police say the man was stopped by an off-duty military police officer when he tried to walk into the gym without a membership Friday afternoon. A physical altercation ensued, during which the 28-year-old suspect allegedly tried to take the officer’s gun.

An Arlington County officer joined the fray and the intoxicated suspect also tried to disarm her, according to a police department crime report. She urgently called for backup, which arrived quickly and helped to take the suspect into custody.

More from ACPD:

ASSAULT ON LAW ENFORCEMENT, 2021-12170145, 1300 block of S. Joyce Street. At approximately 3:05 p.m. on December 17, police were dispatched to the report of a fight in progress inside a business. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the two male subjects and determined that one of the subjects was an off-duty military police officer who was attempting to detain the suspect. The suspect disregarded the commands of the arriving officer and moved further into the business. As the officers were attempting to take him into custody, he continued to disregard their commands, act disorderly and resist arrest. A brief struggle ensued, during which the suspect grabbed at an officer’s exterior vest and attempted to disarm her. With the assistance of additional officers, the suspect was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect was treated by medics and medically cleared on scene. The investigation determined that the suspect allegedly entered into the business where he did not have a membership and became involved in a physical altercation with the off-duty military police officer, during which he attempted to remove his credentials and disarm him. [The suspect], 28, of Springfield, Va., was arrested and charged with Assault & Battery on Police, Attempting to Disarm a Law Enforcement Officer (x2), Obstruction of Justice, Trespassing and Public Intoxication. He was held without bond.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Ballston Quarter’s outdoor Christmas tree (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Shot Fired in Buckingham — “At approximately 3:04 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of shots heard in the 4200 block of 2nd Road N. Upon arrival, it was determined that the male victim exited an apartment, encountered the two suspects in the hallway and confronted them. A physical altercation ensued, and one suspect produced a firearm. During the struggle, a shot was fired, causing damage to the door of an apartment. The suspects then fled the scene. Responding officers recovered the firearm.” [ACPD]

Driver Strikes Child in Falls Church — “At approximately 4:15 p.m., Falls Church Police and Arlington County Fire and Medical units were dispatched for a report of vehicular crash with injuries involving a pedestrian, approximately 3 to 4 years old. The victim was taken to Fairfax Hospital and is currently listed in critical condition. The driver of the striking vehicle remained on scene. The preliminary investigation is still underway with no additional details at this time.” [City of Falls Church, Twitter]

Huge Covid Testing Line Monday Evening — “The Court House Curative kiosk COVID-19 testing line is probably 100+ people long right now.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Fairlington Fire Station’s Future in Flux — “The Arlington government three years ago closed Fire Station #7 over concerns about the structural integrity of its flooring. It has since been determined that it would be too costly to upgrade the facility to resume its original function, but competing planning priorities coupled with the COVID crisis have left the building’s future unclear. A community process to determine the future of Fairlington’s 1940s-era, one-bay fire station has been on hold during the COVID crisis, but may be tackled in early 2022.” [Sun Gazette]

Fire Departments Struggling With Staffing — From public safety watchdog Dave Statter “Alexandria isn’t alone. Area fire department staffing is impacting the number of fire & EMS units available at a time when Covid is surging. There’s also significant impact on EMS availability due to hospital staffing leaving ambulance crews stuck at EDs with patients.” [Twitter]

Local Scholarship Application Now Open — “Arlington Community Foundation (ACF) launched its 2022 scholarship application today, providing Arlington high school students with an opportunity to compete for more than 70 scholarships worth over $525,000 in student aid. A single, common application gives students an easy way to apply for an award from more than 55 individual scholarship funds.” [Press Release]

Marymount Now Requiring Booster Shot — “On Monday, Marymount University administrators shared with its community members an enhanced COVID-19 vaccination policy that will require a booster shot for all students, faculty and staff who will be physically present on campus during the upcoming semester, a precautionary measure designed to ensure the best possible protection against the virus.” [Press Release]

It’s Tuesday — Today will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Sunrise at 7:23 a.m. and sunset at 4:49 p.m. Tomorrow will be sunny, with a high near 48 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. [Weather.gov]

Rookie Arlington cop is following in her NYPD ‘Superman’ stepfather’s footsteps

By Matt Blitz
Officer Brooke Chaco with Chief Andy Penn at her police academy graduation on Dec. 10 (courtesy of ACPD)

December 21, 2015 was the day that led Brooke Chaco to becoming an Arlington County police officer.

It was that day six years ago when her stepfather, New York Police Department detective Joseph Lemm, and five others were killed in action while serving in Afghanistan.

“It changed my whole life,” Chaco tells ARLnow. “It made me appreciate what law enforcement does even more.”

Chaco grew up in a family full of police and military veterans, but the profession didn’t much appeal to her until Lemm came into her life as a stepfather when she was about ten years old.

“I was a brat, for a lack of a better word, and didn’t want to give him the time of day,” she admits.

Lemm was a long-time New York police officer, serving for nearly 15 years, mostly in the Bronx. He was also staff sergeant in the Air National Guard and had been deployed multiple times. His stature may have been intimidating, but his demeanor was anything but.

In fact, his nickname among friends was “Superman,” due in part to sorta looking like the superhero’s alter ego Clark Kent and that Lemm could be all things to everyone he loved.

“He was just this big, gentle giant,” Chaco says. “He had a way with his words that gained people’s trust and got them to talk to him.”

In early 2015, Lemm was deployed again to Afghanistan and was looking forward to speaking with his family on Christmas with the hope he’d be home soon.

Four days before Christmas, however, a suicide bomber on a motorbike carried out an attack on his convoy during a patrol. Lemm was only 45 years old when he was killed and left behind his wife, then-16-year-old Chaco, and her four-year-old brother Ryan.

“I had to help raise [Ryan] after my stepfather passed,” she says. “He’s a very big part of my life and a big reason as to why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

The loss made headlines nationally and especially in the New York City area, where the New York Post wrote about how Brooke, a singer, paid a musical tribute to her fallen-hero dad at a memorial benefit for the family. (Earlier this year, the Post also wrote about a bridge in Westchester County being dedicated to Lemm.)

New York Post article highlighting Brooke Chaco’s tribute to her fallen stepfather

The tragedy helped Chaco find her calling.

She was hired into the ACPD — a force in much need of additional officers — this past April, even prior to graduating from James Madison University. Despite having a family full of officers, she’s the first woman in her family to join the police force. She loves New York and her family, but is looking to forge her own identity in Arlington.

“I didn’t want my peers to look at me any differently or my supervisors to look at me differently because of the sacrifice that my stepfather made,” Chaco says. “I wanted to make my own path.”

Chaco remains an officer in training. She graduated from the academy earlier this year and is now in the midst of field training, where she’s being paired with a more experienced officer. All in all, training to become a full time solo officer can take a little over a year. When that’s completed, and after a few years of patrol work, Chaco hopes to end up in the special victims unit.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Fisheye view of construction near the Harris Teeter store in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Photos from ANC Wreath Event — “Wreaths Across America returned to Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 18, 2021. People from across the country turned out to lay memorial wreaths in honor of American servicemen and servicewomen. See photos of the 2021 event below.” [WTOP]

DCA to Stay at Pre-Covid Levels for Years — “Passenger totals at Northern Virginia’s two main airports are expected to be back to more than 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2022, but are not currently anticipated to exceed the pre-COVID level before 2027.” [Sun Gazette]

More About Swanson MS Incident — “Finally, some details on last week’s @SwansonAdmirals ‘weapon’ incident. In stark contrast to school officials’ characterizations, the police report calls it ‘assault with a knife.'” [Twitter]

YHS Athlete Named Runner of the Year — “Overall Runner of The Year: Owen McArdle (Yorktown) — Nothing is better than seeing an athlete improve year after year and go from running 23:05 in 2018 to running 15:05 as a senior and winning a state XC title. Not to forget, he made the Eastbay National meet as well in San Diego, something few VA athletes have ever done.” [MileSplit Virginia, Twitter]

‘Elf Ugly Sweater Party’ Tuesday — “Gift Certificates from Lost Dog Cafe, William Jeffrey’s Tavern, Rebellion on the Pike and of course US!! Prizes, Free Comedy Tickets & Themed Drink Specials – Dress up as your favorite character or in your ugliest sweater to WIN. Come out a celebrate the Holidays with one of the best holiday movies.” [Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse]

New ARLnow Comment Policy — Effective immediately, the posting of national political memes or restricted, copyrighted images (such as syndicated editorial cartoons) is against our comment policy. Non-political memes and Creative Commons-licensed images (such as xkcd cartoons) are generally okay. [ARLnow]

It’s Monday — Today will be sunny, with a high near 43. Sunrise at 7:23 a.m. and sunset at 4:55 p.m. Tomorrow will be partly sunny, with a high near 48 and a low near 30. [Weather.gov]

Police investigating mob assault outside Yorktown High School

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

(Updated at 3:45 p.m.) Some 8-9 teens beat up another teen outside Yorktown High School last night.

The incident happened around 9 p.m., as the victim was walking from the school to a car.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

ASSAULT BY MOB, 2021-12160191, 5200 block of Yorktown Boulevard. At approximately 9:09 p.m. on December 16, an officer was alerted by a witness to an assault just occurred. Officers located the juvenile victim and determined that he was exiting a building when he became involved in a verbal dispute with a group of approximately eight to nine juveniles. The victim entered a vehicle and the group continued to yell at him and strike the vehicle. The victim exited the vehicle and confronted the group at which point several of the suspects assaulted him and damaged his cell phone. The suspects then fled the scene on foot. The victim was treated by medics on scene for non-life threatening injuries. There are no descriptions for the suspects. The investigation is ongoing.

Additional details about what led to the confrontation were not immediately available. The timing coincides with an intra-Arlington varsity basketball game between Yorktown and Washington-Liberty, which tipped off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night at YHS.

“Following the Washington-Liberty/Yorktown basketball game, we were made aware of a physical altercation that unfolded between students of the two schools,” Arlington Public Schools spokesman Frank Bellavia tells ARLnow. “The Arlington [County] Police Department and administration at both Washington-Liberty and Yorktown continue to investigate the situation.”

This is the latest in a series of police incidents involving the North Arlington high school. In early August, a brawl broke out outside of the school amid summer classes. In October, a girl walking near the school during the homecoming football game said she was touched inappropriately. Last last month, a student aboard a Yorktown High School bus allegedly threatened and scratched another student with a knife.

First responders facing possible job loss petition county to reverse vaccine mandate

By Jo DeVoe

A group of Arlington County first responders and staff from other departments are petitioning the county to reverse course on its vaccine mandate.

Those who elect not to get the vaccine risk losing their jobs come February, per the county’s updated vaccine policy, shared with ARLnow.

Arlington County mandated vaccines for all government employees back in August, requiring those who were unvaccinated to submit to weekly testing. Since then, the county added a deadline to its policy: unvaccinated employees have until Feb. 1, 2022 to get the vaccine or get a medical or religious exemption. Those without a vaccine or an exemption on Feb. 1 will be placed on leave, and if they obtain neither before Feb. 28, 2022, they lose their jobs.

Some 278 of 3,137 permanent county employees are unvaccinated, including an unknown number of religious or medical exemptions, according to Public Health Division spokesman Ryan Hudson.

Those requesting the county to change its policy are asking for “more reciprocal ideas” for ensuring employee health and safety. The petition, started by firefighter Sterling Montague, has garnered nearly 300 signatures, from employees and their friends and family.

“More people came out in the last week than I ever knew of who are in support of the guys who don’t want to get the vaccine,” Montague tells ARLnow, adding that the coalition represents different demographics and opinions, including those who are vaccinated but oppose mandates.

“We aren’t uniformly anything,” he said. “We are anti-mandate for lots of reasons… [and] we have a diverse group that includes African-Americans and Hispanics.”

The petition says the mandate disproportionately harms people of color and it’s unclear what recourse folks have if those forced to take the vaccine suffer side effects. Objections to the shot, meanwhile, include that it was designed for a previous version of the virus and only protects for a short period of time and wanes, requiring an unknown number of additional boosters.

The county maintains that vaccines are safe and the best protection against COVID-19 — something echoed by the vast majority of doctors and public health professionals.

Arlington Public Health Director Dr. Reuben Varghese said mandates work, linking rising vaccination rates among those older than 18 to various mandates during a County Board recessed meeting on Tuesday.

Rather than terminate up to 10% of employees — while the county faces ongoing and predicted workforce shortages among first responders and in other county departments — the petition suggests affordable, at-work tests for unvaccinated folks and those who report to work with symptoms while counting previous COVID-19 cases towards immunization.

Testing isn’t cheap. For the last three weeks, that testing has cost the county about $7,300 per week, but it’s 100% reimbursed under the White House’s COVID-19 Disaster Declaration, Hudson said.

Those opposed to the mandate say these temporary solutions are important as the pandemic and the vaccines evolve and because they’re worried few who applied will be granted religious and medical exemptions.

“It’s like they’re trying to fire us before things change,” Montague said. “If, in a year, this is the same, you’d have a year more credibility to fire us, but it doesn’t make sense to fire us as soon as possible.” (more…)

Two men arrested after assaults on police in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:35 p.m.) Arlington police had their hands full in Clarendon early this morning.

First, a rowdy bar patron allegedly started an altercation with police after getting kicked out of a venue on the 3100 block of Wilson Blvd, Clarendon’s busiest stretch of bars. shortly after midnight. The man, a 33-year-old D.C. real estate agent, tried to flee and was arrested after a brief foot chase, according to Arlington County police.

Then, a second man approached and tried to sucker punch a female officer in the back of the head, according to ACPD. The man is also accused of throwing jackets at officers as they took him into custody.

More details from today’s ACPD crime report:

ASSAULT ON LAW ENFORCEMENT, 2021-12160006, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 12:26 a.m. on December 16, police were dispatched to the report of a disorderly conduct regarding a subject who had been removed from an establishment by security and was attempting to reenter. Upon arrival, officers observed the suspect involved in a verbal dispute with a group of individuals. Officers made contact with the suspect who became uncooperative and aggressive during their investigation. When officers attempted to take the suspect into custody, he actively resisted arrest, kicked an officer multiple times and attempted to flee the scene on foot. A brief foot pursuit was initiated and the suspect was subsequently taken into custody. [The suspect], 33, of Washington D.C., was arrested and charged with Drunk in Public, Obstruction of Justice, and Assault & Battery on Police. He was held on no bond.

ASSAULT ON LAW ENFORCEMENT, 2021-12160013, Wilson Boulevard at N. Irving Street. At approximately 12:36 a.m. on December 16, police were on scene investigating the previous incident (2021-12160006), when the uninvolved male suspect approached an officer from behind and attempted to strike her in the back of the head. Other officers intervened and as they attempted to take the suspect into custody, he threw jackets at officers, continued to act disorderly and resisted arrest. The suspect was subsequently taken into custody without further incident. [The suspect], 29, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Disorderly Conduct, Obstruction of Justice, and Assault & Battery on Police. He was held on no bond.

There has been a spate of assaults on law enforcement in Arlington recently. Two other notable incidents were reported over Thanksgiving weekend.

ARLnow no longer publishes the names of suspects, with the exception of public figures, major criminal cases, and situations in which the suspect’s identity is a key component of the story. Suspect names are still published in Arlington crime reports.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Along Columbia Pike at sunset (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington Real Estate Still Hot — “Even as much of the rest of Northern Virginia is showing signs of cooling interest from prospective real-estate purchasers, many parts of Arlington remain hot-hot-hot even as the temperature gets cold-cold-cold. A number of those Arlington locales are among the strongest in the region.” [Sun Gazette]

Police: Don’t Leave Your Car Running — “The Arlington County Police Department is warning against leaving vehicles running unattended and is sharing crime prevention tips to help combat auto thefts. During the month of December, the police department has investigated five reports of idling vehicles being stolen. In all reported cases, the victims were running short errands – such as picking up food or making a purchase at a convenience store.” [ACPD]

APS Winter Break Starts Monday — From Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán: “I wibagsh you a great Winter Break, December 20-31! Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to serve Arlington students, and thank you for your partnership and support for Arlington Public Schools. In the spirit of the holiday season, I want to share this video message about kindness from students and staff.” [YouTube]

Reminder: Bag Tax Beginning — “Beginning Jan. 1, a disposable plastic shopping bag will get a 5-cent tax across much of Northern Virginia including Arlington County.” [Twitter]

It’s Thursday — Today will be mostly sunny and a bit breezy, with a high near 64. Sunrise at 7:20 a.m. and sunset at 4:47 p.m. Tomorrow will be partly sunny, with a high near 62, with rain likely at night. [Weather.gov]

Police nab four after spotting stolen car near Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

One 18-year-old and three people under the age of 18 were taken into police custody after officers spotted a stolen car between Rosslyn and Courthouse.

The incident happened shortly after noon on Tuesday, in the area of Wilson Blvd and N. Rhodes Street, after the car was reported stolen from elsewhere in northern Arlington the day before.

“An officer on patrol in the area of Wilson Boulevard and N. Rhodes Street observed the vehicle parked and occupied by four suspects,” said an Arlington County Police Department crime report today. “As the officer approached the vehicle, which had extensive cosmetic damage, the suspects attempted to flee on foot.”

“A brief foot pursuit ensued and one suspect was detained without incident,” the crime report continues. “Additional officers arriving in the area located the other three suspects on foot in the area of Langston Boulevard and N. Quinn Street and detained them without incident.”

An 18-year-old from Arlington was arrested is now facing charges for grand larceny auto and driving without a license.

“The three other juvenile subjects were released to their guardians,” the crime report says. “The investigation is ongoing.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Christmas tree in a plaza in Rosslyn, decorated for the holidays (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Extra DUI Enforcement Starts Today — “The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) is partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) during the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign… From December 15, 2021 – January 1, 2022, motorists nationwide can expect to see increased messaging about the dangers of driving under the influence, coupled with increased saturation patrols to identify and apprehend impaired drivers.” [ACPD, WJLA]

Historic Board Takes Up New Restaurant — “A proposal to turn the former Green Valley Pharmacy into an eatery will breathe new life into a structure that has been vacant for several years… Members of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) this week will consider a proposal to permit several exterior adjustments to the former Green Valley Pharmacy, which was operated by Leonard “Doc” Muse from 1952 until his death in 2017.” [Sun Gazette]

Metro Slowly Returning to Normal Service — “Metro today announced that it has reached another step in the process to restore the 7000-series railcars to service. The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) has informed Metro that it has no technical objections to the final plan submitted to gradually return nearly half of the 7000-series railcars to passenger service with the metered release of no more than 336 railcars.” [WMATA]

It’s Wednesday — Today will be partly sunny, with a high near 56. Sunrise at 7:20 a.m. and sunset at 4:47 p.m. Tomorrow will be partly sunny and a bit breezy, with a high near 62 and a low near 44. [Darksky]

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