police

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Announces ‘Health Equity’ Program — “Arlington County Government, Arlington Public Schools and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) are collaborating to increase access to COVID support services in communities disproportionately affected by the virus as part of the state’s Health Equity Pilot Program.” [Arlington County]

Group Calls for Removal of Police from APS — “Today, the Black Parents of Arlington, an advocacy group dedicated to improving the lives of Black children in Arlington by securing equitable treatment in the realms of education, criminal justice, and access to opportunities and resources, formally called for the removal of School Resource Officers from all APS schools and facilities.” The local NAACP made a similar call for the removal of SROs earlier this summer. [Press Release]

Police Share Back to School Tips — “The Police Department typically marks the start of the academic year by reinforcing transportation safety tips to ensure that our roadways are safely shared with students heading back to school. With the shift to distance learning, we’re sharing tips to help students stay safe at home and online.” [Arlington County]

Ballston Tech Firm Acquires NYC Company — “Since last fall, celebrity-backed HUNGRY Marketplace Inc. has been using its technology to connect top local chefs with New York businesses looking for the best in catered meals. Now the company is deepening its Manhattan presence with the purchase of Ripe, the local corporate catering service that sees healthy office dining as a way to build better communities and foster new ideas among coworkers.” [New York Business Journal]

Disaster Preparedness Tips — “National Preparedness Month (NPM) each September promotes family and community disaster planning now and throughout the year. As our nation continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no better time to get involved.” [Arlington County]

Photo courtesy Josh Folb

BREAKING: Large Police Response on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
1/12

(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) Columbia Pike was blocked in both directions between S. Highland Street and Walter Reed Drive Tuesday evening due to a significant police incident.

A police spokeswoman tells ARLnow that three officers were attacked by a combative person inside a business. DCist identified that business as the Virginia ABC store, reporting that police were called after a drunk man stumbled in and started angrily yelling at employees and other customers.

“At approximately 6:25 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of a fight inside a business in the 2900 block of Columbia Pike,” said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Arriving officers made contact with the suspect, who was combative and assaulted three officers.”

The officers called for backup, leading to the large emergency response. Nearly a dozen police vehicles and two ambulances could be seen on traffic cameras.

“The officers are being transported to an area hospital with injuries that are considered non-life threatening,” Savage said. “The suspect was taken into custody and is being transported to an area hospital for evaluation.”

The closed portion of Columbia Pike reopened around 7:45 p.m.

On Wednesday morning, ACPD released more information about the incident in its daily crime report.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING ON LAW ENFORCEMENT, 2020-09080136, 2900 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 6:25 p.m. on September 8, police were dispatched to the report of an intoxicated male inside a business who was allegedly acting disorderly after being refused service. Shortly after the initial call, the reporting party updated that the suspect was now fighting with customers inside the business and was threatening employees. Arriving officers located the male suspect outside the business. When officers attempted to handcuff the suspect, he became combative, actively resisted and assaulted three officers. During the struggle, two officers suffered head injuries and one officer was kicked and struck by the suspect. Officers were able to gain control of the suspect and take him into custody. The suspect was not injured. The officers were transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. As a precaution, the suspect was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Once medically cleared, Daniel Michael, 45, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding on Law Enforcement (x2), Assault and Battery on Police, Assault & Battery (x2). He was held on no bond.

Two Arrested After Weekend Robbery on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Two men in their late teens are facing felony charges police say they robbed a store on Columbia Pike over the weekend.

The robbery happened around 1 p.m. on Saturday, according to county police. An Arlington Alert sent that afternoon said it happened at 2340 Columbia Pike, which is the address of Wireless Rxx — a computer and phone repair shop and retailer that was struggling early in the pandemic.

According to police, three young male suspects entered the store and started trying to smash the display counter with rocks — when that didn’t work, they allegedly reached over the counter, stole merchandise, and then started throwing items at store employees before fleeing.

Two of the suspects were located by officers further west on Columbia Pike. Both were arrested, including one taken into custody after a foot chase, police said. Despite an extended search of the area, the third suspect was able to get away.

More from an ACPD daily crime report:

ROBBERY, 2020-09050122, 2300 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 1:03 p.m. on September 5, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery by force. Upon arrival, it was determined that three male suspects entered a business and attempted to smash a glass display counter with rocks they had concealed in their clothing. When that was unsuccessful, the suspects allegedly reached over the counter and stole merchandise. The suspects then threw merchandise at store employees and attempted to strike one employee before fleeing the scene on foot. A lookout for the suspects was broadcast to responding officers. Units canvassed the area and located two of the suspects in the 2700 block of Columbia Pike. One suspect fled on foot from officers and, following a brief foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into police custody. Delonte Roach, 18, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with Robbery, Conspiracy to Commit Felony and Eluding Police. Raymontae Ford, 19, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with Robbery, Conspiracy to Commit Felony and Obstruction of Justice. Both suspects were held without bond. Suspect Three remains outstanding and is described as a young Black male, medium height with a skinny build.

Courtesy photo

Arrest Made in Aggressive Cyclist Case

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police have arrested a man they say is the cyclist behind a series of “trail rage” incidents on local trails.

On Friday, ACPD issued a community warning about a middle-aged man who had aggressively cursed at, mooned and in some cases struck pedestrians, in at least five separate incidents along trails in Arlington. Police say they received “numerous tips” over the weekend, which led them to identify a suspect.

“On the evening of Sunday, September 6, police executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence and took him into custody without incident,” police said in a press release today. “David Marlowe, 55, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with Robbery, Assault and Battery (x3), Indecent Exposure (x5) and Felony Possession with the Intent to Distribute Marijuana. He is being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility on no bond.”

Marlowe is accused of striking several people in fits of rage, attempting to steal one victim’s cell phone, and exposing his buttocks on numerous occasions. The marijuana charge against him was not further explained in the press release.

On Friday, a police spokeswoman told ARLnow that the department was “working with our regional partners” to try to determine whether the same suspect might be behind similar incidents on other trails, including a August 13 confrontation on the Mt. Vernon Trail that’s being investigated by U.S. Park Police.

Police say they’re continuing to investigate and are seeking additional information about the case.

The investigation into the suspect’s actions is ongoing. Anyone with additional information related to this investigation is asked to contact the 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). Members of the public reporting additional criminal incidents are asked to use the police department’s online reporting system.

Photos courtesy Arlington County Police Department

Arlington School Board Discusses Upcoming Review ACPD In Schools

By Joseph Ramos

The Arlington School Board is setting the stage for a process that would evaluate the Arlington County Police Department’s role in Arlington Public Schools.

The School Board heard an update from APS staff on the relationship between APS and ACPD’s School Resource Officers (SROs) last night.

The plan is to form a work group to evaluate how SROs have impacted APS since they entered schools in 1969, to listen to input from the community and the police department, and to ultimately provide a report to the School Board and Superintendent Francisco Durán with recommendations on ACPD’s operations in APS.

The proposed timeline has the group being formed throughout the fall, starting work in December and presenting a report by June 2021.

Since June 1, the School Board has received 265 messages from the public regarding the role of police in schools, according to a presentation given in the session. Attendees of the session said the concerns expressed in these messages, coupled with months of local and national calls for police reform, are what led to a work group being created.

“Due to our national narrative as well as much community input that we have received, we have decided it is time to evaluate and examine our partnership with ACPD and, specifically, to review our long-standing practice of School Resource Officers in our schools,” Durán said.

The group will have up to 48 members representing APS students, parents and staff as well as ACPD and relevant County advisory groups. Potential recommendations could range from making specific adjustments to APS’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ACPD, which sets parameters for SROs, to removing all SROs from schools and ending APS’s relationship with the police department.

Eliseo Pilco, lieutenant of ACPD’s SRO unit, said that under the current agreement officers provide a variety of services to schools. He said duties include educating students on subjects like substance abuse, providing security for sporting events and evening school meetings, and acting as threat assessment supervisors.

Pilco added that officers help make schools more secure and provide a trusted point of contact for reporting drugs, violence or threats in school.

APS’s presentation described a racial disproportionality in student suspension rates during the 2019-2020 school year.

Hispanic students make up 28% of all APS students, but they received 45% of all suspensions. Black students make up 10% of all students, but received 26% of all suspensions. White students make up 46% of students, and received 19% of all suspensions. APS served 779 suspension in the school year, and all school discipline is the responsibility of school administrators and teachers, the presentation noted.

The work group will prioritize community involvement, with the first public hearing expected to take place in January 2021, according to the presentation.

“It is imperative that we have this conversation as a community, that we’re able to ask questions about whether or not our children feel safer now with the new revelations that are being seen across the county,” School Board Chair Monique O’Grady said.

Approving the work group will be an action item in the School Board’s September 24 meeting and, if approved, applications to be a part of it set set to open October 9.

Image via Arlington County

Father Arrested and Charged with Son’s Murder in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

The father of a man killed in Arlington’s Green Valley neighborhood this spring has been arrested and charged with his murder.

Marshall Stephens, 45, was found dead the evening of April 23, in the driver’s seat of a car parked on the 1900 block of S. Lowell Street. Police said Thursday that 65-year-old Marshall Stephens, Sr. shot and killed his son in a “domestic-related homicide.”

The victim was an Arlington resident while the elder Stephens is a resident of Baltimore County, Maryland. Stephens, Sr. is currently being held in the Arlington County jail on a charge of murder and a weapons violation.

More from Arlington County police:

The investigation determined this incident to be a domestic-related homicide. Marshall Stephens Sr., 65, of Parkville, MD, has been arrested and charged with Murder and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. He is being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit 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).

A police spokeswoman said the department does not speculate about motives and did not have any additional information to release.

Stephens’ death was the second of three homicides so far this year in Arlington.

New Police Practices Review Board Fields Public’s Questions

By Joseph Ramos

Arlington County’s new police practices review board answered questions from the public about its goals and methods in a virtual meeting Monday.

The board, announced in July by County Manager Mark Schwartz, used the meeting to elaborate on how it would “ensure that the Arlington County Police Department is current with policing best practices and continue to build trust between our police and the community” through its review.

Its work comes in the wake of increased community complaints about ACPD, local activists’ recent demands for police reform and a national reckoning on policing after George Floyd’s killing by police.

Questions were directed at representatives of the review board’s two parts: an external assessment of ACPD by a hired firm, and a 16 person Police Practices Group (PPG) with four subcommittees.

Marcia Thompson, a civil rights attorney and vice president of law enforcement consulting at Hillard Heintze, is leading her firm’s ACPD assessment.

When asked how Hillard Heintze will conduct its review, Thompson said it will first comb through ACPD data to compile a quantitative report on policies and practices like use of force. The firm will then create a qualitative report based on a climate survey and interviews with police officers and community members who have relevant lived experience.

Thompson said the firm will compare its findings to what are considered best practices for community policing, a standard set by the U.S. Department of Justice and policing accreditation groups like CALEA.

She added that reviews like this are typically asked for by police departments dealing with a publicized incident or failure, but she does not think similar pressure compelled Arlington.

“This is a progressive move by a department to actually have someone coming in and look at their practices,” Thompson said. “They have no idea what our outcomes are going to be, so that’s a very bold step that they took to have someone come in to look at their work.”

The remainder of the community’s questions were about the PPG, whose members are largely Arlington-based. The group consists of four subcommittees, with each looking at an ACPD policy area.

“Our end goal is to be able to take the assessment work that [Thompson] and her team are doing and combine it with community engagement work that the PPG group is doing, to present a set of recommendations to the County Manager by the middle of December,” Julie Shedd, the associate dean at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and the PPG’s expert consultant, said.

Each subcommittee chair spoke in the meeting about what their intentions are and methods of analysis will be.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

ACLU Suit Names ACPD Captain — Arlington County Police Department Captain Wayne Vincent has been added, in his personal capacity, to the ACLU lawsuit over the actions by police to clear protesters from Lafayette Square ahead of President Trump walking from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church. Some twenty ACPD officers, who are not named, are also being sued over the use of force and chemical irritants. [WTOP, ACLU]

Where APS Students Are Going to College — “The following is a list of the colleges and universities where Arlington Public Schools high school graduates (Class of 2020) applied and where they were accepted.” [Arlington Magazine]

Sen. Kaine in Arlington Today — “On Thursday, September 3, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine will host a socially distant conversation in Arlington with local leaders to discuss the work being done to support the Latino community in Northern Virginia, as reports show Latino communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.” The closed event is taking place at an apartment building near Columbia Pike this afternoon. [Press Release]

Bus Project Likely to Be Funded — “A project submitted by the Arlington County government remains in contention for Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) funding, even as a number of other regional projects have been delayed for consideration due to sharp dropoffs in available funding. As a result, the Arlington project — an HOV- and bus-only lane on Route 29 in Rosslyn during rush hour — is likely to receive the $710,000 in regional funds being sought to help with the overall project cost.” [InsideNova]

Local Group Supports Eviction Moratorium — “Leaders of VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) cautiously welcomed the announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of a nationwide eviction moratorium through Dec. 31, but noted that Congress and the Administration still need to work together to provide significant funding to prevent huge rental housing market instability after the ban expires.” [Press Release]

State Suspends Liquor License of Lounge That Has Been the Scene of Multiple Shootings

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Purple Ethiopian Restaurant & Lounge has had its permit to serve beer, wine and liquor suspended by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority.

The nightlife venue at 3111 Columbia Pike was the scene of a double shooting over the weekend. A 33-year-old Maryland man, who was wounded by armed security guards after allegedly firing into a crowd in the parking lot, has been charged in the case.

Purple Lounge was also the scene of a shooting last September, in which a man was shot in the abdomen outside the venue. That and a myriad of complaints and violations led the Arlington County Board to revoke its live entertainment permit in December.

After the latest shooting, Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey told ARLnow that the county would “explore all the options” with respect to Purple Lounge. Today, the county announced the suspension of the ABC license in a brief statement.

Following a series of disturbing events associated with the Purple Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge, LLC on Columbia Pike, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority issued an Order of Summary Suspension temporarily suspending its alcohol licenses effective September 1, 2020. Arlington County fully supports this action and will continue to work collaboratively with Virginia ABC throughout this process.

The incident on Sunday morning (Aug. 30) at the Purple Lounge is the latest in a series of disturbances associated with the establishment. The County Manager is working with the County Board to explore all the options available to us within and around the property.

Arlington County is a safe place to live, work and play, and we are committed to addressing problems that present potential threats to our public health and safety.

Virginia ABC’s summary of its decision to suspend the license contains additional details about the weekend shooting and another shooting earlier this summer.

The report says that a dispute between venue staff and a group of people who were denied entry into the lounge just before 5 a.m. on Sunday prompted one of the members of the group to pull out of a gun and start firing in the air. That, in turn, led to a security guard firing back, striking one person in the shoulder and grazing another’s neck.

The report also says that a previously-reported triple shooting in June along Columbia Pike was the result of a dispute that started at Purple Lounge.

“On June 28, 2020, there was an incident of gunfire where following an altercation inside the establishment the suspect drove away from the area and then fired a gun into the crowd in the parking lot of the business leaving two people injured,” Virginia ABC said.

Arlington County Police did not previously reveal that shooting’s connection with Purple Lounge. The ABC report does not reference the fact that a third person was shot and killed in a car during the incident, a crime for which two people were subsequently arrested.

ACPD Warns of New Mail-Based Scam

By ARLnow.com

Scammers are sending letters to Arlington residents, fraudulently claiming to be Arlington County authorities and threatening punishment if a debt is not paid over the phone.

The Arlington County Police Department issued a warning about the scam today, showing images of scam letters that appear to come from an official source. The scammers claim to be part of a non-existent “Benefits Suspension Unit” or “Tax Processing Unit,” and threaten to cut off Social Security benefits or seize wages, police say.

Those that receive such letters are encouraged to report them to police via an online form.

More from ACPD:

The Arlington County Police Department is warning the public about scam mailings that threaten individuals with seizure of their wages and Social Security benefits to satisfy alleged non-payment of taxes. Recipients are instructed to call a toll-free number by a set date or further enforcement action will be taken against them.

The mailings use a fraudulent government seal and are sent from the ‘Benefits Suspension Unit, Arlington County, Public Judgement Records’ and/or the ‘Tax Processing Unit, Internal Processing Service, Arlington County, Public Judgement Records.’ This office does not exist.

If you have been a victim or target of a scam in Arlington County, report to police using the online crime report.

Scammers may use various techniques to fool potential victims. Avoid becoming a victim by following these practices:

  • Be suspicious of any unsolicited phone calls, emails, mailings or in-person solicitations which request funds or claim that you owe money.
  • Never use a phone number provided to you from an individual making threats to verify their credibility. Use a verified phone number to contact a government agency if you’re concerned you might owe money.
  • Avoid unusual payment methods. No government agency will instruct you to resolve your debt using a payment method such as Bitcoin, money wires, mailed cash or gift cards.
  • Keep your information private. Don’t share your personal information with organizations you are unfamiliar with, don’t have ties to and did not initiate contact with.
  • Take your time. If you are requested to act quickly or there is a stated emergency, it may be a scam. Scammers create a sense of urgency to get you to act impulsively.
  • If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

More Crashes at Rock Spring Intersection, Despite New Signs

By ARLnow.com
1/8

“We’ve seen too many accidents here. Think [before] you cross!”

So reads signs recently placed on Little Falls Road, at the crash-prone intersection with Old Dominion Drive, below signs restricting traffic to right turns only during rush hour. A few yards from the signs, around lunchtime Friday, was yet another crash.

The two-vehicle, T-bone crash involving an SUV and a minivan resulted in at least one vehicle occupant, a young woman who was visibly shaken, being evaluated by medics. A young girl appeared to have been riding in a car seat in the minivan at the time but was uninjured.

“It’s always this intersection here,” a police officer directing traffic could be heard saying to a passerby.

Friday’s crash was the eleventh so far this year at Old Dominion and Little Falls, according to Arlington County Police Department data. By comparison, there were 14 crashes there during all of 2019 and 13 throughout 2018.

Locals have long known the intersection — with no stop for Old Dominion traffic and limited sightlines for Little Falls traffic — to be dangerous, so much so that three years ago a 13-year-old took it upon himself to start a petition for safety changes, ultimately leading to the rush hour restrictions. Though the restrictions have been in place for a year, the crashes have not slowed down.

A wreck in May sent an SUV careening over the sidewalk and into the front yard of a home in the corner. No injuries were reported. A subsequent ARLnow morning poll found that more than 70% of respondents think a four-way stop or a traffic signal should be installed at the intersection.

There was another two-vehicle crash at the intersection on Monday, though it’s not clear whether it actually occurred in the intersection.

No additional changes are currently planned for the intersection, though some may be forthcoming — eventually.

Arlington County officials tell ARLnow that VDOT has applied for grant funding for the intersection on the county’s behalf, a process that might take some time.

“This intersection continues to pose safety challenges, and has been investigated by our Transportation Engineering and Operations (TE&O) staff,” said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey. “As the intersection is under VDOT control, we’ve applied to the VDOT STARS (Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions) program for grant funding.”

Hui Wang, Arlington’s Transportation Engineering and Operations Bureau Chief, said the state grant would help fund a study that will then provide recommendations for safety changes.

“If approved, VDOT has a group conducting comprehensive review of all aspects with community engagement included,” Wang said.

Garvey said she has also asked about “interim solutions.”

“I’ve asked our staff for a briefing to better understand the situation and, if there are any further interim solutions to pursue, I’m hopeful we can advanced them,” she said.

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