Route 50

UPDATE: Man Charged After Multi-Vehicle Crash That Closed Route 50

By ARLnow.com
1/14

Route 50 was temporarily blocked at Fillmore Street during the evening rush after multiple crashes that might have been the result of an attempted hit-and-run by an impatient driver.

It started with a crash near the intersection of S. Fillmore Street and 2nd Street S. around 5:15 p.m. A resident who lives near the intersection described what happened, in an account that matched police radio traffic.

“A car attempted to pass another car on [a] narrow street [with a] cop coming the other way,” said the resident, Casey Phillips. The driver “tried to go between the two cars and hit a pregnant lady driving an SUV. Then [the] vehicle fled and wound up causing [a] much larger accident at the intersection of Fillmore and 50.”

At least four vehicles were damaged in the crashes, including the Toyota sedan driven by the suspected hit-and-run driver. Another witness, who spoke to police and to ARLnow.com, said the man tried to push through traffic at Route 50 and Fillmore and almost struck his van, as well.

The suspect was stopped just north of the intersection and handcuffed, reportedly by the officer whose cruiser was nearly involved in the first crash. An Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman could not immediately confirm whether he was arrested and will face charges.

The spokeswoman said that one person — understood to be the pregnant woman whose vehicle was struck near 2nd Street S. — was transported to Virginia Hospital Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

While the Route 50 closure lasted only a few minutes, N. Fillmore Street was blocked between Route 50 and 1st Street N. for at least an hour while multiple tow crews worked to haul away some of the vehicles involved in the incident.

Update at 4:55 p.m. — The driver, a 27-year-old Alexandria resident, was arrested and is facing multiple charges. From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, 2017-02150218, Arlington Boulevard at N. Fillmore Street. At approximately 5:15 p.m. on February 15, an officer on routine patrol was driving south in the 200 block of S. Fillmore Street when a vehicle crossed the double yellow line and allegedly attempted to strike the marked patrol vehicle. The officer was able to avoid the collision and activated his emergency lights in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The suspect vehicle continued on, striking a vehicle traveling northbound. The suspect vehicle continued to drive north on S. Fillmore Street and entered the intersection with Arlington Boulevard against a red light. The suspect vehicle then struck two other vehicles. The officer was then able to stop the vehicle and take the driver into custody without further incident. Sulaiman Kanu, 27, of Alexandria Va, was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding of a Law Enforcement Officer and Attempted Malicious Wounding (3 X).  He is being held without bond. One victim was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police Investigate Three-Car Crash Along Route 50

By Tim Regan
1/5

(Updated at 10:30 p.m.) Police and firefighters responded to a serious three-vehicle crash on Arlington Blvd (Route 50) Thursday afternoon.

The collision happened on Route 50 near Glebe Road sometime after 4 p.m. One person was trapped and knocked unconscious in the crash, according to scanner traffic.

Rescuers freed the victim from the car and transported him or her to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital. It was not immediately clear how extensive that person’s injuries were.

Authorities shut down a portion of Route 50 shortly after the crash.

Photos: Five-Vehicle Crash on Route 50

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Police and firefighters responded to a five-vehicle crash on westbound Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) this afternoon.

The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. in the area of N. Columbus Street. No serious injuries were reported.

A nearby resident said crashes are common on this stretch of Route 50.

“Happens too often,” said Michael Thomas.

Rollover Crash Closes WB Route 50 Monday Morning

By ARLnow.com

Rolled-over vehicle on Route 50 (photo courtesy ACPD)

(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) A crash involving at least two vehicles, including one that rolled over on its roof, closed westbound Route 50 for part of the morning commute.

The crash was reported around 7:30 a.m. at the intersection with Irving Street.

One person had to be extricated from the rolled-over vehicle. That individual, an adult male, was transported to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

From the Arlington County police and fire departments, via Twitter:

Photo courtesy ACPD

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rosslyn at night, as seen from the Key Bridge

Woman Hit By SUV on Route 50 — A woman was struck and critically injured by an SUV while crossing Route 50 at Fillmore Street during Monday’s evening rush hour. The victim is expected to survive; lanes were closed while police investigated the crash. Nearby residents say the intersection is dangerous and accident-prone. [WUSA9, Twitter]

House Fire in Arlington View — There was an unusual house fire last night in the Arlington View neighborhood near Hoffman-Boston Elementary. A house’s gas meter caught fire, spreading flames into the home’s basement. The blaze was quickly extinguished, sparing the home from major damage. [Twitter, Twitter, Twitter]

Man Pleads Guilty in Hot Car Case — The man who accidentally left a friend’s two-year-old child in the backseat of a car, causing the toddler’s death, has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Daiquan Fields was sentenced to a net six months in jail, time he had already served since the April incident, and is now on supervised probation. [NBC Washington]

Bonnie Black Murder Case Begins — The estranged husband of slain south Arlington mom Bonnie Black is now on trial for her murder. The trial of David Black started with opening statements on Monday; this morning witnesses for the prosecution are expected to be called. [WJLA]

Crystal City Post Office Moving — The post office along Crystal Drive in Crystal City is moving a few blocks down the road. The existing post office will be closed Thursday and Friday and the new post office, at 2180 Crystal Drive, will open Monday, Oct. 31. [Patch]

High Praise for Ambar — New Clarendon restaurant Ambar, which opened this month in the former Boulevard Woodgrill space, may get an indirect boost from TripAdvisor rankings. Ambar’s original Capitol Hill location is listed as the top-ranked D.C. area restaurant on TripAdvisor. [Washingtonian]

Amputee Athlete Visits Students — “Ghanian athlete and activist Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah recently visited with Arlington students to share his message that physical disabilities should not stop individuals from achieving their destiny.” [InsideNova]

Crash Closes Route 50 Ramp

By Jackie Friedman
1/4

Arlington County police and medics were called to a two-vehicle collision on the ramp from Arlington Blvd (Route 50) to Washington Blvd.

The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. Thursday and closed the ramp for at least half an hour. Three people were evaluated for possible injuries but there were no reports of anyone being seriously hurt.

Two witnesses told ARLnow.com that the driver of a Ford sedan plowed into the side of an SUV while trying to turn onto the ramp.

TRAFFIC ALERT: WB Route 50 Closed Due to Bank Robbery

By ARLnow.com

Route 50 closed due to bank robberyUpdate at 7 p.m. — All roads are back open again.

Update at 6:30 p.m. — Route 50 is closed in both directions again, according to WTOP and Fairfax County Police.

Update at 6 p.m. — Route 50 has reopened to traffic in both directions, WTOP reports.

Meanwhile, Metro commuters also had to deal with delays during this evening’s commute. A disabled train at the Courthouse station prompted single tracking and serious delays on the Orange and Silver lines.

Westbound Route 50 has been closed at N. Manchester Street, near Kenmore Middle School, due to a bank robbery investigation in Seven Corners.

The robbery was reported this afternoon at the TD Bank at 6198 Arlington Blvd. Initial reports suggest that the suspect told bank employees he had a bomb, then left a suspicious package in the bank before fleeing the scene.

Route 50 is closed near the bank, as Fairfax County police and the bomb squad investigate. Arlington County Police have closed westbound Route 50 at N. Manchester Street, not far from the county line, and as of 5:15 p.m. had also shut down access to westbound Route 50 from Glebe Road.

DEVELOPING: Teen Sexually Assaulted on Way Home from School

By ARLnow.com

2600 block of Arlington Blvd (photo via Google Maps)A 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on her way home from school Friday afternoon.

The assault was reported around 3:30 p.m., on the 2600 block of Arlington Blvd. Initial reports suggest that a man reached up the teen’s skirt and touched her inappropriately, before fleeing on foot.

The suspect was described as a Hispanic male in his late 40s, who was wearing work pants, work boots, a white hat and a white t-shirt at the time of the attack. Police are currently searching for the suspect.

Photo via Google Maps

Commuting Woes on Metro, Route 50 This Morning

By ARLnow.com

It was not a good morning commute if you were driving on Route 50 or riding Metro’s Orange or Silver lines over the last hour or so.

First, a crash on Route 50 at N. Fillmore Street around 8 a.m. left a vehicle on its side and one person trapped, before being extricated by firefighters. The eastbound lanes of Route 50 just reopened after an extended closure. Delays extends back several miles.

On Metro, a number of issues on the Orange and Silver line have produced big delays and crowded station.

As a bonus, there were also some issues on the Yellow and Blue lines.

I-395, Route 50, GW Parkway Jammed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Looking for evidence of a nightmare commute due to today’s Metrorail shutdown? Look no further than I-395.

I-395 is slow for the entire length of the highway, from the Beltway to the 14th Street Bridge. The good news is that traffic appears to be moving — just slowly.

Route 50 is also jammed, starting around Washington Blvd. The southbound lanes of the GW Parkway are slow from the bridge over Donaldson Run to Key Bridge, while northbound traffic is very heavy from Alexandria to the 14th Street Bridge. Washington Blvd is crawling all the way from I-395 to the Key Bridge.

There’s also heavier-than-usual traffic on some local roads. Clarendon Blvd is slow from Courthouse to Rosslyn. Eastbound Lee Highway jams up starting at N. Rhodes Street to Rosslyn. Pretty much the entire street grid of central Rosslyn is a mess.

There are some surprising bright spots: I-66 is pretty clear for most of the stretch inside the Beltway. Route 1 could be worse. And Columbia Pike traffic doesn’t appear to be out of the ordinary.

Despite the traffic mixed bag, it’s obvious that Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) doesn’t want to make the Metro shutdown a regular occurrence, based on his tweet below.

Arlington Police Officer Hurt in Route 50 Crash

By ARLnow.com
1/3

An Arlington County police officer was hospitalized this afternoon after his car was struck while responding to a call.

The crash happened around 2:00 p.m. at the intersection of Arlington Blvd (Route 50) and N. Pershing Drive.

The officer was responding to a domestic violence call involving a possible weapon and was turning onto Arlington Blvd from Pershing when his cruiser was “T-boned” by a vehicle traveling westbound on Route 50, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The officer was transported to Virginia Hospital Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was treated by paramedics on scene, Sternbeck said.

So far no charges have been filed. Police plan on reviewing footage from the cruiser’s dashboard camera as part of their investigation, which is still ongoing, Sternbeck said.

The injured officer has been on the force for fewer than three years, we’re told.

Westbound Route 50 was closed for about an hour while the scene was cleaned up and police investigated the accident.

Photos courtesy “Captain Awesome”

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