shooting

State Police: Bullet Fired on I-395

By ARLnow.com

Virginia State Police are investigating a shooting on I-395 near the Pentagon.

Someone fired a bullet through the front seat windows of a car driving on northbound I-395 near the HOV entrance and the Pentagon, according to VSP.

The incident happened just before 8 p.m. No one was injured and there have thus far been no arrests.

In a press release, state police are asking for the public’s help in tracking down the shooter.

Virginia State Police are seeking the public’s help with a shooting incident that occurred Thursday evening (March 22) in the northbound main lines of I-395 prior to the northbound HOV entrance in Arlington County. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Virginia State Police at 703-803-0026 or #77 on a cell phone or by email at [email protected].

At approximately 7:53 p.m., the Virginia State Police Fairfax Division received a call about a shot being fired at a vehicle. When Virginia Troopers arrived on scene, they found a white Toyota Corolla and a gray Hyundai Sonata stopped on the right shoulder of the northbound I-395 HOV lanes at the 9 mile marker. The Hyundai Sonata had a hole in the front seat, driver’s side window and another hole in the front seat, passenger side window. Further investigation confirmed that the holes were the result of a bullet entering the vehicle on the driver’s side and exiting the car through the passenger side window.

The driver in the Hyundai was not injured. No bullet was found inside or outside the vehicle, nor were there any other bullet holes in the Sonata.

The Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Corolla were traveling together at the time of the shooting. Neither driver could provide any description or license plate of a suspect vehicle.

Arlington County Police and Pentagon Police responded to the scene to assist State Police with the investigation, which remains ongoing at this time.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

More on Hit-and-Run Suspect Arrest — A lobbyist known for his promotion of conspiracy theories, particularly theories about the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich, says he was the victim of an incident that led to the arrest of a man in Fairlington on Saturday. Jack Burkman says the suspect, Kevin Doherty, shot him twice and tried to run him over with an SUV in the parking garage of the Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn. [Washington Post]

Isabella Sued for Sexual Harassment — “Celebrity chef Mike Isabella, the head of a $30 million culinary empire based in the nation’s capital, was sued Monday by a former top manager who claims that Isabella and his partners repeatedly sexually harassed her in the workplace… [The plaintiff] told The Post she joined Isabella’s company as a regional manager in 2015, helping to open his three Arlington, Va., properties.” [Washington Post]

Sprynt to Reopen for Season — Local free ride service Sprynt will be reopening for the season “in a few weeks,” according to founder Alex Villanueva. One of the company’s electric vehicles was seen parked in Clarendon last night with a “now hiring” sign on it. [Twitter]

Hotel Company Moving HQ to Crystal City — Interstate Hotels and Resorts is moving its headquarters from Ballston to Crystal City, per a press release. The company is leasing 35,000 square feet at 2011 Crystal Drive. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Vigil for Parkland — Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) was among those to speak at a candlelight vigil last night in Falls Church for the victims of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting. Beyer spoke in favor of stricter gun control measures. [Blue Virginia]

Police Investigate Sound of Gunshots — Arlington County Police investigated a report of shots fired near the intersection of Lee Highway and Glebe Road Friday night. No injuries were reported. [Twitter]

Fmr. Arlington Resident Convicted of Murder — “A jury found a man guilty of multiple counts related to an execution-style shooting that killed three people in a D.C. park in 1991. Benito Valdez, 47, formerly of Arlington, Virginia, was found guilty of first-degree murder while armed.” [WTOP]

Theater’s Pre-Oscar Deal — With the Academy Awards now less than two weeks away, the Regal cinema in Ballston is offering a special deal: a $35 pass to see all nine films nominated for Best Picture. [Patch]

Flyover This Morning — A military flyover is scheduled just after 11 a.m. this morning for a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Va. Bills Would Ban ‘Bump Stocks’ for Semi-Automatic Weapons

By Chris Teale
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Months after the mass shootings in Las Vegas, several legislators representing Arlington County have filed bills in the Virginia General Assembly to outlaw “bump stocks.”

After the October 1 shooting, which left 58 people dead and 546 injured, investigators found that gunman Stephen Paddock had modified some of the semi-automatic rifles in his hotel room with “bump stocks,” an attachment that allows the guns to fire faster.

And after Congress failed to act to ban them, local lawmakers will try to do so at the state level.

Del. Mark Levine and state Sens. Adam Ebbin and Barbara Favola (all D) each introduced legislation to ban any device “used to increase the rate of fire of any semi-automatic firearm beyond the capability of an unaided person to operate the trigger mechanism of that firearm.”

Anyone found to own, be making or selling such a device would be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor. The City of Columbia, S.C., recently passed an ordinance banning them.

At a work session with the Arlington County Board earlier this month, Levine expressed cautious optimism at getting “bump stocks” banned in Virginia.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do at the federal level, but we certainly shouldn’t have them in Virginia,” he said. “That, I would hope would be an easy lift, although of course, nothing is an easy lift when it comes to guns.”

Police: ‘Active and Ongoing Investigation’ into Nauck Drive-By Shooting

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police are still investigating a drive-by shooting in the Nauck neighborhood this past Sunday night.

Three male suspects in a dark van or SUV opened fire on a group of four juvenile near the intersection of 24th Street S. and Shirlington Road around 8:15 p.m., according to police. A resident who lives nearby emailed ARLnow.com and described a chaotic scene.

“Around 8:12 a series of approximately eight gunshots were heard followed by several individuals seen running through the neighborhood,” she said. The resident added later that she’s skeptical that no one in the neighborhood was able to give a better description of the vehicle or the suspects.

Police are treating the shooting as an “attempted malicious wounding” rather than attempted murder. ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage said the incident “remains an active and ongoing investigation by the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit.”

“Police have collected crime scene evidence, canvased the area and spoken with witnesses,” Savage said. “The events that preceded the shooting remain under investigation.”

“The Third District Community Policing Team has been in touch with community members since the incident occurred and is attending a tenants meeting in the community next week,” Savage continued. “Anyone who has information regarding this investigation is asked to call Detective Bertollini at703.228.4243 or [email protected]. Information can also be reported anonymously by calling the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).”

Photo via Google Maps

Police Tase Man Who Fired Gun Along S. Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Police chased and then used a Taser to subdue a suspect who was firing a gun along S. Glebe Road early Friday morning.

That’s according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report. Police say a 27-year-old Arlington man was seen firing the gun on the 2400 block of S. Glebe Road, just north of I-395, around 2:45 a.m.

He was tased and arrested after a foot pursuit, police say. More from the crime report:

DISCHARGE OF A FIREARM, 2017-10130034, 2400 block of S. Glebe Road. At approximately 2:45 a.m. on October 13, police were dispatched to the report of a male suspect discharging a firearm. An arriving officer observed the suspect discard the firearm and attempt to flee the area on foot. A foot pursuit was initiated and after the suspect disregarded officer commands, a Taser was deployed and the suspect was taken into custody. No injuries were reported from the discharge of the firearm. Keith Murphy, 27, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with felon in possession of a firearm and credit card theft. The investigation is ongoing.

“The reason for the shooting remains under investigation,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.com. “It is not believed the suspect was shooting at any particular person or location. This was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Reaction to Las Vegas Shooting — Reactions from local officials are beginning to come in in response to the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert, which is now the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. “Will the corporate gun lobby please wake up? #PrayersAreNotEnough #HowManyMore?” tweeted state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D). Meanwhile, a “gun violence prevention roundtable” planned today in Alexandria, with former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, has been cancelled “in light of today’s events.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Stats Behind Arlington’s Millennial Growth — The growth rate of Arlington’s millennial population between 2007 and 2013 was 82 percent, the highest in the nation. Meanwhile, development and transportation stats bear out how Arlington is growing and attracting young people. For instance, only 44 percent of Arlington’s population drives alone to work, compared to the 76.4 percent national average. [Bisnow]

Conservative Reporter vs. Donut Store Employee — Ashley Rae Goldenberg, a reporter for the conservative Media Research Center who goes by the Twitter handle @Communism_Kills, says she was harassed on Twitter by an employee of the new Dunkin’ Donuts store in Virginia Square. [Twitter]

Bomb Threat at Rosslyn Building — Updated at 11:15 a.m. — Someone called 911 with a bomb threat against an office building on the 1100 block of Wilson Blvd Thursday evening. That is the same block as TV station WJLA (ABC 7). No explosives were found during a police search of the building. [Patch, Arlington County]

Teen Provides Art to the Formerly Homeless — Allison Stocks, a 15-year-old sophomore at Yorktown High School, founded a nonprofit that takes donations of art and then provides it to those “making the transition from homeless shelters into permanent housing,” thus helping to cover bare walls and make their new home feel more homey. [Washington Post]

Local Gamer Raises Money for Hurricane Relief — In the wake of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, local resident Scott Jones helped raise more than $1,700 for disaster relief by broadcasting a 24-hour video game marathon from his Arlington apartment. Jones is one of numerous gamers who have used their gaming skills to raise serious cash for charitable causes. [Los Angeles Times]

Sports Pub Employees to Stand During Anthem — Late last week the Crystal City Sports Pub (529 23rd Street S.) sent a press release to broadcast outlets saying that its employees would “stand united for the national anthem” during Sunday’s football games. [WJLA]

Report: Police Justified in Officer-Involved Shooting

By Chris Teale

A report released Tuesday by Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos found that Arlington County Police officers were justified in shooting a man near I-395 in May and will not face charges.

Two officers, Steven Yanda and Matt Chattillion, shot 28-year-old Daniel George Boak of Centreville on May 17 around 4:30 p.m. after he struck Yanda with his black pickup truck. The officers were attempting a traffic stop at the highway’s Glebe Road exit.

“The totality of the circumstances confronting Officer Yanda and Officer Chattillion at that moment presented an imminent danger of serious injury or death to Officer Yanda and potentially a danger to others at the scene, thereby justifying the use of deadly force to defend Officer Yanda and others,” Stamos wrote.

Stamos’ report said that Boak did not comply with officers’ commands to show his hands when he stopped, and he instead accelerated into Yanda, pinned him against a white Toyota sedan in front with his car and continued to accelerate.

“I could feel pressure on my leg increasing,” Stamos quotes Yanda as saying in his statement to investigators. “He wasn’t just bumping me and then reversing. He continued to come forward. So, it seemed he was trying to injure or kill me. I feared for my life.”

Both fired into the vehicle and struck Boak four times: in the head, neck chest and forearm. Another officer who arrived on scene then placed the car into reverse to free his colleague. Boak was pronounced dead at Virginia Hospital Center at approximately 5:30 p.m. that same day, after the officers attempted CPR.

Stamos said the officers’ statements on the incident were consistent, as well as the statements from civilians in cars nearby. Stamos added that video from Yanda’s in-car camera and from a balcony overlooking the exit show him trapped between the two cars.

A blood sample found that Boak had traces of cocaine, morphine and heroin in his bloodstream, as well as a zip lock baggie in his car containing a small amount of cocaine and a glass-tube smoking device that contained cocaine residue. Stamos also noted that Boak’s family members said he had a heroin addiction and “problems with authority.”

UPDATED: Man Arrested for Shooting Near Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:20 p.m.) Arlington County Police arrested a man last night in connection with a shooting that happened Wednesday morning and a brandishing incident Wednesday night.

The shooting happened on the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street, near Columbia Pike. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the suspect fled the scene.

Last night, around 10:30 p.m., residents who live in the area of the Pike and S. Glebe Road reported a helicopter continuously circling the neighborhood.

On Thursday morning, police confirmed to ARLnow.com that the helicopter was in the air for reasons “related to the shooting.”

Update at 2:15 p.m. — A 24-year-old Arlington resident has been arrested and charged in the shooting, ACPD announced Thursday afternoon. The man was arrested near the Pentagon City Metro station after he brandished a gun at a woman on Columbia Pike last night, police say.

More from a police press release:

An Arlington man has been arrested and charged for his involvement in a shooting in the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street. Nicholas Nichols, 24, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with Aggravated Malicious Wounding, Possession of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He is being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility on no bond.

At approximately 7:04 a.m. on August 23, Arlington County Police officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street for the report of a shooting. Arriving officers located one male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The 26-year-old victim was transported by Fairfax County Medics to George Washington University Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The investigation determined that the shooting occurred following an altercation between known acquaintances. The suspect fled the area prior to police arrival. A perimeter was established and a canvas of the area returned with negative results.

At approximately 9:37 p.m. on August 23, police were dispatched to the 3700 block of Columbia Pike for the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined a male suspect brandished a firearm during a dispute with a known female victim. The suspect fled the area on foot prior to police arrival. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect in the brandishing was the suspect in the earlier shooting in the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street.

A perimeter was established and the Fairfax County Police Helicopter Unit responded to aid in the search. Officers from the Arlington County Police TAC Unit located the suspect in the area of S. Hayes Street and 12th Street S. and took him into custody without incident as he attempted to board a bus.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing. Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact Detective J. Trainer of the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4185 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

BREAKING: Police Investigate Shooting on S. Frederick Street

By Chris Teale

(Updated 9:15 a.m.) Arlington County Police are investigating a shooting that took place this morning close to Columbia Pike.

Police said around 8:30 a.m. that a man has been transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being shot on the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street. The area is close to the Carlyle House condo building, the Columbia Grove apartment building and Bailey’s Branch Park.

Officers remain on scene investigating. Police said it appears to be an isolated incident, with the suspected shooter described as a thin black male with dreadlocks wearing a gray hoodie.

After searching the area, police said they had not found the suspect, but that they believe there is no threat to the larger community.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 703-558-2222.

Image via Google Maps.

ACPD Releases Results of Preliminary Investigation Into Officer-Involved Shooting

By ARLnow.com

The police officers who shot and killed a man during a traffic stop last month acted properly and within “established guidelines,” according to the results of a preliminary investigation.

The shooting happened Monday, May 17 during a traffic stop on the Glebe Road off-ramp of I-395. In a statement released Friday afternoon, the Arlington County Police Department said that the suspect was shot after he used his truck to pin an officer against another vehicle.

The full ACPD press release is below.

The preliminary investigation into the officer involved shooting on May 17, 2017 has been completed. Chief M. Jay Farr announced today, “this incident remains an active police investigation, however, based on the information revealed during the preliminary investigation, we believe that our officers’ actions were prudent, reasonable and within our established guidelines.”

To summarize this incident, at approximately 4:32 p.m. on May 17, 2017, Arlington County Police attempted a traffic stop on a wanted suspect traveling on I-395 at Jefferson Davis Highway based on a lookout received from a license plate reader. The suspect initially stopped for officers, but fled the scene and maneuvered around the officers and continued traveling along I-395. The officers continued to travel in the same direction as the suspect vehicle but no pursuit was initiated. The suspect exited I-395 at Glebe Road where he encountered heavy traffic and officers again attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Based on officer accounts as well as independent witnesses and crime scene evidence, when officers approached the vehicle on foot, the suspect initially stopped the vehicle and opened the door but then made a decision to close the vehicle door, place it in drive and ultimately struck an officer pinning him against another vehicle. At that time, shots were fired by officers, injuring the suspect. Officers were then able to move the suspect vehicle and free the officer. Officers performed life saving measures on the suspect before he was transported to Virginia Hospital Center where he later succumbed to his injuries. The officers involved were Officer S. Yanda and Corporal M. Chattillion.

We are committed to protecting and serving the citizens of Arlington County and remaining transparent with the public. Upon completion of our investigation, the findings will be provided to the Commonwealth Attorney for independent review and additional information may be released at that time.

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