standoff

Florida woman faces litany of charges after reported break-in and standoff

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

(Updated at 4 p.m.) A Florida resident is facing 19 separate charges after police responded to a residential break-in yesterday.

Police were first dispatched to a home on N. Powhatan Street, in the Highland Park-Overlee Knolls neighborhood, around 4 p.m. for a reported burglary in progress. It’s unclear how that incident ended, but officers responded back to the same block just over three hours later and a standoff ensued.

“At approximately 7:23 p.m., police were dispatched to the 2300 block of N. Powhatan Street for the report of suspicious circumstances,” Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, the incident was determined to be a burglary in progress. Responding officers gave the female suspect commands to exit the residence which she refused to comply with and remained inside.”

Neighbors took note of the activity, with someone posting on the Ring Neighbors website that “ACPD currently has about 5 squad cars and 5+ officers standing outside a residence holding the door at gunpoint.”

“Officers continued to provide commands and subsequently took the suspect into custody,” Savage said. “She was taken into custody at approximately 8:49 p.m.”

Officers were subsequently dispatched to the home for evidence collection and scene security.

The suspect, Vivian Vann, is being held at the Arlington County jail on an array of charges, with alleged crimes in Arlington starting on Sept. 18.

“During a search of her property, police recovered identifications, credit cards and other documents related to fraudulent activity,” an ACPD crime report released Thursday afternoon added. “The investigation also determined the suspect had allegedly entered a residence in the 1400 block of S. Quincy Street.”

According to court and jail records, the charges against Vann include:

  • Grand larceny auto (x2)
  • Forging public records (x4)
  • Obtaining money or property >=$1,000 by false pretenses
  • Impersonating a law enforcement officer
  • Identity theft (x3)
  • Identity theft with over $1,000 in losses and 5+ victims, resulting in the arrest of a victim
  • Unlawful entry
  • Burglary
  • Credit card forgery
  • Procuring a vehicle with intent to defraud
  • Manufacturing, selling and/or possessing fake identification (x2)
  • Financially exploiting a mentally incapacitated person

Vann — listed as a resident of Dania Beach, Florida — is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 18, after an arraignment today.

News articles and court records show that she has faced a variety of theft, identity theft and fraud charges in Florida and elsewhere dating back to 2003 and as recently as 2022.

Hat tip to Matthew Young

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Air Force Memorial on a snowy night (Flickr pool photo by Nathan Jones)

Local Closures Due to Winter Storm — In addition to Arlington Public Schools being closed due to today’s winter storm, Arlington County government has shifted to virtual operations, recreation centers and libraries are closed, and ART buses are operating on a severe service plan.

Federal Offices Are Closed, Too — From the U.S. Office of Personnel Management: “Federal offices in the DC area are CLOSED. Emergency and telework-ready employees must follow their agency’s policies.” [Twitter]

Metro on ‘Severe Snow Service Plan’ — “Metrobus will operate on a severe snow service plan [on] Monday, January 3. Bus service will be limited to major roads only. Delays and increased wait times are likely, and travel is strongly discouraged unless absolutely necessary.  Customers traveling when a severe snow service plan is in place should be aware that Metrobus may have to suspend all service if road and weather conditions worsen and travel becomes unsafe. Consider Metrorail as an alternative when possible.  No weather-related impacts to Metrorail are anticipated at this time.”  [WMATA]

ACFD Asks for Help With Hydrants — “Ahead of our first anticipated snowfall of 2022 (didn’t take long) we are asking for your help this season to keep fire hydrants clear. When seconds count, having a clear hydrant allows our firefighters to quickly get additional water to the scene.” [Twitter]

Big Response to NYE Chain Bridge Standoff — From Alan Henney, early Saturday morning: “Person threatening to jump from bridge being held by father. Lots of police, fire and EMS on scene, boats and Eagle helicopter. Negotiations in progress… update: The person threatening to jump is safely in custody. Bridge should be reopened to traffic.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Amazon Building New Tech Team at HQ2 — “Amazon.com Inc. is recruiting a new software and tech development team to its second headquarters to flesh out the technical backbone for its global delivery operations. The new team, dubbed Project Nazaré, will build systems to manage the financial processes for Amazon’s Global Engineering Service, which oversees its global network of fulfillment-related facilities, according to a job posting for the team’s senior product manager, set to be based in the company’s HQ2 campus in Arlington.” [Washington Business Journal]

Barcroft Apartment Purchase Complete — “Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners, a leading owner and developer of mixed-use properties and attainable housing in the DC metro area, today announced the acquisition of Barcroft Apartments, the 1,334-unit, garden style apartment complex located along Columbia Pike in Arlington, VA. Jair Lynch purchased the 60-acre site, including two commercial parcels with 34,000 square feet of retail from the DeLashmutt family who built the complex in 1939 and have owned it since.” [PRNewswire]

It’s 2022 — The first weekday of the new year will also be first snow day of the season. The storm, which started out as rain, will transition to snow, possibly mixed with sleet after 5 a.m. Low around 30. Any mixed precipitation should become all snow after 7 a.m. The snow could be heavy at times, before tapering off in the late morning to afternoon. High near 35, with a north wind 10 to 14 mph, and gusts as high as 28 mph. Snow and sleet accumulation of 3 to 7 inches is expected today. Sunrise at 7:27 a.m. and sunset at 4:58 p.m. Tomorrow it will be sunny, with a high near 37. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Nathan Jones

Police Respond to Overnight Stabbing, Standoff

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police are investigating a stabbing in the Green Valley neighborhood, near Shirlington.

Officers were dispatched to the 2200 block of Shirlington Road shortly after midnight Wednesday for multiple reports of a man who was stabbed and bleeding outside of a residential building.

“Upon arrival, officers located a male victim suffering from a minor stab wound,” ACPD said in a crime report today. “He was transported to an area hospital for treatment. The preliminary investigation indicates that a verbal dispute between known individuals preceded the stabbing. The investigation is ongoing.”

The stabbing happened around the same time as an unrelated incident a short distance away, along Columbia Pike.

According to initial reports, a man staying at the Days Inn hotel threatened to kill himself and to harm police if they intervened. That set up a tense standoff that stretched into wee hours.

More from Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage:

At approximately 12:15 a.m. on April 15, police were dispatched to the report of a suicide threat in the 3000 block of Columbia Pike. A negotiation team responded and established communication with the subject. The subject was ultimately taken into police custody and the incident was safely resolved. A search of the room located suspected narcotics. The subject was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Charges are pending.

UPDATE: Reported Standoff in Va. Square Ends Peacefully, Police Say

By ARLnow.com

Police standoff in Virginia Square (courtesy photo)

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) A reported standoff with an armed man near the Virginia Square Metro station ended peacefully this afternoon.

The standoff was said to be taking place in an apartment tower on the 900 block of N. Pollard Street. Police said the man was making threats and was in possession of multiple loaded firearms.

A police spokeswoman described it as a “fluid situation,” with officers “taking an abundance of caution for everyone’s safety.”

While police took defensive positions down the hall from the man’s apartment, he was spotted outside the Starbucks near the Metro station. As it turns out, the man had left his apartment prior to police arriving. Officers talked with the man, who was said to be calm and mostly cooperative.

At 4 p.m., police said the situation was “safely resolved” and the man was “being referred to County services.”

During the standoff Pollard Street was closed to traffic and police advised people to avoid the area. One nearby resident told us that heavily-armed officers had the apartment building “locked down.”

Courtesy photo

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Ultimate frisbee (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

Arlington Mansion Party Led to Shooting — Two people were shot in McLean early Sunday in what was described as a drive-by shooting following a party in Arlington. It turns out that the party was at a multi-million-dollar mansion overlooking the Potomac on tony Chain Bridge Road. The home has been the scene of numerous police incidents over the past couple of years, mostly robberies and various disturbances, and lately neighbors have said it’s become a “party house.” [NBC Washington]

Heat Advisory Today — Arlington is again under a Heat Advisory, with dangerous heat index values up to 109 expected. “Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside,” forecasters warn. [National Weather Service]

Standoff With Suicidal Man Ends Peacefully — There were some tense moments in a neighborhood just off of Columbia Pike yesterday. Between about 4-5 p.m., there was a police standoff with an armed, suicidal man at a home on 9th Street S. Roads were blocked and some neighbors were evacuated. The standoff ended peacefully and the man was taken into custody.

Arlington’s InfoSec Jobs Are Low Paying? — A compilation of city-level data from job search site Indeed suggests that Arlington has the lowest-paying average salary for information security specialists of 15 large cities. Adjusted for cost of living, Minneapolis had the highest average salary. Arlington’s COLA-adjusted salary is 72 percent below that of the Minnesota city. D.C. also ranked low on the list, placing just three spots above Arlington. [Indeed]

Arlington Rapper Releases Single — VA Prime, an Arlington-based rap artist who hails from the Nauck neighborhood and formerly attended Washington-Lee and Wakefield high schools, has released a new single. “School” encourages young listeners to “stay in school, plan it out, get your grades up.” The rhyme further encourages hard work and hustle: “Keep grinding, we going to raise up,” it says. [Soundcloud]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf