suspicious package

Suspicious Package Investigation at Virginia Hospital Center

By ARLnow.com

Police and firefighters are on scene at the Virginia Hospital Center emergency room investigating a suspicious package.

The hospital and the emergency room have remained open during the investigation.

No significant safety hazard has been reported but those heading to the hospital should expect police and fire department activity in the area.

Update at 2:15 p.m. — The incident was prompted by a “suspicious package received in the mailroom” of the hospital, according to Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

Update at 1:10 p.m. — The “all clear” has been given.

File photo

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Out for a walk on the W&OD Trail along Four Mile Run Drive (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

More on Randolph Principal Controversy — Some Randolph Elementary parents are still upset that the school’s well-liked principal has been removed with little explanation and demoted to assistant principal at Abingdon Elementary. [Washington Post]

Aerial View of Arlington — Arlington County has created a video of aerial footage of Arlington, shot during a recent ride on the U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter. [Facebook]

‘Dog Days of Summer’ Donations — Rosslyn eatery Bistro 360 is donating 25 percent of sales from a special “Dog Days of Summer” menu to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. [Facebook]

Late Civic Activist Celebrated — The Nauck community will hold a special celebration of the life of the late civic activist John Robinson this coming Saturday. Robinson, who died in 2010, fought against racism, against injustice and for education, and was the publisher of the Green Valley News for more than 40 years. [InsideNova]

Suspicious Package at Ballston Metro — Updated at 9:15 a.m. — Metro Transit Police investigated a suspicious package at an elevator entrance to the Ballston Metro station this morning. The entrance was blocked off with police tape for a period of time.

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Gas prices at the BP station at the corner of Four Mile Run Drive and Walter Reed Drive

Cheap Gas in Arlington — Just in time for your Thanksgiving vacation, there are a number of gas stations in Arlington at which you can fill up for less than $2.00 per gallon. At $1.97 per gallon, the BP station at the corner of S. Four Mile Run Drive and Walter Reed Drive, pictured above, isn’t the lowest in the county: that honor belongs to Arlington Auto Service on Columbia Pike, with its $1.87 per gallon gas. [Gas Buddy]

County Warns of Sewer Backup Risk — One thing that could ruin your Thanksgiving feast would be a sewer backup. Arlington County is warning residents that that could happen if they’re not careful about disposing of fats, oils and greases (FOG). The proper ways to dispose of FOG is to empty it into a container, like an empty can, and throw it in the trash — not rinsing it down the drain, where it could cling to and clog pipes. [Arlington County]

Suspicious Package Calls Up Since Paris Attacks — Calls for suspicious packages and suspicious circumstances are up in Arlington since the Paris terror attacks. That’s according to Arlington County Police Chief Jay Farr, who spoke to reporter Pete Williams during a segment on last night’s NBC Nightly News broadcast. The county has set up an online form for reporting possible terrorism-related activity, in addition to receiving such calls via the police non-emergency line: 703-558-2222.

Airport Workers Rally for Higher Wages — As hordes of passengers head to Reagan National Airport for holiday travel, airport workers are going on a hunger strike, pushing for a living wage. Tipped workers at the airport, like baggage handlers and wheelchair attendants, make as little as $3.77 an hour. [WUSA 9]

Lopez Named House Minority Whip — Arlington’s Del. Alfonso Lopez has been named the new Minority Whip of the Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Caucus. In a statement, Lopez said we will continue to work for “our vision of a Commonwealth that prioritizes public education, invests in transit and transportation infrastructure, protects our environment, preserves our social safety net, and grows a new Virginia economy to expand opportunity for all Virginians.” [Patch]

Van Doren Running for Reelection — Arlington School Board member Nancy Van Doren has announced that she will be running for reelection in 2016. Van Doren replaced Noah Simon on the School Board after a special election last year. She will be seeking her first full term. [InsideNova]

Suspicious Note on Metro Train Prompts Investigation, Delays

By ARLnow.com

Metro transit police vehicle (file photo)(Updated at 5:55 p.m.) A investigation into a suspicious message on a train caused some delays for Metro riders heading through Arlington on the Blue and Yellow lines this afternoon.

Metro Transit Police responded to the Pentagon City Metro station around the beginning of the evening rush hour for a “report of [a] suspicious package,” Metro said via Twitter.

According to Metro spokesman Mike Tolbert, a “suspicious note” was found on a train. The note was similar to another note — a bomb threat — that caused delays on the Blue, Silver and Orange lines this morning, Tolbert said.

Trains single tracked between the Pentagon City and National Airport stations for about a half hour as a result of the investigation. Metro said officers determined that the threat was “unfounded” and an all clear was given. Full service resumed, though with significant residual delays.

The incident even caused delays on the Green Line in D.C. “due to earlier congestion from delayed Yellow Line trains.”

Arlington National Cemetery Closes Due to Suspicious Package

By ARLnow.com

Police at National CemeteryArlington National Cemetery closed for more than an hour this afternoon due to a suspicious package.

The cemetery announced the closure via Twitter around 2:30 p.m. Just after 3:00, the bomb squad gave the “all clear,” indicating the suspicious package was not hazardous. The cemetery reopened just before 3:30 p.m.

Arlington County Police and U.S. Park Police set up road closures around the cemetery’s main entrance during the incident.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Ballston office buildings in the morning (photo courtesy Peter Roof)

Robocall in County Board Primary — No candidate has officially announced for Arlington County Board yet, but one likely candidate is already doing some polling. Peter Fallon reportedly sponsored a “robocall” poll last night that asked questions about local issues important to the voter and whether the voter wants experience or a fresh face in this election cycle. [Blue Virginia]

DARPA Profiled by 60 Minutes — The Arlington-based Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency was profiled Sunday by CBS’ 60 Minutes. DARPA moved to a new headquarters in Ballston in 2012. [CBS News]

Suspicious Item at Falls Church City Hall — Falls Church City Hall was evacuated yesterday evening due to a suspicious object found in the lobby. The Arlington County bomb squad investigated and determined that the object was “a training aid used by explosive K9 teams.” The building reopened around 8:15 p.m. [City of Falls Church]

Arlington Man Charged with Rape — A 33-year-old Arlington man has been charged with raping a Maryland woman in a Delaware hotel over the weekend. [News Journal]

Photo courtesy Peter Roof

Suspicious Package Found at NSF HQ in Ballston

By Ethan Rothstein

Hazmat teams respond to suspicious package in Ballston (photo via @Louis3E)Arlington County emergency personnel are responding to a reported suspicious package at the National Science Foundation’s headquarters in Ballston.

Hazmat teams have closed off 9th Street N. between N. Stuart and Stafford Streets to respond to the situation. The suspicious package was found in the mailroom of one of NSF’s two buildings, according to scanner traffic.

The Arlington Alert system sent out a message advising motorists and others to avoid the area while the Arlington County Fire and Police departments complete their investigation.

Photo via @Louis3E

UPDATED: W&OD Trail Shut Down Due to Suspicious Package

By ARLnow.com

1/3

(Updated at 9:30 a.m.) The W&OD and Bluemont Junction trails were closed in the area of Bluemont Park this morning due to a suspicious device reportedly found near the trail.

Police and firefighters responded to the incident and established a mobile command center at Wilson Blvd and N. Manchester Street. The county’s bomb squad brought a robot to inspect the device, which was said to be located near the park’s tennis courts.

As of 9:00 a.m., the bomb squad determined the device to be safe and the trail was being reopened.

According to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, a parks maintenance worker found a package in the grass near the intersection of the two trails, and immediately contacted police. It took police about an hour to clear the scene.

An Arlington Alert message this morning said the Bluemont trail was closed, though scanner traffic indicated that the W&OD trail was closed.

ACFD Responds to Suspicious Package at Pentagon Mail Facility

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County fire truckHazmat teams from Arlington County and the City of Alexandria responded to the Pentagon this morning for a suspicious package in a mail facility.

According to a spokeswoman for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, a suspicious package was discovered in a mail facility adjacent to the Pentagon. Several workers there reported feeling dizzy after the package was opened, were told, but were later evaluated and cleared by medical personnel.

The packaged has been deemed “not a chemical or biological threat,” but is still being investigated, according to the spokeswoman. It’s unclear whether the facility was evacuated following the discovery of the suspicious package — we’re only told that “certain procedures” were followed in order to ensure the safety of the mail workers.

File photo

UPDATED: N. Courthouse Road Shut Down Due to Suspicious Package

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Update at 2:45 p.m. — The package has been determined to be safe and the scene is being cleared.

Police, firefighters and the Arlington County bomb squad are staging at the corner of N. Courthouse Road and 13th Street in response to a suspicious package.

According to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, a maid in the Arlington Court Suites hotel on Courthouse Road found a small canister labeled “explosives.” It was brought to the hotel parking lot, where the bomb squad is examining it now.

“They’re taking all precautions as necessary,” Sternbeck said. “Until the canister has been deemed a non-threat, the area will remain closed.”

Authorities believe the canister might have been used in a training exercise by the Dept. of Defense, which rented out the hotel over the weekend. Courthouse Road is currently shut down between 13th Street and Route 50.

Third Suspicious Package Near TSA HQ

By ARLnow.com

Suspicious package in Crystal City 5/2/13 (photo courtesy Patrick McNeil)(Update 8:45 a.m.) Arlington police and the bomb squad closed the street in front of the TSA headquarters in Pentagon City for the third time in just over a week due to a suspicious package.

The package — described as a duffel bag or a backpack — was found on the 600 block of 12th Street S. around 6:15 a.m. The bomb squad carefully inspected the package and set up charges to “disrupt” it.

The “all clear” was given by a bomb technician just past 8:15 a.m. The road is now being reopened, as is the east entrance to the Pentagon City Metro station.

This was the third suspicious package on the same block in just over a week. Police say they don’t have any evidence of criminal activity.

“There’s a lot of construction in the area — a lot of laborers and construction workers bringing their stuff to that area, and with the heightened alert and the TSA headquarters there” authorities are taking every precaution, said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “We take every suspicious package call seriously, and it’s our duty and job to go out there and investigate and assume that it’s potentially hazardous.”

Photo courtesy Patrick McNeil

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