theft

Man Arrested Inside Clarendon Apple Store

By ARLnow.com

Man arrested in the Apple Store (photo courtesy Clayton Lott) Police cars outside the Apple Store

(Updated at 10:50 a.m.) Police tackled and arrested a theft suspect inside the Clarendon Apple Store on Tuesday.

The incident happened around 4:15 p.m., at the store at 2700 Clarendon Blvd. We’re told that the suspect tried to use stolen credit cards at the store, then tried to flee when police arrived. He was tackled and taken into custody.

As police confronted the suspect, one officer erroneously radioed that he had a gun. That prompted a large police response to the scene, but ultimately no gun was found.

“While officers were attempting to arrest the suspect, he resisted arrest violently and during the struggle, one of the officer’s ammunition magazines became dislodged from its carrier,” Arlington County Police Department spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm told ARLnow.com. “The officer, who was still struggling with the suspect, saw the magazine and believed it to be from the suspect so he requested additional backup. After the suspect was taken into custody, they were able to quickly determine that the suspect was not armed.”

Just two hours later, three more suspects were arrested at the Apple Store for “attempting to obtain iPhones through false pretenses,” Malcolm said in an email.

“As the iPhone is viewed by many to be a valuable commodity, there are many attempts to fraudulently obtain or steal them from Apple Stores in the region,” he said. “Because there are a high concentration of Apple Stores in our region, suspects will often travel to the D.C. metropolitan area to perpetrate these crimes.”

No injuries were reported.

Photo (left) courtesy Clayton Lott

Police Arrest Package Theft Suspect

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:45 p.m. on 12/23/21) Arlington County Police have arrested a man suspected of stealing dozens of packages from local homes.

There have been numerous reports of package thefts around Ballston this month. Yesterday afternoon, undercover cops patrolling the Ballston area, hoping to nab the suspect, observed a man acting suspiciously.

The man was seen “opening packages he took from doorsteps and removing the contents.” Keith [Redacted], 22, of District Heights, Md. and Washington D.C., was arrested and is now facing numerous criminal charges.

Police say [Redacted’s] alleged Grinch-like behavior actually dates back before the holiday season.

“It is believed that the suspect is responsible for at least 40 thefts of packages over the last several months,” police said in a press release.

The police arrested [Redacted] just in time for the holidays, it seems. ACPD spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm told ARLnow.com that some of the items [Redacted] has stoled have “been recovered with their owners identified.” Many more unclaimed items were found, so the ACPD is encouraging those who have been victims of package theft to contact the department at its non-emergency number, 703-558-2222.

The full release, after the jump.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rabbi Mordechai Newman lights the menorah at "Chanukah on Ice" on Pentagon Row, as Walter Tejada watches

Murphy Finalist for Superintendent of the Year — Arlington Public Schools’ Dr. Patrick Murphy is one of four finalists for national superintendent of the year from the School Superintendents Association. Murphy, who was hired in 2009, has previously been recognized as Virginia’s superintendent of the year. [Washington Post]

Optimism for Office Vacancies in Arlington — There’s good news for owners of commercial office buildings in Arlington. Despite high vacancy rates, “Arlington’s location close to D.C. and its numerous transportation amenities give property owners an advantage in attracting potential tenants from other locations in the region,” especially Millennials, writes Keara Mehlert, a business development manager for the county-run Arlington Transportation Partners. [Mobility Lab]

Additional Package Thefts — Arlington County police say additional package thefts occurred in Arlington overnight. That’s after a number of package thefts were reported in Ballston last week. [Twitter]

Kindergartner Makes a Run for It — A five-year-old kindergarten student at Randolph Elementary ran away from school yesterday afternoon, prompting a response from Arlington County police. The student reportedly led staff members on a chase and made it to the area of Four Mile Run as police began arriving in the area to look for him. The youngster was finally nabbed by school staffers who had hopped into a Honda to find him. “He is safely back at school with his mother,” a school spokesman told ARLnow.com after the incident.

Package Thefts Reported in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Package (file photo)Arlington County Police are investigating a series of package thefts from homes around Ballston.

The thefts took place on Monday the 1100 blocks of N. Randolph Street and N. Vermont Street, and on the 4100 and 4400 blocks of Washington Blvd.

Police say as many as 10 packages sent to those addresses were found opened and tossed into nearby bushes. The perpetrator may have been spotted by a local resident, but was able to flee the scene.

“A witness told police he observed a subject walking around in a narrow walkway typically used by residents only,” according to a crime report. “The witness initiated contact with the subject who provided vague answers then left the area quickly. The subject is described as a black male, early 20’s, 6’01”, thin build, wearing a dark colored winter hat with a thin white line around the top, and carrying a large black or blue duffel bag.”

A man roughly fitting that description was spotted by a resident in Ballston this afternoon, running with an Amazon.com box. Police are on the scene, looking for the suspect.

ACPD spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm says package thefts seem to be prevalent during the holidays.

“Our District Team is aware of these cases and will be working on notifying the community to be vigilant during the holidays for this type of criminal activity,” Malcolm said. “I have seen several stories in the media recently about ‘package thefts’ so these are not uncommon thefts during the holiday season.”

Malcolm noted that the call to police on Monday was placed too late, and asked residents to report suspicious activity when they see it.

“Unfortunately there was a substantial delay in reporting the suspicious person,” he said. “We would like to remind members of our community to report suspicious activity to the Emergency Communications Center, 703.558.2222, whenever they see something.”

Congresswoman’s Wallet Goes Missing in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Businesses on the 2600 block of Jefferson Davis Highway (photo via Google Maps)(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) A congresswoman’s wallet was “possibly stolen” in the Crystal City area late Sunday night, according to police.

The wallet went missing between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sunday, on the 2600 block of Jefferson Davis Highway, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm. Initial reports suggest police were searching for clues in the Holiday Inn hotel at 2650 Jefferson Davis Highway.

(An earlier version of this story cited incorrect information regarding the timing of the wallet going missing.)

There was little additional information available about the incident. Malcolm was unable to provide the name of the congresswoman or the circumstances surrounding how the wallet went missing.

“We can confirm that a congresswoman’s was possibly stolen,” he told ARLnow.com “We notified U.S. Capitol Police.”

U.S. Capitol Police have thus far not responded to a request for more information.

Photo via Google Maps

Crime Report: Homeowner Confronts Burglars

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A homeowner in the East Falls Church area encountered a pair of burglars in his or her home Monday afternoon. The burglars fled, but not before taking numerous valuables.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

BURGLARY, 140929045, 6400 block of N. Washington Boulevard. At 3:15 pm on September 29, as a residence was being burglarized, a homeowner confronted the subjects and they fled on foot. Numerous items of value were taken. Suspect one is described as a black male in his twenties, approximately 6’0″ tall and 170 lbs. He was wearing a black wool cap and jeans at the time of the incident. Suspect two is described as a black male in his twenties and approximately 5’9″ tall. He was wearing a black long sleeve plaid shirt and had short, cropped hair.

Also this week, someone smashed windows on 11 cars and stole various belongings in an apartment parking garage in Rosslyn.

LARCENY FROM AUTO (series), 140924008, 1800 block of N. Oak Street. Between 12:40 am and 3 am on September 24, an unknown subject(s) entered a parking garage and smashed the front passenger side window of at least 11 vehicles and had various items stolen. There is no suspect(s) description.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump. All named suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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Police Swarm Ballston to Stop Alleged Bike Thieves

By Ethan Rothstein
1/5

(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) The Arlington County Police Department apprehended three bike theft suspects in Ballston this afternoon (Friday).

The suspects were caught with a bicycle that had been reported stolen this morning, according to Lt. Dan Murphy, who heads the ACPD’s property theft division. Around 12:30 p.m., police pulled over a minivan with four suspects inside. One female suspect ran away from police and is still at large. The other three were handcuffed and taken into custody, although one managed to flee from the van before police caught and detained him.

“Recognizing the larceny of bikes is an ongoing problem,” Murphy told ARLnow.com at the scene. “We’ve developed plans to prevent bike theft, including plainclothes surveillance, GPS tracking and bicycle registration.”

In total, nine police vehicles responded to the call, at the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Randolph Street in front of Pizza Autentica. Murphy said the large response, which included plainclothes officers, was warranted because of the number of suspects in the minivan, which was later towed from the scene. The van had chemicals and cleaning supplies in it, leading onlookers to question whether it was, as one put it “a rolling meth lab,” but Murphy said the individuals were only suspected of bike theft.

Murphy couldn’t release information about the suspects, either the ones in custody or the one at large. He did say, however, that this wasn’t the only bike theft bust this week. ACPD officers arrested an alleged bike thief who had three stolen bikes in his possession on Wednesday.

To help increase the likelihood that a stolen bike is returned, cyclists are encouraged to register their bike with the police, a free service for residents and non-residents who cycle in Arlington.

The stolen bike is expected to be returned to its owner, a 10-year-old girl who had received it as a Christmas gift, according to Murphy.

Bike Registration Continues to Rise in Arlington

By Ethan Rothstein

Bicycles at the Bike to Work Day pit stop in Rosslyn

When Arlington County Police Lt. Heather Hurlock returned from a vacation last week, she found more than 70 messages from residents asking to register their bicycles.

This is the high demand that Hurlock — a crime prevention specialist with the county and the head of the bicycle theft program — said she’s seen since she launched the county’s bicycle registration program 15 years ago. ACPD registers an average 1,000 bikes every year, Hurlock told ARLnow Tuesday morning.

Hurlock said she gets satisfaction in returning stolen bikes to their owners, who sometimes have been missing the cycles for years.

“One time, I received a call from Alexandria about a recovered, stolen bike with an Arlington decal on it,” she said Tuesday morning. “I called the owner it was registered under and he had it stolen on his second day of eighth grade. The day I called him was his last day of college.”

Calls about the free registrations come from around the globe.

“At this point, I have bikes registered [from] all over the world,” Hurlock said. “I get calls from very strange places asking about their decal number after their bike was stolen.”

Hurlock is also in charge of recovering abandoned bikes. Every week, she patrols the county following up on tips about bicycles left unattended or locked to parking meters and lampposts for more than five days. After Hurlock leaves a note and waits two days, she impounds the bikes. After 60 days in county custody, the cycles are donated to Bikes for the World, an Arlington-based charity that gives repaired, used bicycles to needy people as close as Rockville and as far as Namibia and the Philippines.

If a cyclist can’t read the serial number on the bike to register it, Hurlock will engrave a new number.

To prevent theft, the police lieutenant recommended securing bikes using a sturdy U-lock and storing them in protected places.

Bike thefts from residential areas are up in Arlington County because residents leave their garage doors open with their bikes inside, Hurlock said. Overall bike thefts were down significantly in the first half of 2014, ACPD announced in May.

File photo

Crime Report: Cigarette Thieves Get Burned

By ARLnow.com

Two men allegedly stole cigarettes from the Clarendon CVS store early Monday morning and an employee chased after them. The employee’s suspect description helped police make two arrests shortly after.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ROBBERY, 140804010, 3100 block of N. Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 5:25 am on August 4, two male subjects stole cigarettes from a CVS. An employee chased the subjects on foot and was able to identify them for arriving police officers. Ronald Richardson, 53, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with robbery and possession of stolen goods with the intent to sell. Melvin Bradshaw, 47, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with robbery, possession of stolen goods with the intent to sell, and carrying a concealed weapon.

The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump. All named suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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Police: Bike Thefts Down From Last Year

By Ethan Rothstein

Bicycles at the Bike to Work Day pit stop in RosslynBicycle thefts in Arlington this are down about 40 percent so far this year.

The Arlington County Police Department announced yesterday that 74 bicycles have been reported stolen this year, compared with 124 at this same point last year.

The report comes less than a year after ACPD declared bike thefts to be at an “all-time high,” and just seven months after one bike thief was sentenced to 12 years in prison in the middle of a bicycle thief crackdown.

Despite the drop in reported thefts, ACPD says it still is “aggressively working to reduce the number of incidents,” but offered some tips on ways to avoid getting your bike stolen.

From Arlington County police:

  • Do NOT leave bikes unsecured on your lawn, porch or driveway.
  • Always lock your bike’s frame and wheels with a high quality U-Lock to a solid, fixed object. Cables don’t provide sufficient security to protect your bike.
  • If stored in a storage locker, secure your bike to an immovable object.
  • Take photos of your bike and any distinguishing features, to include the serial number and keep them on file.
  • Work with your Homeowner’s Association or property management to improve security for your bike storage area by adding locked cages and cameras.
  • If you are a victim of bicycle theft, file a police report.
  • If you notice suspicious behavior, call the police immediately.
  • Register your bike for FREE with the Arlington County Police Department. Visit www.police.arlingtonva.us and go to Online Services and click on Register Your Bike. Within approximately seven days you will receive an ACPD decal which, when visible, may be a deterrent to theft.

We strongly encourage residents to register the serial number of their bicycles for free as this is used for identification purposes if stolen and increases the chances it will be returned. If you cannot read your serial number and wish to register your bike, the Arlington County Police Department Crime Prevention Unit will assist you with engraving a number on the frame. Call 703-228-4057 to make arrangements.

File photo

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Gulf Branch Nature Center (Flickr pool photo by Cameron Manuel)

Measles Patient Traipsed Around Arlington — Virginia health officials have released a list of businesses patronized by a person who has since been confirmed to have a case of measles. Three North Arlington businesses are on the list. Officials are trying to determine who might have been exposed to the disease. [Virginia Department of Health]

Beyer Calls for Carbon Tax — Democratic congressional candidate Don Beyer has released a third TV ad, in which he addresses the issue of climate change and calls for the imposition of a carbon tax. Beyer is the owner of several local car dealerships. [Washington Post]

ACPD Detective Recognized — An Arlington County police detective has been honored by Virginia State Police for his role in fighting auto theft. Detective Scott Whalin’s investigation of the theft of a Dodge Charger from Pentagon City mall resulted in the arrest of two suspects whose fingerprints were allegedly found on numerous other stolen vehicles. A total of 65 cases were closed as a result of Whalin’s two arrests. [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Cameron Manuel

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