vandalism

UPDATED: Arlington office building housing Israeli defense firm vandalized

By ARLnow.com
1/4

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Someone splashed red paint and scrawled messages in red letters on the outside of the Arlington Tower building in Rosslyn.

The extensive graffiti was discovered this morning on the front of the office building at 1300 17th Street N., which notably housed then-President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection headquarters.

Workers could be seen covering up and trying to clean the red paint from the building’s front walkway, facade and glass doors throughout the day today.

Despite the building’s political campaign history, the apparent target of the graffiti was the Washington office of Israel-based defense firm Elbit Systems. Photos sent to ARLnow show the words “Shut Elbit Down” uncovered while workers attempt to remove the paint.

A number of European funds have publicly divested of Elbit stock in the past due to the company’s role in constructing the Israeli West Bank barrier and manufacturing cluster munitions.

Arlington County police said an online report about the office building vandalism was filed Monday.

“Police received an online report for vandalism alleging that between 2:15 a.m. and 2:35 a.m. on November 6, unknown suspects threw paint on a commercial building and wrote comments regarding Palestine and the company occupying the property,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “The investigation is ongoing.”

In a company statement, Elbit says it’s working to ensure employee safety.

Elbit America employs thousands of Americans who are dedicated to the mission of creating innovative solutions that protect and save lives, While we support the rights of protesters to peacefully express their views, we take the safety and well-being of our employees extremely seriously and we will continue to work closely with local officials to ensure safety for all.

Red paint, meanwhile, was also used to vandalize the front gates of the White House with red handprints over the weekend amid pro-Palestinian protests. The latest round of Middle East violence started with a surprise Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, leading to the bombardment, blockade and ground invasion of Gaza by Israeli armed forces.

The chair of the Arlington County Board last month said the county “unequivocally… condemn[s] all of the violence that has been targeted at non-combatants” during the Hamas-Israel war.

In addition to Elbit Systems, the Arlington Tower building houses the Washington office of a major engineering firm, an outpost of a Boston-based university, and the headquarters of a publicly traded conglomerate noted for its media and education holdings. While Trump’s 2024 campaign headquarters is said to be in Florida, the campaign’s FEC filings maintain an Arlington post office box.

Crime report: W-L vandalism suspect also smashed glass at library and elementary school

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington man arrested Friday and accused of drunkenly breaking into Washington-Liberty High School is being charged with two additional incidents.

Police say the 30-year-old suspect also smashed a window at Arlington Central Library on N. Quincy Street and shattered a glass door at Arlington Science Focus Elementary School on N. Lincoln Street.

All three incidents occurred early Friday morning.

More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Series) (Late), 2022-02100079/02100081, 1000 block of N. Quincy Street/1500 block of N. Lincoln Street. At approximately 7:44 a.m. on February 10, police were dispatched to the late report of a destruction of property in the 1000 block of N. Quincy Street. Upon arrival, it was determined at approximately 3:04 a.m., the male suspect allegedly smashed a window to the library before fleeing the scene on foot. At approximately 7:56 a.m., police responded to the 1500 block of N. Lincoln Street for the late report of a destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined that during the early morning hours, the male suspect shattered a glass door to a school before fleeing the scene on foot. [The suspect], 30, of Arlington, Va., was charged with Damaging Public Buildings (x2).

Police looking for vandal who ripped mirror off car, chucked it through apartment window

By ARLnow.com
Apartments on the 3800 block of Columbia Pike (via Google Maps)

A man went on a vandalism spree along Columbia Pike last night, police say.

The incident happened around 10:45 p.m. amid the apartment buildings on Columbia Pike between George Mason Drive and Glebe Road.

“The victims heard a loud noise and observed a window to their residence had been broken and subsequently determined a window to their vehicle had also been shattered,” the Arlington County Police Department said in a crime report. “During the course of the investigation, it was determined the mirror of a vehicle parked in the 3700 block of 12th Street S. had been removed and thrown through a residential window in the 3800 block of Columbia Pike.”

“Additionally, vandalism was reported inside the common area to the residential building,” the crime report noted. The suspect, said to be around 20 years old, remains at large.

Also in today’s crime report, a 54-year-old Arlington man allegedly carjacked a woman he knows following a dispute.

The incident happened yesterday (Thursday) morning near Arlington’s western end of Columbia Pike.

From ACPD:

CARJACKING, 2023-01120081, 1000 block of S. Frederick Street. At approximately 10:25 a.m. on January 12, police were dispatched to the report of an assault. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim and suspect, who are known to each other, became involved in a verbal dispute, during which the suspect allegedly assaulted the victim before fleeing the scene in her vehicle. The victim sustained minor injuries and did not require the treatment of medics. Officers obtained a warrant for the suspect, made telephone contact with him and coordinated him turning himself in to police. [The suspect], 54, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Carjacking. He was released on his own recognizance.

ACPD: Man exposed himself to girls near Swanson Middle School

By ARLnow.com
Arlington police car (file photo)

A man allegedly exposed himself to four girls near Swanson Middle School in Westover.

Police are investigating the incident, which reportedly happened around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The girls told officers they heard a banging sound then saw an older man inside a residence exposing himself through the window.

From yesterday’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

INDECENT EXPOSURE (Late), 2022-12140164, 5800 block of Washington Boulevard. At approximately 3:43 p.m. on December 14, police made telephone contact with the reporting party regarding a late indecent exposure. The investigation indicates that at approximately 2:30 p.m., the four juvenile female victims were walking in the area when they heard banging and observed the male suspect in the window of a residence allegedly exposing himself. The suspect is described as an older, heavy-set, White male. The investigation is ongoing.

Around the same time on Wednesday, police say a 31-year-old Arlington man kicked and shattered an ART bus door along Columbia Pike. The man is also accused of kicking a police officer after his arrest.

More from ACPD:

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2022-12140119, Columbia Pike at S. Dinwiddie Street. At approximately 2:15 p.m. on December 14, police were dispatched to the report of destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined that an Arlington Transit bus was slowing to a stop at this location when the suspect approached and allegedly kicked the door, causing the glass panel to shatter. Responding officers located the suspect and took him into custody. While conducting their investigation, the suspect twice kicked a police officer. Yohana Gebremeskel, 31, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Assault on Police, Destruction of Property and Public Intoxication. He was held without bond.

BREAKING: Suspect arrested in week-long car vandalism spree

By ARLnow.com
Damaged vehicle in the Clarendon area (screenshot via YouTube)

(Updated at 3 p.m.) Arlington County police have arrested a 37-year-old Maryland man after a week-long spree of vehicle vandalism.

Police announced this afternoon that the suspect was arrested last night and found with a BB gun in his car. The arrest, which appears to have taken place at the 7-Eleven parking lot at 201 S. Glebe Road, happened after police say they were able to identify a “possible suspect vehicle.”

Dozens of cars were damaged, with windows shot out, during the spree that started last Thursday and stretched across various neighborhoods throughout the county. Many of the incidents took place in the Clarendon and Ballston neighborhoods.

A possible motive for the vandalism was not given. The suspect does not appear to have any recent prior criminal charges in Arlington, according to court records.

Police also said Friday that ten additional damaged cars were reported yesterday, adding to the 81 previously reported in the vandalism series.

“On October 27, police took 10 additional reports in a destruction of property series in which a suspect damaged the windows of parked vehicles with a BB gun,” an ACPD crime report said.

The police press release about the arrest is below.

The Arlington County Police Department is announcing the arrest of a suspect in a destruction of property series in which numerous vehicles were damaged in neighborhoods across Arlington. Luis Tavares Sanchez Manuel, 37, of Capitol Heights, MD is charged with twelve counts of Destruction of Property and is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility. Additional charges are anticipated.

Late last week, police began investigating a destruction of property series in which a suspect discharged a BB gun at the windows of parked, unoccupied vehicles causing damage. During the days that followed, additional incidents occurred during overnight hours in various neighborhoods across the County.

During the course of the investigation, police spoke with witnesses and reviewed crime scene evidence which led to the identification of a possible suspect vehicle. On the evening of October 27, a patrol officer observed the suspect vehicle traveling on S. Walter Reed Drive. The driver proceeded to a business in the 200 block of S. Glebe Road where officers took him into custody as he was exiting his vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, a BB gun was recovered.

This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

BREAKING: Dozens of vehicles damaged yet again as police search for serial window smasher

By ARLnow.com
1/2

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) It happened again.

More Arlington residents woke up this morning to find their car windows shattered by an unknown vandal or group of vandals who had previously damaged nearly three dozen vehicles in a week-long smashing spree.

ARLnow has received reports of freshly smashed car windows in the Westover and Yorktown neighborhoods and in Ballston, near Washington-Liberty High School. That follows reports of damaged cars yesterday in parts of Clarendon, Lyon Village, Virginia Square, Courthouse and Glencarlyn.

We are awaiting additional details from Arlington County police, but a crime report just posted online says 54 vehicles were damaged by a BB gun between Tuesday evening and Thursday morning.

From ACPD:

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Series), Between the evening of October 25 and early morning of October 27, an unknown suspect damaged the windows of approximately 54 vehicles with a bb gun. Detectives are investigating this as a series with the previously reported destruction of property series. Community members in these areas are asked to review their home surveillance for any footage that may assist the investigation. Information can be reported to the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. The investigation is ongoing.

The vast majority of the damaged vehicles listed by police were parked in various parts of northern Arlington.

Yesterday police confirmed 10 damaged vehicles; the latest report adds 44 vehicles to the two-day total. Combined with the vandalism spree late last week, ACPD has received reports of more than 80 cars with shattered windows over the past seven days.

“Since October 21, there have been 81 vehicles reported to have damaged windows,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “It’s important to note that since some of these reports are filed online and the reporting party does not always note if the damage appears to be from a BB gun, some of these reports may ultimately be determined not to be part of the series.”

Update on 10/28/22 — A suspect has been arrested in the case.

https://twitter.com/Lucifersmith420/status/1585622657747255298

JUST IN: Vehicle vandals strike again, damaging at least 10 more cars

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) A vehicle vandalism spree continued overnight, with at least 10 more cars having their windows shattered parts of Arlington, ARLnow has learned.

Police confirmed at least 10 incidents in and around Clarendon, though there were additional reports of vehicle damage north of Courthouse and in the Glencarlyn neighborhood. These incidents follow two dozen vehicles being damaged overnight between Thursday and Friday of last week.

Whereas police said last week’s damage was caused by an “unknown object,” this time around police say the windows were smashed with a BB gun.

“The preliminary investigation indicates during overnight hours, unknown suspect(s) shattered the driver’s side windows of approximately 10 vehicles with a BB gun,” an Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman tells ARLnow. “There is no suspect(s) description.”

ACPD is investigating a connection to last week’s spree and conducting additional patrols, we’re told. The department is also asking for the public’s held in finding the unknown vandal or vandals.

“Detectives will investigate this as a series with the previously reported destruction of property series,” said Alli Shorb, the police spokeswoman. “As time and resources permit, officers are conducting extra patrols in the areas of the reported incidents.”

“Community members in these areas are asked to review their home surveillance for any footage that may assist the investigation,” Shorb added. “Information can be reported to the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected].”

The addresses for latest incidents, listed by ACPD below, are centered around Clarendon but also include parts of Lyon Village, Virginia Square and Courthouse. Video showing some of the damaged vehicles suggests that at least one car was damaged for the second time.

“No car owner has been reported anything stolen,” says the description of the video, which was shot this morning and posted on YouTube by local resident David Cheek. “One car owner told me their car was damaged 2 days ago then again last night. Owner said her car will have to be parked in a garage from now on.”

Location of latest vehicle vandalisms (via ACPD)

It’s been a rough year for many car owners in Arlington, which has also seen repeated overnight thefts of catalytic converters, airbags and valuables from inside parked cars, as well as carjackings and vehicle thefts.

ACPD reported another airbag theft series this morning, in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood between Pentagon City and Shirlington. More than a dozen cars, all Hondas, were damaged.

From a crime report:

LARCENY FROM AUTO (Series) (Late), 2022-10250044/10250052/10250087, 1400 block & 1300 block of 28th Street S., 2600 block of S. Adam Street. At approximately 5:40 a.m. on October 25, police were dispatched to the late report of a larceny from auto. The investigation determined that between the overnight hours of October 24 and the early morning hours of October 25, the unknown suspect(s) forced entry into approximately 13 vehicles, damaging the driver’s side door handle and stealing the airbag. The vehicles are all described as Honda models. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

Earlier this month ARLnow reported that more than 170 catalytic converters have been reported stolen in Arlington since the start of the year.

Update on 10/27/22 — Yet vehicle vandalism spree by a BB gun-armed suspect (or suspects) has been reported.

Two dozen vehicles have windows smashed during overnight vandalism spree

By ARLnow.com
Vehicle window shot out last week (photo courtesy anonymous)

Someone shot out or smashed the windows on two dozen vehicles parked in Arlington during one night last week.

The vandalism spree happened overnight between the evening of Thursday, Oct. 20 and the morning of Friday, Oct. 21.

“An unknown suspect(s) smashed the windows of approximately 24 victim vehicles with an unknown object,” ACPD spokesperson Alli Shorb told ARLnow. “The victim vehicles varied in make and model. There is no suspect description(s) at this time. The investigation is ongoing.”

The locations of damaged vehicles included neighborhoods in and around Crystal City, Rosslyn, Courthouse, Ballston, Waverly Hills and Dominion Hills.

Location of damaged vehicles (courtesy ACPD)

One of the victims, whose vehicle was parked in the North Highland neighborhood near Rosslyn when it was damaged, believes that the vandal or vandals were using BB guns or something similar.

“I believe it was a BB gun or air rifle. I can’t find a round or BB in my car to be sure, however,” he told ARLnow. “My car and another from my block in North Highland are pictured.”

Update on 10/26/22 — Another vehicle vandalism spree has been reported, potentially involving the same suspect or suspects.

Update on 10/27/22 — Yet another vehicle vandalism spree by a BB gun-armed suspect (or suspects) has been reported.

Update on 10/28/22 — A suspect has been arrested, Arlington County police announced.

Vehicle window shot out last week (photo courtesy anonymous)

Police investigating shooting in Buckingham, near Ballston

By ARLnow.com
Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

Shots were fired in the Buckingham neighborhood Wednesday night, and one bullet when through the window of a nearby home.

The gunfire rang out around 9:45 p.m. near the intersection of N. Carlin Springs Road and N. Park Drive, about four blocks southwest of Ballston Quarter mall.

No one was reported to be hurt but at least one bullet went through a resident’s window.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

SHOTS FIRED, 2022-04130237, 4500 block of N. Carlin Springs Road. At approximately 9:47 p.m. on April 13, police were dispatched to the area of N. Park Drive and N. Carlin Springs Road for the report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers located evidence confirming multiple shots had been fired in the area. While on scene investigating, a resident in the 4500 block of N. Carlin Springs reported a bullet had entered their home through a window. No injuries were reported. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.

Elsewhere in Arlington on Wednesday, someone threw a rock through the window of a business in Ballston. Initial reports suggest it was the Melting Pot restaurant, though Arlington police typically do not reveal the exact location of crimes.

“At approximately 9:23 a.m. on April 13, police were dispatched to the late report of a destruction of property,” said a crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined that at approximately 8:44 a.m., the unknown suspect approached the business and threw rocks at the building, causing damage and breaking two of the exterior windows. The suspect then fled the scene on foot.”

On Wednesday afternoon, police responded to another incident of someone firing a pellet gun from a car, this time near the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center. The suspects were later stopped by police but the person who was struck by the pellets declined to prosecute.

From ACPD:

ASSAULT & BATTERY (Significant), 2022-04130195, 2900 block of S. Glebe Road. At approximately 3:46 p.m. on April 13, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the reporting party who advised she had observed a vehicle traveling in the area while the passenger discharged a pellet gun at pedestrians. A short time later, a victim contacted the Emergency Communications Center and reported being struck by the pellets and declined medical attention. Officers canvassed the area, located the suspect vehicle, conducted a traffic stop and identified the occupants. The victim declined prosecution at the time and the investigation is ongoing.

Police investigating more than a dozen car break-ins along two blocks

By ARLnow.com

Sixteen cars had windows smashed in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood earlier this week.

The smashing spree happened Monday morning along a two block stretch of S. Adams Street, in the neighborhood that’s located roughly between Pentagon City and Shirlington.

The suspect (or suspects) appears to have rummaged through the vehicles but no items were reported stolen.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Series), 2021-11150063/11150074, 2600 block and 2700 block of S. Adams Street. At approximately 10:26 a.m. on November 15, police were dispatched to the report of a destruction of property in the 2700 block of S. Adams Street. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim observed the front passenger window to her car had been smashed, but no items appeared to have been stolen. During the course of the investigation, seven additional vehicles were discovered to have had their windows smashed. At approximately 11:22 a.m., police were dispatched to the report of a destruction of property in the 2600 block of S. Adams Street. Upon arrival it was determined that eight vehicles had their windows smashed and items rummaged through. No items were reported stolen. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

Arlington police continuing to investigate flag burnings

By ARLnow.com

The person or people who lit flags on fire outside of at least three Arlington homes remains at large.

The first such incident happened on 6th Street S. in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, during the early morning hours of Friday, Oct. 15, and was caught on video (above). A man can be seen walking up to an American flag hanging outside of a home and lighting it aflame, before running away.

“A witness observed the flag on fire and extinguished it,” said a subsequent Arlington County Police Department crime report. “The suspect is described as a White male, 18 – 30 years old, 5’4″ – 5’11” tall and wearing a dark hooded windbreaker, jeans, white sneakers and carrying a backpack.”

Two similar flag-burning incidents happened in northern Arlington neighborhoods between the late night hours of Oct. 27 and the early morning hours of Oct. 28.

From ACPD crime reports:

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Significant), 2021-10284010, 5000 block of Yorktown Boulevard. At approximately 11:30 p.m. on October 27, the Arlington County Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Office and the Arlington County Police Department responded to the report of a destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined that an unknown suspect lit an American flag on fire that was hanging from a single family home. A passerby extinguished the fire with a garden hose and notified the resident. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Significant), 2021-10284003, 3300 block of N. Brandywine Street. On October 28th, an online police report was filed for vandalism. The reporting party advised that on the morning of October 28, they discovered their American flag and flag pole had been burned overnight. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

In a third incident that night, a resident near the corner of Williamsburg Blvd and N. George Mason Drive that reported her “Keep Virginia Blue” lawn sign was set ablaze, according to the Washington Post and an account on Nextdoor. All three locations are within a few blocks of one another.

There have been no reports of burning flags since then, according to ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. Police and the fire department are continuing to investigate.

“A joint investigation into these incidents is underway by the Arlington County Police and Fire Departments,” Savage said. “As part of the joint investigation, the departments are actively working to determine if the incidents are linked.”

“Anyone with information regarding the incidents is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected],” she continued. “Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).”

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