Update at 8:35 a.m. — The missing woman has been “safely located,” police say.
Earlier: Police are searching for a “critically missing” 89-year-old woman from Arlington.
A statewide Virginia Senior Alert has been issued for Mary Smith, who was last seen last night on S. Arlington Ridge Road near Pentagon City.
More from police:
The Arlington County Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance locating a critically missing Arlington woman. Ms. Mary Francis Smith, was last seen at approximately 8:30 p.m. on December 28 in the 1100 block of S. Arlington Ridge Road.
Ms. Smith is described as a White female, 89 years old, 5’4″, with short, dark hair, wearing a grey and blue striped shirt, grey jeans, and maroon leather boots. She is considered critically missing due to mental and/or physical health concerns.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222 or 9-1-1 in an emergency.
Virginia State Police vehicle (photo by John Calhoun/JC Photography)
As its police force shrinks, the Arlington County Police Department is leaning on state police when extra officers are needed to maintain its nightlife detail.
Virginia State Police troopers will be helping Arlington fill staffing holes in the local nightlife team that works with bars and restaurants in Clarendon and Crystal City to keep establishments and patrons safe and to help keep order when things get out of hand.
The number of acting police officers available to staff ACPD’s various divisions has dropped amid retirements, reports of low morale, and attrition to more lucrative and less demanding private-industry jobs. In response, ACPD has turned to VSP troopers who are willing to help out with the nightlife detail, according to the county.
This past weekend the County Board approved a mutual aid agreement between the two forces that codifies compensation for troopers.
The agreement will help keep staffing for the detail steady, not add to it, ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow.
“The overall staffing for the Nightlife detail is remaining the same,” she said via email, adding that ACPD does not disclose the specific number of officers. “The MOU with [VSP] provides ACPD the option of utilizing troopers to fill vacancies in the Nightlife detail, when necessary. The department began exploring additional staffing resources for the Nightlife detail in September 2021 due to a reduction in ACPD’s functional staffing.”
As part of the memorandum, troopers will be reimbursed at an overtime rate for their hours worked as well as for vehicle mileage. The county will also pay a 10% fee to VSP for “administrative and accounting costs associated with the provided services,” the report said.
The detail patrols spots in Clarendon and Crystal City as part of the Arlington Restaurant Initiative (ARI), which was founded in 2016 to tackle alcohol-related crimes in Clarendon and has since expanded to Crystal City.
Through ARI — in which police patrol area bars, train employees and meet with businesses — Clarendon’s crime rates have dropped, according to the county. The detail also looks out for misbehaving bar patrons, who can be banned from all establishments that participate in Arlington’s Bar Safe program as a result of public drunkenness or more serious crimes.
Between January and September, there have been 32 Bar Safe violations, according to Arlington police data. Rates peaked in the summer, when bars fully reopened, as did the number of fake IDs. The detail confiscated 572 fake IDs during the same time period.
While many alcohol-related crimes dropped from 2019 to 2020 due to COVID-related business closures, the detail has noticed the nightlife crowd increasing every month since the state reopened, according to a monthly police report.
With that, new safety problems have arisen: last month, there were six reports of spiked drink in Clarendon and Crystal City bars.
The collaboration between ACPD and VSP was not the only agreement that received County Board approval. On Saturday, the Board approved a mutual aid agreement with U.S. Capitol Police after 50 Arlington officers helped secure the U.S. Capitol building during the “Justice for J6” rally this fall.
The rally on Sept. 18. was held in support of those charged after the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol by a large pro-Trump mob. It was widely reported as a flop that did not draw the expected crowds while still costing government agencies hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The county says both of these mutual aid agreements exemplify ACPD’s commitment to regional partnerships.
“The Police Department is an active member, throughout the region, in providing mutual aid assistance,” a county staff report said. “This effort allows for the appropriate utilization of resources both within and outside of the County. Our commitment to regional partnerships greatly enhances the safety and well-being of the citizenry.”
Aftermath of police chase and crash on the southbound GW Parkway
Traffic on southbound GW Parkway after chase and crash (via Google Maps)
(Updated at 5:45 p.m.) Expect heavy traffic on the southbound GW Parkway just after Spout Run due to a crash following a police pursuit.
Initial reports suggest that Virginia State Police troopers chased a fleeing suspect in a Dodge up the Spout Run Parkway and then back down onto the southbound lanes of the Parkway, when the suspect crashed.
Arlington medics were requested to the scene to evaluate possible minor injuries.
Numerous police cruisers were still on scene of the crash as of 5:30 p.m. The wreck appeared to involve the red Dodge, which ran up an embankment on the right ride of the Parkway, and a second non-police vehicle, which had its airbags deployed after crashing into the left-hand stone wall.
One center lane of traffic was squeezing by the police response. As of 5:45 p.m. Google Maps shows traffic on the Parkway backed up to Route 123 in McLean.
LOCATION: SB George Washington Pkwy/Spout Run WB INCIDENT: Traffic Collision IMPACT: Only the center lane is open SB George Washington Pkwy at Spout Run WB. Expect delays and seek an alternate route. pic.twitter.com/vbvXpb47Pg
Two cars back up and turn left on I-395 to get to the Express Lanes, circles and arrows added by ARLnow (via Dave Statter/Twitter)
A car that backed up and turned left on I-395 to get to the Express Lanes, circle added by ARLnow (via Dave Statter/Twitter)
Bollards on I-395 blocking access to the Express Lanes (via Google Maps)
Pre-bollards, a car moved a VDOT barrel to get onto the I-395 Express Lanes (via Dave Statter)
Pre-bollards, a car blocked traffic to turn left and get onto the I-395 Express Lanes (via Dave Statter)
Reckless drivers are regularly backing up on I-395 to get to the Express Lanes, despite bollards placed to prevent it.
Video has captured a number of drivers getting onto northbound I-395 from the Route 110 ramp, near the Pentagon, then driving in reverse to get around bollards that block access to the high-occupancy toll lanes. In return for driving the wrong way on a major highway, the drivers get to save a couple of minutes by avoiding minor traffic backups in the main lanes of the 14th Street Bridge.
Footage of the wrong-way drivers has been published by public safety watchdog Dave Statter over the past two years. The most recent jaw-dropping video — showing multiple drivers drive in reverse in traffic lanes — was posted last week.
It appears the scofflaws have upped their antics in response to the addition of the bollards near where the main lanes and the Express Lanes split, before the bridges.
“Last year, in close coordination with [the Virginia Department of Transportation] and external engineering firms, we worked together to determine that adding bollards at that location was and continues to be the best solution,” said Pam Davila of the Australian company Transurban, which operates the 495/95/395 HOT lanes. “We’re confident that the bollards continue to serve their purpose and cannot stress enough that drivers should be mindful to practice safe driving at all times, on and off the Express Lanes.”
She said Transurban and VDOT discussed “other mitigation options” and talked extensively about issues such as the optimum length for the bollards.
After they went up, Statter observed an improvement, but 15 months later, people are out-maneuvering them.
Virginia State Police is “very aware of” this problem, spokeswoman Corinne Geller says, and is working with VDOT and Transurban to tackle it from both enforcement and engineering perspectives.
“As a preventative measure, state police has stepped up its enforcement and presence in that particular area,” she said. “But our troopers simply cannot be everywhere all the time, nor would permanently stationing a trooper at that one location be efficient or fair use of our limited resources across the Northern Virginia region. Our troopers are committed to doing everything we can to prevent such reckless behavior from occurring.”
Statter’s videos show what people did pre-bollards. Originally, defiant drivers crossed the highway at a nearly perpendicular angle to make the lane.
Orange barrels and cones didn’t deter some drivers. With surprising courtesy, one driver used the turn signal to cross three traffic lanes — blocking oncoming cars — and squeeze through an opening.
Did the driver of this vehicle endanger everyone on I-395 because they
a. have a true emergency & couldn't sit in the main lanes backup? b. are lost? c. are drunk? d. want to keep alive the DC area stereotype of being more important than anyone else?@WTOPtraffic@DildineWTOPpic.twitter.com/JjrK64yNdV
Instead of making these dangerous moves, the Transurban spokeswoman says drivers can access the Express Lanes at a different juncture.
“There is an option for drivers coming from the Pentagon City to safely get on the Express Lanes by taking the Pentagon/Eads Street ramp, and we encourage drivers to use that route, especially during rush hour when there is heavy traffic on the general-purpose lanes,” she said.
While enforcement plays a role in stopping the antics, Geller reminded drivers it is their job to follow the basic rules of the road.
“There is still a responsibility on the driver to make safe, legal and logical decisions when behind the wheel,” she said. “Backing up and/or driving the wrong way on an interstate ramp and/or in a travel lane put that driver and countless other motorists at risk of a crash and serious injury. The safety of our highways is a collaborative responsibility and one we hope the motoring public will help us improve, especially at this particular location.”
Virginia State Police troopers engage in a chase on I-395 earlier this month (via Dave Statter/Twitter)
It’s been a common occurrence lately, documented by public safety watchdog Dave Statter: Virginia State Police engage in high-speed chases on I-395 but abandon them at the D.C. line.
That’s because VSP’s loose restrictions for initiating a chase tighten when troopers reach state lines.
“Sworn employees may initiate a pursuit when a driver fails to stop after the sworn employee has given a lawful order to stop by activating emergency lights and/or siren,” according to state police chase policy. But anyone being chased for a possible misdemeanor or traffic violation, who manages to reach D.C., is in the clear.
“Unless the violator’s offense is a felony, sworn employees will discontinue pursuit at the state line,” the policy says. “If the violator is being pursued in connection with a felony offense (in addition to felony eluding police), the pursuit may continue into the District of Columbia or any adjoining state except Kentucky with the approval of a supervisor.”
Asked about which types of incidents typically lead to troopers calling things off at the 14th Street Bridge, and which lead to chases continuing into the District, VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller said “there’s no one-size-fits-all answer that I can provide.”
“In accordance with Virginia State Police policy, each pursuit is assessed on a case-by-case basis,” she said. “The trooper and supervisor will assess the pursuit based on the variety of factors that are known and unknown at every stage of the pursuit, which will then determine if/when it is in the best of the interest of the public to terminate a pursuit.”
Sometimes, of course, police are able to stop fleeing drivers before they enter the District. Statter posted video of state police stopping a vehicle and making an arrest with guns drawn on I-395 near the Pentagon this past weekend.
If VSP chases a suspect in Arlington County, local police can and have helped nab suspects, but Arlington County Police Department policy specifies officers can only give chase when there’s a serious crime involved. While both have jurisdiction on state highways in Arlington, VSP predominantly handles enforcement there, ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage says.
Arlington officers can only give chase if there is probable cause that a driver or occupant has committed a violent felony or an offense involving the use or threatened use of a firearm, or has warrants on file for either reason. Additionally, ACPD officers can give chase if the pursuit could “abate a danger of a substantial likelihood of death or serious bodily injury,” the policy reads.
When they reach county lines, officers don’t have to stop, but they should consider their “level of familiarity” with the area, per the policy.
While Arlington police will maintain a lookout for a vehicle that flees from them on traffic or minor charges — searching the area without giving chase — the only other recourse in the moment is to notify state police and other local and federal law enforcement agencies.
As for joining other pursuits, the ACPD policy says “officers shall not join in a pursuit initiated by another jurisdiction that enters Arlington County unless the driver or occupant is wanted for any of the above-listed offenses.”
Update on 8/26/21 — The man has been found, police say.
Earlier: An elderly Arlington man is missing and Virginia State Police have issued a statewide alert to try to find him.
Arlington County police say the 92-year-old man went missing from the Cherrydale neighborhood Monday afternoon. He’s believed to be in danger due to a health issue.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or ACPD at 703-558-2222.
State police issued the following Silver Alert for the missing man this morning.
THE VIRGINIA STATE POLICE HAS ISSUED A SENIOR ALERT ON BEHALF OF ARLINGTON COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT ON AUGUST 24, 2021 AT 0825 HOURS.
THE ARLINGTON COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT IS LOOKING FOR CHARILAOS DIMOPOULOS, RACE: WHITE, SEX: MALE, AGE 92 YEARS OLD, HEIGHT 5 FOOT 8 INCHES, WEIGHT 110 LBS., WITH HAZEL EYES, AND GRAY HAIR.
HE WAS LAST SEEN ON AUGUST 23, AT 1530 HOURS AT 2021 NORTH NELSON STREET, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA. HE WAS LAST SEEN WEARING A BLUE SHIRT, GRAY PANTS AND POSSIBLY A BLACK JACKET. HE HAS REPORTEDLY LEFT ON FOOT BUT POSSIBLY HAS TAKEN THE METRO OR A CAB IN AN UNKNOWN DIRECTION OF TRAVEL.
THE MISSING SENIOR SUFFERS FROM A COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, AND THE DISAPPEARANCE POSES A CREDIBLE THREAT TO HIS HEALTH AND SAFETY AS DETERMINED BY THE INVESTIGATING AGENCY.
PLEASE CONTACT THE ARLINGTON COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT [24/7 DISPATCH] WITH ANY INFORMATION REGARDING HIS WHEREABOUTS AT (703) 558-2222, OR YOU MAY FIND COMPLETE INFORMATION AT Twitter.com/VSPalerts
More from ACPD:
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222 or 9-1-1 in an emergency.
A Pennsylvania woman injured one person and nearly collided head-on with others while driving the wrong way on the Beltway and I-66.
Virginia State Police detailed what happened today, after NBC 4 reported on the incident on Thursday, airing dashcam footage (above) taken along I-66 in Arlington.
“At approximately 10:36 a.m. Thursday (June 11), Virginia State Police began receiving calls for a red sedan traveling north in the southbound Express Lanes of I-495 near Exit 51,” VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller wrote this afternoon. “As state police were responding, the vehicle took I-66 and was then traveling east in the westbound lanes of I-66. As the vehicle headed into Arlington County, it struck another vehicle.”
“The impact of that crash caused the wrong-way vehicle to suffer a flat tire,” Geller continued. “State police troopers were able to meet the oncoming red sedan, at which time the vehicle pulled off to the shoulder.”
With the vehicle stopped near the Lee Highway/Spout Run exit of I-66, the 57-year-old driver initially refused to get out of the car when state troopers approached.
“The troopers recognized the woman was suffering from mental duress and were able to contact a family member,” Geller said. “The troopers kept communicating with the woman and were able to establish a rapport with her. She exited the vehicle and was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation. The driver of the vehicle that was struck was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries.”
Potential charges against the woman are still pending, said Geller.
The man who shared the dashcam video with NBC 4 told the station that it felt like something out of a video game as he swerved and missed colliding with the woman’s Chevrolet “by inches.”
A knife-wielding man carjacked a rideshare vehicle in Ballston this morning and drove off with the passenger still inside, police say.
The Arlington County Police Department announced the man’s arrest Tuesday afternoon.
According to police, the carjacking happened around 7 a.m. on the 900 block of N. Stafford Street, near the Ballston Metro station. Officers spotted the car in the Lyon Park neighborhood, south of Clarendon, and initiated a pursuit that eventually ended on S. Glebe Road near the Arlington Ridge Giant supermarket.
A 27-year-old Alexandria man is now facing carjacking and abduction charges. The passenger was not injured.
The Arlington County Police Department is announcing the arrest of a suspect following an armed carjacking in the Ballston-Virginia Square neighborhood. Delonte Hall, 27, of Alexandria, VA, was arrested and charged with Carjacking and Abduction. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
At approximately 7:00 a.m. on May 11, police were dispatched to the 900 block of N. Stafford Street for the report of an armed robbery. The investigation revealed a rideshare driver was picking up a fare when both the passenger and the suspect entered the vehicle. The driver realized the suspect was not with the passenger and challenged him, at which point the suspect produced a knife and demanded the vehicle. The driver exited the vehicle and the suspect fled the scene in the stolen vehicle with the passenger inside.
Responding officers located the vehicle traveling in the area of Washington Boulevard at N. Pershing Drive and initiated a pursuit. With the assistance of Virginia State Police, the vehicle was blocked in at the intersection of S. Glebe Road and Meade Street. The suspect was taken into custody without incident. The passenger was not injured.
This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit 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).
A man allegedly left a local restaurant without paying, shoved a restaurant employee, and used anti-Asian slurs, according to police.
The incident happened shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday along Crystal City’s restaurant row, on the 500 block of 23rd Street S.
Restaurant employees told police they confronted the man after he didn’t pay the bill, but he kept walking away. The man also allegedly pushed an employee to the ground while another recorded the encounter on video.
The alleged assault is being investigated by Arlington County police. The employees, who are of Asian descent, told officers that the man used racial slurs, which has been referred by ACPD to Virginia State Police as a possible hate crime.
More from a police press release, below.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating the assault of a restaurant employee and is seeking the public’s assistance identifying the suspect who was captured on cell phone image.
At approximately 5:54 p.m. on May 4, police were dispatched to the 500 block of 23rd Street S. for the report of an assault. Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect left a restaurant without paying his bill. Two employees approached the suspect outside the establishment and requested he return to pay. The suspect continued walking away and when one employee began recording him, he pushed the other employee to the ground and ran off towards Richmond Highway. The victim of the assault did not require medical treatment.
During the course of the follow-up investigation by detectives, it was alleged that the suspect used racial slurs towards the employees, an Asian male and female. In accordance with Virginia law, this incident has been reported to Virginia State Police as a possible hate crime.
The suspect is described as a white male in his late 20’s to early 30’s with dark brown hair, a light brown beard, approximately 5’9″ to 5’11” tall and weighing between 150 to 160 lbs. He was wearing square rimmed glasses, headphones, a black t-shirt, gray and black sweatpants and black sneakers at the time of the incident.
This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information related to this incident or who can identify the suspect is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit 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).
(Updated at 11 a.m.) A car chase sped through a number of South Arlington neighborhoods Tuesday evening.
The chase happened around dusk, and went through Shirlington, Green Valley, and neighborhoods along Columbia Pike. It ended with an arrest at the intersection of 8th Street S. and S. Harrison Street, in the Arlington Mill neighborhood, according to local public safety watcher Dave Statter.
Virginia State Police troopers chased the suspect and were assisted in their subsequent investigation by Arlington County police, according to ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
A VSP spokeswoman confirmed last night that “no law enforcement were injured and the suspect is in custody.” This morning, state police issued the following press release about the incident.
At approximately 6:13 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 23), a Virginia State Police trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a Buick sedan traveling south on I-395 near Exit 8A in Arlington County. The trooper had observed the Buick making multiple unsafe lane changes in/around southbound traffic and had its rear license plate improperly displayed. When the trooper activated his vehicle’s emergency lights and siren, the Buick refused to stop. A pursuit was initiated when the Buick sped away at a high rate of speed.
The Buick exited I-395 at Exit 7/Glebe Road. State police troopers were able to maneuver their vehicles around the Buick to contain it. That’s when the Buick rammed one of the trooper’s vehicles. As the vehicles continued onto 8th Street in Arlington, the Buick rammed additional state police vehicles. Both times, the driver of the Buick lost control and the Buick ran off the road. The Buick ended up striking a fence and three parked vehicles during those instances before finally coming to a stop.
The driver of the Buick, Aaron B. Connelley, 41, of Washington, D.C., refused to exit the vehicle, despite repeated verbal commands from the troopers to do so. The driver was finally taken into custody.
Connelley was charged with one felony count of eluding police, possession of a Schedule I/II narcotic and various other traffic offenses related to the pursuit. The incident remains under investigation.
Brian Sicknick arrived at his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday, escorted there by scores of local first responders, including many from Arlington.
The fallen U.S. Capitol Police officer, who was killed during the Jan. 6 pro-Trump riot, was laid to rest at the cemetery after lying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda.
Arlington County Police Department motor officers were part of the procession from the Capitol to the cemetery. Arlington County firefighters and Virginia State Police troopers helped to salute Sicknick’s remains as the hearse arrived at the cemetery.
Photos from the procession route, as posted on social media, are below.
Today ACPD joined fellow law enforcement officers in honoring fallen @CapitolPolice Officer Brian D. Sicknick and assisting with his escort from the Capitol to his final resting place at @ArlingtonNatl. His heroism, service and dedication will never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/CZBdJs9alM
"When a police officer is killed, it's not an agency that loses an officer, it's an entire nation." -Chris Cosgriff, Founder of Officer Down Memorial Page (@ODMP) #VSP Sgt. A. Jones awaiting the procession for @CapitolPolice Officer Brian Sicknick outside @ArlingtonNatl Cemetery. pic.twitter.com/nrXRW6A9uV
As the funeral cortège of fallen Capitol Hill Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick crossed the Memorial Bridge towards his final resting place at Arlington Cemetery, #DCsBravest Fireboat 1, the John Glenn, honored him with a water borne salute. RIP. pic.twitter.com/Qi0fFfaMf1
