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Police Called for Drunk Customer at Children’s Shoe Store

Published January 11, 2016 at 3:25PM | Updated October 7, 2016 at 1:30PM

Arlington County Police responded to a call for a drunk customer harassing the staff at a children’s shoe store on Lee Highway.

The alleged incident was reported just after 3 p.m. at Bradshaw’s Children’s Shoes, a long-time local business at 4532 Lee Highway, in the Lee Heights Shops.

According to the police dispatch, an intoxicated woman is inside the store, holding an open bottle of wine. She is refusing to leave the store and “keeps demanding adult shoes,” according to the dispatch.

The store requested police to help remove the woman from the premises.

Photo via Google Maps

Police: Drug Conference Attendee Stripped Naked in Crystal City After a Bad Trip

By ARLnow.com

Published November 23, 2015 at 2:55PM | Updated December 23, 2021 at 3:37PM

(Updated at 3:40 p.m. on 12/23/21) A man attending a conference on drug policy reform stripped naked, started yelling incoherently and was ultimately tased by police during a bad trip Saturday night in Crystal City.

Police say they were called to the intersection of Crystal Drive and 18th Street around midnight Saturday night, for a report of a man standing in the roadway and acting erratically.

Upon arriving on scene, police saw 29-year-old Hector [Redacted] in a flower bed, waving his arms in the air, said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. [Redacted] was completely nude and sweating profusely despite the chilly temperatures, Sternbeck said.

According to police, [Redacted] ran at the first responding officer and slammed his hands on the hood of his police cruiser, all while screaming incoherently. The officer used a Taser to subdue the man and called for backup to help take him in custody.

Medics responded and sedated [Redacted] — who was under the influence of bath salts, according to a field toxicology test — to keep him from harming himself by continuing to writhe on the pavement, Sternbeck said. He was transported to Virginia Hospital Center for observation, where he continued to hallucinate and talk incoherently, according to Sternbeck.

[Redacted], a Mexican citizen, reportedly told police that he had traveled to the area for the 2015 International Drug Policy Reform Conference, which was being held in Crystal City. The conference focused in part on advocating for the legalization of marijuana.

[Redacted] was charged with disorderly conduct and held on a $10,000 bond. He remains in custody and his passport has been surrendered, said Sternbeck.

Arlington Man is Recruiting John Stamos as a Groomsman

By Jennifer Currier

Published November 5, 2015 at 4:45PM

A born-and-raised Arlingtonian is asking a celebrity to “have mercy” on him and join his wedding party, all because of a bet.

Brendan Hurley currently lives in Ashton Heights and got engaged back in January.

However, not long before he proposed, the 29-year-old bet a friend $20 he could get John Stamos to be a groomsman in his wedding. The friend accepted the bet, and Hurley has made it his mission to win.

“I got engaged after I made the bet, and my fiancé told me she had picked six bridesmaids,” Hurley recalled. “I remembered Stamos, so I got six of my friends to sign up and told one specifically that if Stamos shows up, he’s out.”

Hurley added that sixth friend isn’t particularly happy with him, and his bride-to-be isn’t thrilled either.

“She jokingly says she doesn’t want him to come because she doesn’t want him to take all the attention,” he said, laughing. “I know she’ll be absolutely gorgeous that day, so I told her not to worry about it.”

Hurley’s making several efforts to bring Stamos to Virginia for the big day in May 2016.

The first step was getting active on Twitter — something Hurley said he would never do — by directly tweeting at the Full House celebrity. He’s used the social media platform to recruit the support of some friends and a John Stamos fan page.

He also started a blog that he updates periodically. Some of the posts mention reaching out to bigger media outlets like BuzzFeed and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

The most recent entry was about Hurley completing this year’s Marine Corps Marathon while wearing a custom shirt that he designed and La Tee-Shirt on Lee Highway printed.

It read, “I run for Stamos.”

“That shirt got a lot of hooting and hollering,” Hurley said. “I think that’s going to be my racing shirt from now on.”

Hurley even offered to buy his plane ticket and give him the $20 for winning the bet if he shows up.

Despite his efforts, the celebrity hasn’t responded… yet.

“I’ve got some time,” Hurley said. “I’m not giving up hope.”

Photos courtesy of Brendan Hurley

Tomorrow: Halloween Cow Poop Contest in Lyon Park

By ARLnow.com

Published October 30, 2015 at 2:30PM

A cow will be trucked to Lyon Park tomorrow (Saturday) as part of a high stakes game, the winners of which will be determined by poop.

The “Cow Flop Drop” game is part of the Lyon Park neighborhood’s family-friendly, all-day Halloween festivities.

A cow named Blossom will wander around part of the park, marked off in an 8×8 grid. Residents will buy a square in the grid and hope that Blossom deposits her droppings in that square, to win cash prizes.

If Blossom’s bowels are uncharacteristically unproductive, a “brave volunteer” will “dress as a cow an lob a water balloon into the field to identify a winner.”

From the Lyon Park and Ashton Heights listservs:

This Saturday, shoehorned in between the Parade of Costumes at 10 AM and the bonfire at dark, Lyon Park will hold a Cow Flop Drop.

Yes, we have a cow. Yes, we have a plan. Yes, there will be games (with cow-themed prizes) and food.

Volunteers will create a grid on the ground with 64 square, and you’ll be able to purchase a square starting at 10:00 AM. Our cow, Blossom, will surprise and delight you as she enters the field at 10:30 AM.

From 10:30 AM until 2 PM, we’ll monitor Blossom’s “movements.” Each time she selects a square, the square’s owner will win a portion of the proceeds from that game. It’s cow chip bingo!

The earliest games will be low-stakes, and you can purchase a square for just a few dollars. Around noon, we’ll offer a high stakes game with each square costing $50. And don’t have a cow — if Blossom doesn’t deliver every 30 minutes, we have a very brave volunteer who will dress as a cow an lob a water balloon into the field to identify a winner!

If your costumed child would like to run a game and toss a balloon, we will offer a few $1 games if you can recruit enough players to cover the entire board.

The aforementioned children’s parade of costumes starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by an “explore a fire truck” event starting at 11 a.m. From 7-9 p.m., the community will hold its annual Halloween bonfire in the park.

Police: Man Chokes Clerk, Smashes Display Cases After Returning Engagement Ring

By ARLnow.com

Published October 6, 2015 at 4:30PM | Updated October 7, 2016 at 1:30PM

An enraged man assaulted an employee and smashed glass display cases after returning an engagement ring to the Kay Jewelers store at the Pentagon City mall this morning, according to police.

Arlington County officers responded to the store just after 11:35 a.m., after receiving a frantic 911 call about an assault in progress.

Police say a homeless man, 34-year-old Monbain Brown, had earlier in the day returned a $4,000 engagement ring after having a change of heart about the purchase. He returned shortly thereafter and “engaged in a verbal altercation with one of the workers behind the display case because the money had not showed up in his account yet,” according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Brown became increasingly agitated during the argument before jumping the counter and beginning to strangle the female employee, Sternbeck said.

Customers inside the store watched the scuffle but did not intervene. Finally, a male employee came out and placed Brown in a chokehold, resulting in all three tumbling to the ground, according to Sternbeck.

After several minutes of Brown being held in the chokehold, said Sternbeck, a mall security guard arrived and asked the employee to let him go. At that time, Brown allegedly began chasing the female employee around the store. After being unable to catch her, Brown slammed his fist down on the jewelry display cases, breaking two of them, Sternbeck said. He then proceeded to smoke a cigarette inside the store and wait for police to arrive.

Brown was arrested and is being held without bond. He is charged with strangulation, destruction of property and assault and battery.

A surveillance camera caught the entire incident on video, Sternbeck noted.

New Rosslyn Starbucks Will Be Across from the Starbucks and the Starbucks

By ARLnow.com

Published September 16, 2015 at 10:20AM | Updated September 16, 2015 at 1:19PM

(Updated at 1:20 p.m.) Starbucks will be opening a new cafe in Rosslyn this fall, with the opening of the new TargetExpress store.

The coffee shop will be located inside the store, at 1500 Wilson Blvd, which is expected to open next month. A quick peek inside the glass doors yesterday revealed that much of the familiar Target interior is already complete, with workers continuing to work on fixtures like security cameras.

Curiously, this will be the third Starbucks location within a one block radius. Shoppers sipping their latte from the store will be able to look out the big glass windows and see two Starbucks across the street, one inside the Safeway (1501 17th Street N.) and the other freestanding (1525 Wilson Blvd).

A fourth Rosslyn Starbucks is down the hill on N. Lynn Street, about a quarter mile away.

Such dense placement of Starbucks stores is not unprecedented, and Arlington is noted for its love of Starbucks, but it does seem a bit excessive even for Manhattan on the Potomac. The Columbia Pike corridor, for instance, only just got its first Starbucks.

“As a standard course of business, Starbucks continually evaluates our store portfolio, using various criteria to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers,” a Starbucks spokeswoman told ARLnow.com.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 10, 2015 at 9:00AM | Updated September 10, 2015 at 9:29AM

School Board Candidates Not Ruling Parkland Out — Two candidates for Arlington School Board say they aren’t ruling anything out — including use of parkland — for the building of new schools. Independent Green-endorsed candidate Brooklyn Kinlay said it would “be a tragedy” to use parkland. Reid Goldstein, who has the Democratic endorsement, said the school system is “not moving fast enough” to address the school capacity issue. [InsideNova]

Ray’s Company Files for Bankruptcy — A company affiliated with the popular Ray’s the Steaks and Ray’s Hell Burger restaurants in Arlington has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The restaurants’ operations are reportedly not affected. [Washington Business Journal]

Marymount Tops Diversity List — Marymount University ranks No. 1 for ethnic diversity among regional universities in the South, according to the new 2016 “Best Colleges” rankings from U.S. News and World Report. “It’s all part of our ongoing commitment to creating a culture of engagement that fosters intellectual curiosity, service to others and a global perspective in our students,” said Marymount President Matthew Shank. [Marymount University]

New Civic Association Forms — Arlington has a new civic association. The Arlington County Civic Federation has added the new Shirlington Civic Association as a member. Also, the Columbia Heights West Civic Association has changed its name to the Arlington Mill Civic Association. [InsideNova]

Newspaper Columnist Denied Lemonade — “Our Man in Arlington” columnist Charlie Clark received questionable service after ordering a 50-cent lemonade from a children’s lemonade stand near Virginia Hospital Center last week. [Falls Church News-Press]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 18, 2015 at 8:45AM

Woman Takes Stage to Find Bathroom — An apparently intoxicated woman climbed on stage during a recent Signature Theatre production in Shirlington, made her way backstage and asked a cast member for directions to the bathroom. [Playbill]

Spout Run Closure — The eastbound lanes of the Spout Run Parkway will be completely closed from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today for road paving. No detours will be in place and “alternative routes should be used,” according to the National Park Service.

Arlington Murder to Be Featured on TV Show — This coming Sunday, at 10 p.m., the show “Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall” on Investigation Discovery will feature the 2012 homicide of Mack L. Woods Sr. in Arlington. [Patch]

Charleys Now Open in Pentagon City — A Charleys Philly Steaks restaurant is now open in the food court of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall food court. “Charleys brings a unique experience to the food court with its grilled-fresh-in-front-of-you flavor,” the company said in a press release.

Food Truck Stops Taking Cash — The Lemongrass food truck, which frequents Arlington, has decided to stop accepting cash. The truck now only takes credit and debit cards. [Washington Post]

Why Arlington Went to Paper Ballots — Arlington reintroduced paper ballots this year after dumping its electronic voting machines. Why did it get rid of the more modern tech? The WINVote system was found to be grossly insecure and the touchscreen devices were dubbed the “worst voting machines” in America. [Wired]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Popsicles Eaten, Pokemon Cards Played With in Donaldson Run Burglary

By ARLnow.com

Published August 13, 2015 at 4:30PM

Arlington County Police responded to an unusual burglary call yesterday in the Donaldson Run neighborhood.

A homeowner returned to his or her residence on the 2700 block of N. Beechwood Street after a few days away, only to find that something wasn’t quite right — someone had been inside the house and had helped themselves to some sweet treats.

“Between 12:00 p.m. on August 9 and 9:00 p.m. on August 12, an unknown suspect(s) entered a residence through a doggie door and ate the homeowner’s popsicles and whipped cream,” according to a crime report. “The suspect(s) proceeded to play with Pokémon cards that were found in the residence.”

“After they enjoyed some popsicles, they played a bit with some Pokemon cards and left,” ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said of the suspect or suspects, whose identity and motive remains a mystery.

Man With Confederate Flag Spotted Marching Down Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2015 at 9:45AM

A man holding a Confederate flag was spotted marching down Lee Highway near East Falls Church this morning.

The above photo was taken near N. Sycamore Street around 8:00 a.m. A reader said the man was walking very deliberately down the street, with a Confederate flag that had the Gadsden flag’s “Don’t Tread On Me” snake in the middle.

“[He was] not yelling anything but [you] could tell he was walking with pride in his step,” said the reader.

At least one concerned resident called police to report the display, which is highly unusual for Arlington, but according to scanner traffic police determined that the man was exercising his First Amendment rights and not violating the law.

Photo courtesy @WanyeVVest

Car Rolls Down Embankment, Lands on Roof Near Four Mile Run

By ARLnow.com

Published January 25, 2015 at 3:00PM | Updated January 25, 2015 at 7:14PM

A single-vehicle accident on S. Arlington Mill Drive ended with the car rolling down an embankment and ending up on its roof.

The accident happened just after 2:00 p.m. The driver of a newer-model Acura was heading down Arlington Mill Drive, near 9th Street S., when she somehow lost control of the vehicle, drove over a curb and down the steep embankment.

The car ended up on its roof, just steps from Four Mile Run and a popular pedestrian path. Amazingly, the driver was unhurt and was able to crawl out of the passenger side of the vehicle on her own power as police and a fire department rescue squad were arriving.

Police on the scene said they were unsure exactly how the accident happened. A flatbed tow truck is currently on scene, trying to figure out how to get the car up from the embankment.

No word yet on whether the driver will face any charges. The accident happened less than a block from the Arlington Mill Community Center and the site of an earlier water main break.