Theft Leads to Dirt Bike Chase Through the Valley
Police are looking for a man who stole a dirt bike in the Shirlington/Nauck (Green Valley) area this afternoon.
The man allegedly stole the green and white dirt bike after being dropped off by another man on a moped. Both the moped driver and the alleged dirt bike thief then tried to flee the area.
Police eventually surrounded the Shelton apartments (3215 24th Street S.) and detained a man believed to the moped driver. He was handcuffed, led to an unmarked police car and taken to the station. The moped was found abandoned outside the building.
The other suspect was reportedly followed by one of the victims, who hopped on another dirt bike and chased the suspect through the streets of the Valley. The victim eventually lost sight of the suspect, but was able to describe his appearance to police.
Update at 2:05 p.m. on 7/8/11 — Two men have been charged with theft of the dirt bike, according to an Arlington County police report item.
GRAND LARCENY AUTO-ARREST, 07/07/11, 3800 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. On July 7 at 2:50 pm, two men stole a dirt bike from a business. Police apprehended both suspects. Reginald Jacobs, 25, of Arlington, and Raymond Young, 21, of Arlington were both charged with Grand Larceny of an Automobile. Young was held on a $500 bond and Jacobs was held on a $1,500 bond.
Cava Restaurant To Open on Saturday
Cava, a new upscale Greek eatery in Clarendon, will open to the public on Saturday.
The restaurant obtained its liquor license today. Owner Ted Xenohristos says he expects to open the doors at 5:00 Saturday evening. See Cava’s dinner menu here.
Cava is located at 2940 Clarendon Boulevard.
Cherrydale Library Gears Up for 50th Anniversary
A celebration is planned this weekend in honor of the Cherrydale Library’s 50th anniversary.
The library, which was built in 1961, will host a event on Saturday that will include face painting, balloons, vintage photographs and free birthday cake.
Before the family-friendly fun kicks off, there will be a performance by a local singer from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m., and a brief ceremony featuring a talk by Arlington and Cherrydale historian Kathryn Holt Springston from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m.
The library is located at 2190 Military Road. For more information call the branch at 703-228-6330.
Flickr photo via Arlington Public Library
New 7-Eleven Coming to Virginia Square
Arlington is about to get yet another 7-Eleven store.
Construction on a convenience store has just gotten underway in Virginia Square, according to a tipster. The store is located at 3461 Washington Boulevard, in the now-shuttered Georgetown Valet dry cleaners space. The new 7-Eleven will be located between Rocklands BBQ restaurant and the Casual Adventure store, directly across from a Giant supermarket.
Arlington currently has at least twenty 7-Eleven stores, according to listings on the company’s web site.
Discount Tattoo Removal Shop Coming to Ballston
A new discount tattoo removal shop is coming to the corner of Wilson Boulevard and N. Pollard Street in Ballston.
Called “Zap a Tat,” the shop is “a new concept in laser tattoo removal,” according to a help wanted ad on Craigslist. The store will attempt to undercut other tattoo removal services on price, according to the Linked In page of its owner, a Harvard MBA alum.
Zap a Tat will “provide high quality laser tattoo removal at a reasonable price,” according to the Linked In page. “We are testing our concept and will begin roll-out soon thereafter.”
The Ballston storefront, at 820 N. Pollard Street, is “our first retail location,” according to the Craiglist ad.
Tattoo removal is a booming business. About a quarter of the population between the ages of 18 and 50 has at least one tattoo, according to study published in 2006.
Hat tip to Tim J.
Examiner Blasts Arlington’s Streetcar Project
The plan to build a rapid bus line in Crystal City and Potomac Yard, and then eventually replace it with a streetcar line, is drawing criticism from the Washington Examiner’s editorial board.
“This colossal, unjustified waste of tax dollars has been deliberately concealed from the public,” the Examiner alleges. However, the plan to convert the transitway into a streetcar line has been discussed in public meetings.
The Examiner editorial also alleges that the planned streetcar line along Columbia Pike will hinder traffic, especially during rush hour. The paper says the county should release the results of a simulation that attempted to find out how much vehicle travel times would be affected by the streetcar.
“A previous study showed that streetcars on the pike will turn an easy 15-minute commute to a 50-minute marathon,” the editorial board wrote, adding that the planned narrowing of traffic lanes along the Pike will present a safety hazard for drivers and cyclists.
Crime Report: Unusual Assaults Edition
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, an argument in Alcova Heights turned violent when one man threw his cell phone at another man’s face.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 06/29/11, 3700 block of S. 5th Street. On June 29 at 5 pm, a man threw a cell phone at another man during an argument, striking him on the face.
That same day, a suspect on a motorcycle struck a parking aide with the bike’s wheel as she was trying to write a ticket.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY WITH A VEHICLE, 06/29/11, 1300 block of S. Joyce Street. On June 29 at 9 am, a parking aide was writing a ticket when the owner of a motorcycle confronted him. The suspect left the scene on the motorcycle, striking the parking aide with the motorcycle wheel. The suspect is known.
Then, on the Fourth of July, a man wounded a movie theater employee in Ballston after he was not allowed to bring food into the theater.
UNLAWFUL WOUNDING-ARREST, 07/04/11, 4200 block of Wilson Boulevard. On July 4 at 4 pm, a man assaulted a movie theater employee when the employee would not allow him to bring food into a movie. Police located the suspect. Franklin Parker, 55, of no fixed address, was charged with Unlawful Wounding. He was held without bond.
After the jump, a more serious assault: a woman is hit in the head with a hammer after she tried to stop a vehicle break-in.
Morning Notes
Local Real Estate Market Lags — While the average home sales price in Arlington was up 4.6 percent for the first half of 2011, the total volume of sales was down 19 percent compared to 2010. [Sun Gazette]
Garvey ‘Home’ in Alexandria, Arlington — State Senate candidate and Arlington School Board member Libby Garvey is trying to play up her local chops to both Arlington and Alexandria Democrats. “Garvey, a resident of Fairlington, considers Alexandria to be her neighborhood,” the Huntington-Belle Haven Patch reported yesterday. Meanwhile, Garvey told the Arlington County Democratic Committee last night that after debates in Fairfax and Alexandria, “it’s really nice to be home tonight.”
Shirlington Jazz Festival Starts Tonight — Shirlington’s outdoor summer jazz festival starts tonight. Local jazz group The Oscillators will perform at the Village at Shirlington Plaza from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The festival runs on Thursday nights through August 25. [Shirlington Village Blog Spot]
Shirlington Hilton Garden Inn Gets a Chef — The Shirlington Hilton Garden Inn (4271 Campbell Avenue), which has been trying to lure local diners to its Great American Grill restaurant, recently hired a new chef. [Shirlington Village Blog]
