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Helicopter Called In To Track Robbery Suspect

by ARLnow.com | August 22, 2012 at 11:55 am | 2,923 views | 37 Comments

Arlington County Police called in the U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter last night to assist in the search for a robbery suspect.

Around 9:45 p.m., a suspect threw hot coffee on the front desk attendant at the Best Western hotel on the 2400 block of S. Glebe Road. The suspect then hopped the counter, stole $450 in cash and a cell phone, and fled the scene in a white sedan, according to police.

A K9 unit and the helicopter were called in, but police were ultimately unable to locate the suspect.

“The suspect is described as a black male, 6’0” tall and 170 lbs,” according to the police report. “He was wearing a black hat, reading glasses, black athletic jacket, white athletic shorts and white shoes at the time of the robbery.”

Eamon De Valera

I live pretty close to there. I was wondering what was going on with those helicopters, but they were later than 945 PM. It was closer to 1045 or 11pm when I heard them.

They were flying low and were very loud for 20 minutes or so.

(I don’t know if there was only one helicopter or not)
- Frank Rizzo
  
  Straight up G being, well, a straight up G.
Ice Cube

That ghetto bird kept me up past 1.
WeiQiang

ArlNow: Any word on the condition of the attendant?

Wonder if there was an ACPD cruiser parked [stored overnight] there as usual.
AT

Is that the same incident that the chopper that was circling for hours later (around 12:15 to 1 am?) Woke us up and sounded really low…
KLB

From googling “2400 block of S. Glebe Road,” it seems like this hotel gets hit pretty frequently.
- Alexan24
  
  I think its proximity to 395 makes it a convenient target.
Pink Panther

I guess the cops considered the possibility that he bought the coffee at the Exxon gas station down the street. Must not have, otherwise they’d have some more info from clerk or camera.
Drunk_IrishChick

Another case for the Hot Osullivans Doormen!!!
Hank

That’s a dick move throwing hot coffee on the poor guy/chick behind the counter.
- Faintly Progressive
  
  why? hot coffee is never dangerous – I learned that while researching the need for tort reform
  - element of style
    
    The woman who sued mcd’s apparently had third-degree burns on her inner thighs…and internal lady bits. Had to have skin grafts to both.
    - Hank
      
      I know. I donated some of my own skin to her nether regions.
Your Mom

[Post removed per comment policy]
- Confused
  
  I know – reading glasses ?!?! WTF?
  - Your Mom
    
    Hahahaha
Cost Benefit

Hmm, Exorbitant hourly helicopter operating costs vs. $500 crime.

Good use of my taxpayer dollars.
- Quoth the Raven
  
  For all we know, this suspect may be a suspect in other, more serious crimes. Or, the helicopter needed the practice. Or something else. In other words, no need to jump to conclusions about whether or not this was a good use of tax money or not.
- bob
  
  If the employee was injured, it could very well be malicious wounding in addition to robbery- both serious felonies. Me thinks you would feel differently if you were the clerk. Go take your bean counting back to your cubicle, Poindexter.
  - UptonHiller
    
    Look at it this way: K-9 and a helicopter are usually brought in at night when they think they have a small area to search because the suspect might be hiding. This article says he was seen getting in a car, very near to an interstate.
    
    I imagine by the time the helicopter arrived this person was miles away. Sounds like a waste to me.
- Froyolover
  
  helicopters are cool, and yuppies will pay premiums to live near them
  - Colin
    
    If you had read the article you would have discovered it was a U.S. Park Police helicopter, Arlington Police doesn’t have a helicopter! Thus the yuppies are every tax paying U.S citizen. You’re definitely a keeper!
    - ArlCo ONE Pilot
      
      … but the County does have ArlCo ONE.
    - Froyolover
      
      The folks who will pay LANDLORDS to live near them are the ones who live near them, whoever pays FOR the helicopters.
      
      Geez,do people have to completely misunderstand even joke posts?
      - WeiQiang
        
        “do people have to completely misunderstand even joke posts?” You must be new. Yes, in fact, ArlNow Form Based Code requires 3 commenters to be online at any given time who completely misunderstand joke posts. Rules are rules.
- Tumblebum
  
  They have a meter in them and land when the cost of operation passes the take from the crime.
ArlingtonNative

Eagle 1 flies out of Anacostia.
I don’t think any yuppies are paying (premium, or otherwise) to live down there!
- Gentrifier
  
  We’re there … both of us
Wow&Flutter

Helicopters > Streetcars
jg

That was there for pretty long, about 2 hrs from 11.30 to 1.30.
It was cool to look at it from balcony.
BluemontBocce

While the helicopter’s were circling I saw a car drive down the bike trail at Bluemont Junction Trail. Too dark to see, but assume it was a police car. Moving at a fairly fast speed considering it was on the trail, but not a reckless speed.
Bluemont Resident

Wow – riding down Bluemont trail??! Thank God I wasn’t on the tail end of my walk with my dog that night. We would’ve been run over!
BluemontBocce

Yes, right on the path. I believe walking on the trail after dark is off limits anyway but I know everyone does it. This was close to 1 am so I saw no people walking.
Memories of a forgotten time

I was chased by a helicopter as a teenager in Fairfax county. I got away. It’s actually pretty terrifying.

I ended up hiding in someones garage, so maybe their heat sensors or whatever if they had them couldnt didn’t really pick me up.

True story.
Bluemont Resident

It may be off-limits, but the Park Rangers have never had an issue with it, they just wave. I think the off limits relates more to the park area. Plenty of cyclists pass through each evening. I’ve seen a car (police presumably) stream down the path one other time about 6 months ago at around 9:45 pm – Going at a rate that would have clobbered a cyclist or walker on the trail.
Joe

So glad that they disturbed the sleep of countless residents for at least an hour or more in the middle of the night (several hours after the incident itself) for a guy armed with hot coffee.
Wiz

Awesome! Totally awesome!
Way to go, Hamilton!

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