Driver Arrested After Car Crashes Next to Cemetery Metro Entrance
(Updated at 11:10 a.m.) A man was arrested early this morning after allegedly fleeing from police and crashing his car next to the Arlington National Cemetery Metro entrance.
Around 12:20 a.m., a car took off when an Arlington County police officer attempted a traffic stop on Route 110, near the Pentagon. Following protocol, the officer did not attempt to chase the car. A short time later, however, another officer reported via radio that a car had run off Memorial Drive and crashed through some bushes next to the Arlington National Cemetery Metro station. The car, a Saturn sedan, was later confirmed to be the same one that did not stop for the first officer.
The alleged driver of the car was found about an hour later during a search of the surrounding area, parts of which are heavily wooded. The search involved police dogs, and the U.S. Park Police Eagle helicopter. In addition to Arlington County and U.S. Park police, Metro Transit police assisted at the scene.
A row of bushes between the escalators and elevator to the Metro station suffered noticeable damage as a result of the wreck. The car came to rest about 10 yards away from fencing around the station. We’re told it would have been visible from the station platforms.
It’s unclear whether there were any passengers in the car, but as of 2:30 a.m. no other arrests had been made.
The driver is being held on a $6,000 bond, and was charged with misdemeanor hit and run, felony eluding and driving while revoked, according to police.
BREAKING: Man Charged in Fatal Christmas Eve Accident
A 21-year-old Alexandria man has been charged in the Christmas Eve death of a pedestrian in Ballston.
The victim, 30-year-old Shabnam Motahhar-Tehrani of Nokesville, Va., was standing on a sidewalk around 4:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve when the suspect ran a red light, according to police, causing a crash.
Motahhar-Tehrani was struck by the suspect’s vehicle as a result of the crash. She was transported to a local trauma center where she was pronounced dead at 8:00 p.m.
The suspect, Farhan Mohammad Khan, was charged with involuntary manslaughter after an investigation by the Arlington County Police Department. He’s being held without bond and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
From an ACPD press release:
The Arlington County Police Department has taken a 21 year old Alexandria man into custody on an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from a Christmas Eve fatal pedestrian accident. Farhan Mohammad Khan, 21, of Alexandria, VA is currently being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
Khan was traveling northbound on N. Glebe Road at 4:30 p.m. on December 24, 2012 when he ran a red light and struck a vehicle in the intersection of N. Randolph Street. The accident caused his vehicle to spin out of control, striking 30 year old Shabnam Motahhar-Tehrani of Nokesville, VA as she was standing on the sidewalk. She was pronounced dead at INOVA Fairfax Hospital at 8:00 p.m. that evening.
The involuntary manslaughter charge is a Class 5 felony and carries a maximum sentence of up to ten years.
Photo (top) courtesy “Dixie.” Photo (middle right) courtesy ACPD.
Police Arrest Three Teens for Shooting Car Windows with BB Guns
Police have arrested three Arlington teens in connection with a rash of car windows being shot out with BB guns.
The suspects allegedly shot out the windows on more than 250 cars in Northern Virginia over the past several months, including two marked police vehicles. Nothing was taken from the cop cars, but at least one of the other incidents involved items being stolen from a vehicle.
19-year-old Alexander Chase and 18-year-old Ricardo Reynoso Jr., both of Arlington, were arrested and charged with felony destruction of property. Chase is currently being held without bond, and Reynoso is being held on a $1,000 bond. 18-year-old William Romero of Arlington was charged with grand larceny and grand larceny with intent to distribute. Romero is currently being held without bond.
The Arlington County Police Department says the suspects were caught based on an extensive investigation that has been going on for months. They were assisted by the Fairfax County Police Department.
The crimes are still being examined, and some may span all the way to West Virginia.
Crime Report: New Year’s Day Stabbing
A New Years Day dispute between a girlfriend and a boyfriend ended with the boyfriend being taken to the hospital for stab wounds, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.
The incident took place in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood. The girlfriend, 32-year-old Griselda Saravia, was arrested and charged with stabbing her boyfriend in the arm with a kitchen knife.
UNLAWFUL WOUNDING, 01/01/13, 800 block of S. Frederick Street. At 4:40pm on January 1, a victim and his girlfriend got into a verbal altercation. The argument quickly escalated and the suspect stabbed her boyfriend in the arm with a kitchen knife. The victim was able to break free and call the police. He was later transported to Virginia Hospital Center for medical treatment of the stab wound. Griselda Y. Saravia, 32, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with unlawful wounding. She was released on recognizance with a $7,500 unsecured bond.
Early Sunday morning, according to police, a Herndon man “repeatedly punched” someone inside a Rosslyn store “for no apparent reason.” The victim suffered significant head and facial injuries, police said.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 12/30/12, 1600 block of N. Wilson Boulevard. On December 30 at 3:45 am, an intoxicated subject attacked another subject inside of a store for no apparent reason. The subject repeatedly punched the victim in the head, then proceeded to drag the victim to the back of the store and continued to punch him. Following the altercation, the victim was found unconscious with facial swelling and was transported to GW hospital. Justin Lee Tchabo, 30, of Herndon, VA, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding. He was held without bond.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Four Arrested After Armed Bank Robbery in Ballston
A crew of heavily armed men robbed the Navy Federal Credit Union at 875 N. Randolph Street in Ballston Saturday morning, in a heist reminiscent of a Hollywood movie.
Three men who were wearing ski masks and pointing guns entered the credit union, located a block from Ballston Common Mall, just before 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
They shouted threats and forced the 13 customers in the business to lie on the ground. The men made off with several bags full of cash — an undisclosed but substantial sum of money — and were whisked from the scene of the crime by a getaway driver who was waiting outside, Sternbeck told ARLnow.com.
The suspects threw the bags (minus the cash) out of the car window as they made their escape to D.C. via I-66, Sternbeck said, but they were apparently unaware that the cash contained a GPS transceiver. Metropolitan Police used the GPS signal to track the cash to a residence in Southeast D.C., where all four men were arrested.
The FBI is investigating and the men may face federal charges, Sternbeck said.
Three Arrested for Prostitution in McDonald’s Parking Lot
Three people were arrested last week on prostitution charges after Arlington County police found a man and a woman allegedly engaging in sexual activity in the parking lot of the McDonald’s restaurant at 3013 Columbia Pike.
The incident happened around 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12. According to police, a man and a woman were observed entering the restaurant and sitting by the front window. At one point the woman reportedly got up and started talking on a cell phone, at which time another man arrived.
The woman and the second man got into an SUV, drove to the back of the restaurant, and engaged in sexual activity after exchanging $20, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The vehicle was described as a Pontiac Aztek, and police say it was owned by the first man, who remained inside the restaurant. Police say they observed the sexual activity and arrested all three suspects.
The first man, identified by police as 69-year-old Richard Arden Leonard of Arlington, was charged with promoting prostitution with a vehicle. The woman, 48-year-old Angelia Kennedy of Alexandria, was charged with prostitution. The second man, 33-year-old Osman Javier Mejia of Arlington, was charged with soliciting a prostitute. All three suspects were released on a court summons.
Student Arrested for Stabbing At Marymount
(Updated at 10:00 a.m.) An 18-year-old Marymount University student had his intestines exposed as a result of a stabbing in one of the school’s dormitories Friday night, according to police.
The incident started earlier in the evening as a minor altercation between two students who lived in the same dormitory building. According to police, the suspect in the case – a 20-year-old student — confronted the victim in another student’s dorm room following the altercation.
At one point the suspect shoved the victim, and the victim responded by punching the suspect in the face, possibly breaking his nose, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The suspect then took out a small folding knife and cut the victim across the lower area of the stomach, from the front of his body to his back, exposing his intestines and cutting his pancreas, Sternbeck said.
When police arrived they found a large crowd of people around the victim, who was holding a t-shirt over his stab wound. They also observed someone throwing beer and liquor out of the room where the incident occurred, according to Sternbeck.
The victim was transported to the trauma center at Inova Fairfax Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police found the suspect in a dorm room with his girlfriend. There was blood “all over the room,” Sternbeck said, primarily as a result of his broken nose.
Francis Joseph “Frankie” Maguire, 20, of Burke, Va., was arrested and charged with malicious wounding. He was to be held without bond until his arraignment, scheduled for today. No charges have been filed against the 18-year-old victim at this time.
No word on what the argument between the two men was about. Court records show that Maguire has also been charged with selling drugs on school property and the distribution of marijuana.
After the incident, Marymount’s Director of Campus Safety sent an email to students assuring them that “this was an isolated incident, and there was no danger to the campus community.”
Photo courtesy Arlington County Police Department
Crime Report: Malicious Wounding at Marymount
A fight between two students at Marymount University landed one of them in jail and the other in the hospital.
According to police, early Sunday morning a 19-year-old student hit another student in the head with a bottle during a physical altercation, causing a laceration. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 12/09/12, 2800 block of N. Glebe Road. At 3:45 am on December 9, a subject involved in a physical altercation hit a victim in the head with a bottle, causing a laceration. The victim was transported to the hospital, where he received stitches. Michael Pelham, 19, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding and destruction of property. He was held without bail.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Morning Notes
Arlington to Hold Online Snow Chat — Dave Hundelt, Arlington County’s Streets Manager, will be answering questions about snow removal online today (Thursday). The discussion is scheduled from noon to 1:00 p.m. [Facebook]
Metrobus Driver Arrested at Pentagon – A Metrobus driver was arrested by U.S. Marshals at the Pentagon Wednesday morning. The driver, of the 9E Pentagon-Huntington line bus, was wanted in connection with a 2010 murder. [Washington Examiner]
Joe Allbritton Dies — Joe L. Allbritton, owner of Arlington-based WJLA (ABC 7), NewsChannel 8 and Politico, has died. Allbrittion, whose initials are the call letters of WJLA, was 87. [Politico]
Arlington Ranks Sixth in Household Income — Arlington County had a median household income of $98,060 in 2011, which was 5.1 percent higher than a year prior, according to new census figures. Arlington’s 2011 median income is the sixth-highest of all counties in the United States. [Sun Gazette]
Big Brawl At Bailey’s in Ballston
Arlington police responded to a large fight at Bailey’s Pub (4238 Wilson Blvd) in the Ballston Common Mall last week.
It’s not clear what started the brawl, but it quickly grew in size and prompted a large police response. Six people were arrested and several people were taken to Virginia Hospital Center for injuries. At least one police officer suffered minor injuries but did not require hospitalization, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
“A huge melee broke out and spread into the mall,” Sternbeck said of the early Wednesday morning incident. “Nobody wanted to cooperate with police.”
From the ACPD daily crime report:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 12/05/12, 4200 block of N. Wilson Boulevard. At 1:35 am on December 5, a large fight involving several subjects broke out. As a result of this large fight, six suspects were arrested for a variety of different charges. A few of the victims/subjects were taken to Virginia Hospital Center for treatment of injuries ranging from swelling to lacerations. Mitchell Thach Khlock, 22, of Springfield, Va. was arrested on charges of obstruction of justice, resisting arrest, malicious wounding, and assault and battery. Smeth Snguon, 33, of Sterling, Va. and Vireak Snguon, 30, of Arlington, Va. were arrested and charged with assault by mob. Saloeun Chea, 28, of Alexandria, Va. was arrested on charges of malicious wounding and assault by mob. Carlos Enrique Lopez, 23, of Alexandria, Va. and Ray Shawn Banks, 23, of Arlington, Va. were arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer and disorderly conduct. All suspects are currently being held without bond.
Man Whispers Bad Words at Goodwill
A man is in jail after police say he touched a woman inappropriately and whispered dirty things in her ear at a store on Glebe Road.
The alleged incident happened at the Goodwill store on S. Glebe Road this past Friday afternoon. Police say the victim was shopping inside the store around 4:30 p.m when a man approached her, grabbed her buttocks, and “whispered vulgar comments in her ear.”
“The suspect was holding the victim against him for several minutes until the victim was able to break free,” according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report. “Police located the suspect nearby. Laurence Allan Watkins, 40, of no fixed address was arrested and charged with abduction and sexual battery. He was held without bond.”
File photo
Man Arrested for Yorktown High School Sex Assault
(Updated at 12:15 p.m.) A 34-year-old Arlington man has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl on the Yorktown High School track.
The alleged incident happened around 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday. According to police, the man (described as having a “muscular build”) touched the girl’s buttocks as she was jogging around the track. He also blew her kisses and said “hey baby,” according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
The girl is a student at Yorktown but was not participating in a school activity at the time of the incident, Sternbeck said.
Acting on a hunch — the suspect was said to frequent the track area and has been known to approach female joggers — an Arlington police officer stopped by the school around 6:45 last night.
The officer spotted a man fitting the suspect’s description near the track, then observed him hop a fence and urinate on a tree in a wooded area, Sternbeck said. The man was arrested and the victim’s mother was able to positively ID him on scene, according to Sternbeck.
Anibal Guzman, 34, has been charged with sexual assault and urinating in public, Sternbeck said. He’s currently being held at the Arlington County Detention Facility.
“This is an example of how the Arlington County Police Department is dedicated to keeping a safe community,” Deputy Police Chief Daniel Murray told ARLnow.com. “Individuals committing crimes of this nature in Arlington will be held accountable for their actions.”
Photo courtesy Arlington County Police Department
Police: Man Upset With Loud Party Fires Gunshot
A man who was “irritated with loud noise from a party” fired a gunshot into the air when some party-goers approached him, according to an Arlington County Police crime report.
The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, on the 3000 block of S. Randolph Street in Shirlington.
The man, who was intoxicated, was upset that a “drinking party” in his apartment building was making a ruckus, even after he asked the party-goers to quiet down, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Frustrated, the man began filming the party with his cell phone from the building’s courtyard.
Four people from the party then approached the man, according to Sternbeck. Feeling “threatened,” the man took out a pistol from his waistband and fired a single gunshot into the air, Sternbeck said; the party-goers scattered, and the man placed the gun on the ground waited for police to arrive. Nobody was injured.
Patrick John Kelley, 32, was arrested and charged with brandishing a firearm and reckless handling of a firearm. He was held on a secured bond.
The shell casing from the shot was found, but the bullet was not recovered, Sternbeck said.
Man Arrested for August Stabbing Near Clarendon
An Arlington man has been arrested for a brutal daylight stabbing near Clarendon in August.
Police say 28-year-old Elin Daniel Reyes of Arlington stabbed a man outside the Pio Pio restaurant at 3300 Wilson Boulevard on Thursday, Aug. 9. Reyes has been charged with malicious wounding and robbery. He’s expected to be arraigned later this week.
The charges are the result of an “extensive investigation,” police say. Reyes has been held at the Arlington County Detention Facility on a probation violation since Oct. 18, according to an Arlington County Police Department press release.
As reported in August, the victim of Reyes’ alleged crime was stabbed numerous times in the hands, shoulder, front, back and arms. His injuries were described as life-threatening at the time. The brutal stabbing occurred after the victim gave chase when he saw his car being broken in to.
Photo (above) courtesy ACPD. Warning: Readers may find one of the photos below disturbing.
Crime Report: Stolen iPhone Tracked Via GPS
A iPhone’s remote GPS tracking feature saved the day for a burglary victim last weekend.
The incident started when a resident of a house invited a woman inside for a drink early Sunday morning, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. After the woman left, one or more of the home’s residents noticed items missing, including an iPhone. The victim called police and used a GPS tracking feature to point police to the whereabouts of the stolen iPhone.
Police went to the address provided by the victim and found the stolen items, according to Sternbeck. The suspect confessed on the scene, he said.
From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
BURGLARY, 10/07/12, 1300 block of S. Queen Street. Between 3:30 and 8 am on October 7, a subject entered a victim’s residence and stole numerous items, including credit cards, laptop, playstation 3, cash and an iPhone. The suspect was located through the stolen iPhone GPS tracker. Carole Jean Jamison, 40, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with burglary, grand larceny and larceny of credit cards.
Also on this week’s crime report, police say a man tried to rob the 7-Eleven store on the 200 block of S. Glebe Road, only to have his efforts to grab crash from the register foiled by the store’s clerk. Frustrated by his failed robbery attempt, the man proceeded to “trash” the store, destroying merchandise and throwing things to the ground, according to Sternbeck.
“He was knocking over everything,” Sternbeck said.
The man was arrested thanks in part to the fact that the clerk locked the exits from the store, trapping the suspect inside.
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 10/06/12, 200 block of S. Glebe Road. On October 6 at 2:49 am, a subject entered a 7-11 convenience store and attempted to get inside the cash register. A physical altercation ensues with the store clerk and the subject proceeds to destroy the merchandise and items throughout the store while trapped inside. Police arrive on scene and take Darryl Dwight Forrest, 31, of no fixed address into custody. He is charged with attempted robbery, destruction of property, assault and battery and providing false identification to police. He was held without bond.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
