Police say the suspect, 19-year-old Chauncey Myers of D.C., grabbed a victim’s iPhone on N. Glebe Road in the Buckingham neighborhood, then took off in the direction of Ballston. The alleged crime happened around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, and the 22 officers who were providing security at the Taste of Arlington festival in Ballston were notified that the suspect was heading their way.

Numerous officers fanned out from the festival, and the suspect was arrested at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and N. Vermont Street, three blocks from the Ballston Metro station.

Myers was shirtless, out of breath and cursing at officers at the time of his apprehension, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. He was charged with robbery and “failure to ID.”

The officers working at Taste of Arlington were paid by festival organizers, Sternbeck said.

File photo

The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. yesterday (Thursday) night. Police say German Cruz-Coreas, 49, entered Miguel’s Q-Mart on the 5500 block of Columbia Pike and demanded money from a store employee.

“When the employee refused, the subject proceeded to light coffee filters on fire and announced that no one could leave the store,” according to the Arlington County Police crime report.

The man started throwing mangoes and avocados at store employees and a 16-month-old child, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. He tipped over the store’s shelves, destroyed merchandise, broke the store’s slushie machine, and partially melted a television with the flaming coffee filters, Sternbeck said.

“He literally destroyed the entire store,” said Sternbeck.

Store employees barricaded themselves in a room inside the store during the incident, but the store’s manager was eventually able to subdue the man and hold him to the ground until police arrived and placed him under arrest.

Cruz-Coreas was charged with arson, attempted robbery, four counts of abduction, felony destruction of property, and three counts of assault and battery. He is currently being held without bond.

The store employees suffered minor injuries, Sternbeck said, but the baby was unharmed.

Photo courtesy ACPD

The incident took place in broad daylight, at 12:35 p.m. yesterday (April 23), on the same block as Arlington County Police headquarters and the Arlington County jail.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 04/23/13, 1400 block of N. Courthouse Road. At 12:35 pm on April 23, a subject asked a victim for money. The victim stated that he did not have any money and walked away. The suspect then chased the victim and struck him several times in the face. Diavonte Dejean Barlow, 19, of Alexandria, VA was arrested and charged with attempted robbery and assault and battery.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

BRANDISHING A FIREARM, 04/18/13, 3400 S. 25^th Street. At 8:52 pm on April 18, a suspect brandished a firearm in the direction of a victim outside a residence. The victim immediately ran to safety and contacted police. The police located and apprehended the suspect a short distance away. Brian Antonio Williams, 28, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with brandishing a firearm within 1000 feet of a school and felony possession of a firearm. He is being held without bond.

BURGLARY, 04/17/13, 3800 block of N. Nelson Street. Between 10:30 pm on April 16 and 7:20 am on April 17, an unknown suspect(s) forced entry into the garage of a residence. Nothing appeared to have been stolen. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 04/19/13, 5900 block of N. 10^th Road. Between 10 pm on April 18 and 6:30 am on April 19, an unknown suspect(s) entered a residence and stole a Apple laptop and Pentax digital camera. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 04/19/13, 4300 block of N. Old Dominion Drive. Between 8:20 and 8:30 am on April 19, an unknown suspect(s) entered an apartment and stole a purse. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 04/19/13, 200 block of N. Piedmont Street. Between 12 pm on April 12 and 9 am on April 19, an unknown suspect(s) entered a locked maintenance room in an apartment complex and stole two gas generators, copper piping and a compressor. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 04/20/13, 3300 block of S. Wakefield Street. Between 9 am on April 13 and 1 pm on April 20, an unknown suspect(s) entered an apartment and stole a Toshiba laptop. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 04/21/13, 1900 block of S. Columbia Pike. Between 6:45 pm on April 17 and 9:56 am on April 21, an unknown suspect(s) entered an apartment and stole various items. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 04/23/13, 1700 block of N. Harrison Street. Between 4:45 pm and 5:30 pm on April 22, an unknown suspect(s) entered a residence and stole a laptop. There is no suspect(s) description.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY, 04/19/13, 1900 block of N. Wilson Boulevard. Between 6 pm on April 18 and 5:30 am on April 19, an unknown suspect(s) entered a construction site and numerous tools and equipment. There is no suspect(s) description.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 04/19/13, 200 block of S. 18^th Street. At 12:05 pm on April 19, a subject exposed himself to a male victim at the entrance of a public restroom. David Whitney, 58, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with indecent exposure. He was held on an unsecured bond.

STOLEN VEHICLES

04/17/13, MD 6BA4877, 2002 Mercedes S430, (Color not listed) 
900 block of S. Monroe Street

04/17/13, VA WVR5134, 2005 Dodge Ram, Beige 
1600 block of S. Joyce Street

04/23/13, VA JYN6642, 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, Beige 
4100 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive

The Arlington County Police Department has released surveillance video of Tuesday’s smash and grab robbery at Pentagon City mall in the hopes the public can help identify the suspects.

The video shows four subjects entering the Tourneau retail store at 10:37 a.m. on Tuesday (March 19). Police say they headed directly to the Rolex watch display case. One of the subjects used a hammer to break the front side of the glass display case to gain access to the merchandise. Before fleeing, the four subjects managed to grab 23 Rolex watches, worth approximately $609,000. Police say the four suspects were in the store for less than 30 seconds.

All four subjects are described as being black males wearing ski masks and hooded jackets. Three were wearing all dark clothing and suspect four was wearing a red hooded jacket and dark pants. A fifth person was reportedly waiting in a getaway vehicle on the S. Hayes Street side of the mall. The vehicle is described as a charcoal gray four-door sedan.

If anyone has information on the identities and/or whereabouts of these individuals, please contact Detective Paula Brockenborough of the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4241 or at pbrockenborough@arlingtonva.us. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477).

(Updated at 2:50 p.m.) A group of robbers got away with $609,000 worth of Rolex watches in a smash and grab robbery at Pentagon City mall this morning.

According to police, four men wearing ski masks and gloves entered the Tourneau watch store, near the main S. Hayes Street entrance to the mall, around 10:30 a.m. The men smashed the front of a display case with a hammer, then grabbed 23 Rolex watches valued at $609,000, police said.

The men then fled, hopped in a getaway vehicle parked in front of the mall with an accomplice in the driver’s seat, and took off. The car was described as a charcoal gray, four-door sedan.

The entire robbery took less than 30 seconds, according to police.

No customers or employees were on the “floor” of the store at the time of the robbery. One employee who was cleaning the outside of the store yelled for someone to call police during the robbery. Five employees were in the back of the store, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The crime is similar to another smash and grab robbery at the mall last month — during which 27 rings worth approximately $128,000 were stolen — but police so far have not been able to determine a definitive connection.

Surveillance video of the robbery is expected to be released at some point. Still images from the video are provided below.

The man tried to surreptitiously smuggle the phone out of his friend’s apartment during a visit, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

While his friend was walking him to his car, her phone — which has a distinctive ringtone — started to ring, Sternbeck said. The woman tried to get the phone back, but the man got in his car and started to drive away, bumping the woman with the car in the process, according to Sternbeck.

The man was later arrested when he was pulled over for having improperly tinted windows. Police made the connection to the previous incident during the traffic stop, Sternbeck said. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:

ROBBERY, 02/23/13, 1800 block of Crystal Drive. At 8 pm on February 23, a known subject stole a victim’s iPhone from her apartment. The victim chased the subject to the parking lot where she was bumped with the subject’s vehicle as he attempted to flee the scene. The subject was located during a traffic stop for improper tint approximately three hours later. Durell Adrian Hines, 20, of Capitol Heights, MD, was arrested and charged with robbery. He was held without bond.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 02/26/13, 4000 block of N. 7th Street. At 9:05 am February 26, a subject forced entry into a room where a victim was sleeping. The subject assaulted the victim before the victim was able to escape through a bedroom window. Both the victim and the suspect were transported to Virginia Hospital Center with minor injuries. Hubert Leon Willoughby, 52, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with malicious wounding. He is currently being held without bond.

BURGLARY, 02/20/13, 6500 block of N. Williamsburg Boulevard. Between 5 pm on February 18 and 8:50 pm on February 20, an unknown subject(s) entered a locked residence and stole numerous items to include jewelry and electronics. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 02/19/13, 600 block of S. Carlin Springs Road. Between 9 am and 1:30 pm on February 19, an unknown subject(s) entered a residence and stole a chicken that was cooking in a crock pot. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 02/21/13, 500 block of S. 23rd Street. Between 10:30 pm on February 20 and 10:30 am on February 21, an unknown subject(s) entered a restaurant after hours and stole two lights and an “open” sign. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 02/21/13, 2600 block of S. Uhle Street. Between 8:30 am and 6:10 pm on February 21, an unknown subject(s) entered a locked residence through a window and stole numerous electronics. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 02/26/13, 800 block of S. Irving Street. Between 10 am and 8 pm on February 26, an unknown subject(s) allegedly forced entry into a residence and stole several items. There is no suspect(s) description.

STOLEN VEHICLES

02/25/13, VA XJN8937, 2010 Nissan Rogue, Red (Tags Only), 700 block of N. Oakland Street
02/25/13, PA GCJ7339, 2006 Chevrolet Impala, Silver, 2100 block of N. Military Road

Police say the incident started as Arlington resident Christopher Arrington, 31, was providing turn-by-turn directions to the cab driver. The driver demanded to know a specific address, at which time the men started fighting. According to police, Arrington tried to grab cash the driver had placed in a cup holder. A struggle ensued and police say Arrington punched the driver in the face.

He was arrested at the scene, on the 3100 block of Columbia Pike, according to the crime report.

ROBBERY, 02/10/13, 3100 block of S. Columbia Pike. At 2:07 am on February 10, a subject attempted to rob a cab driver and assaulted the driver by punching him in the face. Police arrived on scene and took the subject into custody. Christopher Arrington, 31, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with robbery. He was held without bond.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

BURGLARY, 02/07/13, 6900 block of N. Lee Highway. At 1:42 am on February 7, police responded to a report of a burglary in progress. The subject was inside the garage of a repair shop and was attempting to steal a car. After turning the car on, the subject attempted to drive through the bay door by ramming it. When police entered the building, they were able to take the suspect into custody. Kyle David Stefanye, 20, of Reston, VA was arrested and charged with burglary and attempted grand larceny of an auto. He is currently being held without bond.

BURGLARY, 02/06/13, 4600 block of N. 26th Street. Between 7:55 am and 3:30 pm on February 6, an unknown subject(s) forced entry into a home through the front door. The hinges of the door were damaged, and several items were stolen. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 02/08/13, 2500 block of N. Glebe Road. Between 7:07 pm on February 7 and 7:45 am on February 8, an unknown subject(s) entered a medical office suite and stole $238 cash from a drawer. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 02/08/13, 1200 block of S. Courthouse Road. Between January 31 and February 2 at 8 am, an unknown subject(s) entered a residence and stole a victim’s wallet. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 02/10/13, 5100 block of S. 8th Road. Between 11 am and 3:25 pm on February 10, an unknown subject(s) entered a residence and stole a laptop. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 02/11/13, 1400 block of N. Taft Street. Between 1 am and 11 pm on February 10, an unknown subject(s) entered an apartment and stole a wallet and keys. Another resident of the same apartment complex found the keys in her apartment and also discovered that her car had been stolen from the garage. There is no suspect(s) description.

UNLAWFUL ENTRY, 02/11/13, 3600 block of N. 10th Street. Between 2 am and 7:40 am on February 10, an unknown subject forced entry into the lobby of a condominium. The subject then walked through the lobby and passed out on the lobby couch. The lobby door and couch both sustained damage. The subject is described as a white male in his 20’s, approximately 6’0” tall and 180 lbs. He has brown hair and a light complexion. At the time of the incident, the suspect was wearing a blue and red Nationals hat and an orange VT sweatshirt.

STOLEN VEHICLES

02/09/13, VA XNX 2390, 1996 GMC Sierra, Gold, 5500 block of N. 32nd Street

02/11/13, VA WWU 1581, 2012 Subaru Impreza, White, 1400 block of N. Taft Street

On Monday (February 4) just before 8:00 p.m., police say the woman left her home and was walking in the 3800 block of N. 9th Street in Virginia Square when a man approached her. He allegedly grabbed her and held a box cutter to her throat while demanding money and a cell phone.

Police say the woman told the man she didn’t have any money, and the attacker then led her about half a block away where a second man was standing. The men then reportedly took the victim’s cell phone and fled on foot.

The first subject is described as a black male, 6’0” tall and 160 pounds. At the time of the crime, the subject was described as wearing a ski mask, grey winter jacket, light jeans and was brandishing a grey box cutter. The second subject is described as a black male, 5’10” tall and 200 pounds. He was said to have a round face and beard, and was wearing a white hat, royal blue jacket with an orange bottom, dark jeans and white shoes.

Anyone with information about the suspects or this crime is asked to call the police non-emergency number at 703-558-2222.

The Arlington County Police Department has released surveillance footage of today’s smash-and-grab robbery at the Zales jewelry store in the Pentagon City mall.

The video shows four men entering the store, their faces covered by hoods and masks. They then use hammers to smash a glass jewelry case, quickly grab the merchandise, and flee the store. Police say the men made a clean getaway with 27 rings worth $128,000.

Anyone with information about the suspects is encouraged to contact Det. Paula Brockenborough at 703-228-4241 or via email at pbrockenborough@arlingtonva.us. Information can also be reported anonymously to Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477).

Update at 5:10 p.m. — Police have released surveillance video of the robbery.

A group of men armed with hammers smashed a jewelry store display counter at the Pentagon City mall and fled with handfuls of jewelry.

The robbery took place around 11:00 a.m. at the Zales store in the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.

Four younger adult men — described as three black males and one white male — entered the store wearing jeans and black hoodies over their face, according to Arlington County police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Two of the men smashed the glass counters with hammers and “grabbed as much as they could,” Sternbeck said.

The men then ran to a car in the nearby parking garage, where a getaway driver was waiting. The car — a red Nissan sedan — smashed through a parking gate and drove off, according to Sternbeck. Police have so far been unable to locate the vehicle or the suspects.

All told, the men stole 27 rings, worth approximately $128,000 — just in time for Valentine’s Day. Police are reviewing surveillance footage as part of their investigation.