Hotel Worker Robbed at Gunpoint
Police say a man with a gun robbed a worker at the Days Inn on the 2200 block of Arlington Blvd last night.
According to police, a man walked into the hotel lobby around 6:30 p.m. and pointed a gun at the desk worker while demanding she get on the ground. The suspect then went behind the desk and took an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register.
While the suspect was in the lobby, a customer entered the area and the suspect turned the gun on him, ordering him to the ground. The suspect then fled through a back door. Nobody sustained any physical injuries in the incident.
The suspect is described as a white man, around 5’10″ with a medium build. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing khaki pants, a dark jacket, a dark winter hat and a dark scarf that covered part of his face. The witnesses said he appeared to be in his 40s.
There are no pictures of the suspect because the hotel’s surveillance camera was not working at the time of the robbery. Besides the two victims, there were other people near the hotel lobby at the time of the incident, but they claim to have not heard or seen anything. According to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, those people were visiting from another country and had been drinking.
Anyone with information about the robbery or the suspect is asked to call the non-emergency line at 703-558-2222.
Crime Report: Woman Robbed While Walking from Ballston Metro
A woman had her purse forcefully stolen from her while walking home from the Ballston Metro station around 10:00 Tuesday night. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
ROBBERY, 10/16/12, 1100 block of N. Utah Street. On October 16 at 9:56 pm, a female victim was walking home from the Ballston Metro station when she was attacked by a male subject and had her purse stolen. The victim chased the man briefly on foot until she lost sight of him behind a row of townhouses. The suspect is described as a black or Hispanic male, approximately 5’8” tall and very heavy set, with a bald head. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, grey sweatpants and white sneakers at the time of the incident.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Helicopter Called In To Track Robbery Suspect
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.”
Attempted Robbery on Columbia Pike Ends With a Bang
Two men attempted to rob the 7-Eleven store at the corner of Columbia Pike and George Mason Drive early Sunday morning.
Police say a man with a gun entered the store at 3:25 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19, and demanded money from the cashier. A second suspect then entered the store and a firecracker suddenly exploded in his hand. Frightened by the apparently unplanned or mistimed fireworks, the suspects fled the scene empty-handed.
“The suspect with the firearm was described as a white male, approximately 5’8” tall with a medium build and black hair. He was wearing grey hoodie sweatshirt, a dark bandana around his face and black shorts,” according to the police report. “The second suspect was a black male, approximately 5’7” tall with a average build and was wearing a white v-neck tshirt and dark shorts.”
Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said there was no indication that the second suspect was seriously hurt by the firecracker. Police say they’re not sure why the suspect had the firecracker in the first place.
Crime Report: Harassers Attack
A man was stabbed last weekend after trying to intervene when two men were harassing a woman in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood.
From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 07/14/12, 800 block of S. Harrison Street. On July 14 at 4:00 am, two unknown subjects confronted and stabbed the victim after he intervened when they were harassing two female subjects. The suspects are described as Hispanic males between the ages of 19-22, wearing dark clothing.
Last week a Maywood resident was robbed at gunpoint, in the middle of the day, by two suspects.
ROBBERY, 07/12/12, 2300 block of N. Lincoln Street. On July 12 at 3:48 pm, two unknown subjects kicked in the victim’s kitchen door and robbed him at gunpoint of cash, sneakers and a phone. Suspects are described as black males, approximately 20 years old, with one possibly wearing fake dreadlocks.
The rest of the crime report, after the jump. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
Crime Report: Man Threatens Mall Security With Knife
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a man allegedly stole items from a store in the Pentagon City mall, then threatened a security officer with a knife when confronted.
ROBBERY, 06/09/12, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. On June 9 at 7:45 pm, a subject stole merchandise from a store at the mall and when approached by the loss prevention officer, he fled the scene on foot. After being followed by the loss prevention officer, he threatened him with a knife. Police apprehended the subject a short time later in the mall parking garage. Lonnell Andre Buford, 40, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with robbery and possession of burglarious tools. He was held without bond.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Crime Report: Would-Be Robbers See the Light
A beating and robbery attempt in Douglas Park last week was stopped after someone drove up and shined their headlights on the attackers.
The incident happened around 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30. According to police, a man had just gotten off the bus, on his way back home from work in Georgetown, and was walking up S. Monroe Street when he saw two suspects hanging out in front of abandoned house.
The victim then noticed the suspects following him. He started to run but the suspects caught up with him and demanded money and his backpack. When the victim refused, the suspects started punching him and then kicking him after he was knocked to the ground, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
A car then pulled up to the scene and shined its headlights on the scuffle, which scared off the suspects. Police were called and the victim was taken to the hospital for numerous minor injuries, including lacerations to his forehead.
From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY BY FORCE/MALICIOUS WOUNDING BY MOB, 05/31/12, 1800 block of S. Monroe Street. At 11:51 pm on May 30, two subjects ran down a victim in an attempted robbery and beat him until fleeing the scene after witnesses came to his assistance. The victim sustained multiple injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Suspect #1 is described as a black male, approximately 25 years old, 6’0” tall, thin build with a goatee. He was wearing a skull cap with shoulder length cornrows, with a white t-shirt and dark colored pants. Suspect #2 is described as a black male, approximately 5’5” tall, with a medium and stocky build. He was also wearing a skull cap and a black shirt at the time of the incident.
The rest of the crime report, after the jump.
Crime Report: Really Bad Day Edition
A woman had a double whammy of a bad day this past Friday night/early Saturday morning. Not only was her bike stolen from outside the Ballston Metro station, but a man tried to rob her at knifepoint while she was walking home after finding out that her bike was stolen.
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 04/14/12, 1400 block of N. Glebe Road. On April 14 at 12:20 am, after returning to Arlington from DC to find her bike stolen from the Ballston Metro stop, a female walking home alone was approached by an unknown subject with a knife. The suspect demanded the victims purse, causing the victim to begin screaming for help. The suspect fled the scene on foot without the purse and is described as a white male, early-mid thirties in age, approximately 5’6” to 5’8” tall, with a semi-muscular build and a chipped or missing front tooth. He was wearing a Phillies jersey and jeans at the time of the attempted robbery.
The rest of this week’s Arlington County crime report, after the jump.
Crime Report: Cash Briefcase Edition
A would-be crime victim said “no deal” to a criminal who tried to steal his briefcase full of cash.
The attempted robbery took place in a Crystal City parking garage. According to this week’s Arlington County crime report, the victim was able to hang on to his briefcase even after the suspect struck him in the back of the head.
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 04/02/12, 2400 block of S. Crystal Drive. At 5 am on April 2, a victim was walking from his car to his place of work, when he was struck in the back of the head by an unknown object by a subject. The suspect attempted to steal the victim’s briefcase, which was carrying approximately $1,000 cash, but was unable to get the victim to release his grip. The suspect fled the scene on foot and the victim alerted a building security guard. The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’9” tall and 250 lbs. At the time of the attempted robbery, the suspect was wearing all black, with a black ski mask covering his face.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Crime Report: Bar Fight Leads to Finger Bite
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a man allegedly had the tip of his finger bitten off by an acquaintance during a fight outside of a bar. Doctors were unable to reattach the finger tip, according to police.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING BY MOB, 03/18/12, 2600 block of N. Pershing Drive. At 2:15 am on March 18, a victim was assaulted outside of a bar by known subjects. During the fight, the victims right index fingertip was bitten off by one of the subjects. Rudy Sales Perez, 21, of Arlington, and Jose Lopez Sales, 23, of Arlington, were charged with malicious wounding by mob and held without bond.
Also in this week’s report, a man was pistol-whipped and robbed after trying to meet up with a woman he met online.
ROBBERY, 03/16/12, 5000 block of Columbia Pike. On March 16 at 8:25pm, a male victim was robbed at gunpoint by two subjects. The victim had been involved in online solicitation earlier in the day and had come to Arlington to meet up with the female. The victim contacted the female by cell phone and was told a family member would meet him to escort him to her residence. When the victim was led to a wooded area, two subjects brandished handguns and demanded him to lay down. The victim was pistol-whipped and robbed of $80, a cell phone and 2 Metro cards. The suspects are described as black males, thin builds, approximately 6’ and 5’6”, and both were wearing black Northface jackets, black pants and baseball hats.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Crime Report: Crimes Against Women
This week’s Arlington County crime report contained several incidents of frightening crimes against women. Among them:
RAPE, 01/25/12, 3000 block of Columbia Pike. Between 2 and 3 pm on January 25, a female victim was raped by a known suspect in a hotel room. The suspect is in custody.
ROBBERY, 01/27/12, 4100 block of N. Henderson Road. At 1:30 am on January 27, an intoxicated female walking alone was punched in the face by an unknown male suspect and her wallet was stolen. Only when the female victim screamed for help did the suspect flee the scene on foot. There is no suspect description.
SEXUAL BATTERY, 01/31/12, 1600 block of N. Arlington Boulevard. On January 31 at 8:30 pm, a female returning to her hotel room was confronted by a subject just outside her door in the hallway and was sexually assaulted. When the victim went to the front desk to report the incident, the suspect fled on foot. The suspect is described as a black male, late 20’s, approximately 160 lbs with a slender build. At the time he was wearing a navy blue knit cap and a one-piece navy blue jumpsuit.
ARMED CARJACKING, 01/31/12, 3400 block of S. 25th Court. Just after 7pm on January 31, two unknown suspects approached the female victim as she was exiting her vehicle, brandished a handgun and demanded her car keys. The victim’s purse was also taken and her credit cards were reportedly used in Prince George’s County shortly after the carjacking. The suspects are described as black males, 18-27 years old, approximately 6’ tall and 170-200 lbs.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Crime Report: Assault With Food Edition
Early Monday morning, a convenience store clerk on Columbia Pike was assaulted with “various packaged food items” by a man who wanted to use the store’s phone. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 01/02/12, 4900 block of Columbia Pike. On January 2 at 3 am, an unknown man assaulted a convenience store clerk with various packaged food items when the clerk refused to let the suspect use the store phone. The suspect is described as a black Ethiopian male, in his 30’s, 5’8” and 180 lbs. He was wearing a black jacket, jeans and a white knit hat.
Also on Monday, a small store on S. Glebe Road was robbed at gunpoint by two masked men.
ROBBERY, 01/02/12, 1600 block of S. Glebe Road. On January 2 at 5 pm, two men entered a small store. They brandished a handgun and stole money from the cash register before fleeing. The first suspect wore a gray hood over his head, a dark cloth covering his face, jeans, and black shoes with white shoelaces. The second suspect was wearing a gray or green jacket, jeans, a cloth covering his face, and a hood over his head.
Early Tuesday morning, a man attempted to carjack a taxicab in Lyon Village.
ATTEMPTED CARJACKING, 01/03/11, 1700 block of N. Barton Street. On January 3 at 2:20 am, an unknown man assaulted a taxi cab driver. The suspect choked him and attempted to drive off in the cab. The suspect hit another car, and then fled the area on foot. The suspect is described as a black male, late twenties to early thirties and approximately 185 lbs. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with a black snow cap.
The rest of the weekly crime report, after the jump.
Crime Report: Knife-Wielding Robbers Edition
Whether you’re out delivering a pizza or walking a dog, sometimes you can never be too careful after dark. In this week’s Arlington County crime report, there were two instances of people being robbed by knife-wielding individuals on the street at night.
ROBBERY, 12/07/11, 1000 block of Randolph Street. On December 7 at 8:40 pm, a man delivering pizza was robbed by an unknown male brandishing a knife. The suspect is described as an African American male, 5’8” and 150 lbs. wearing all black clothing including a black ski mask.
ROBBERY, 12/10/11, 800 block of S. Harrison Street. On December 10 at 8 pm, a man was walking a small dog when an unknown man confronted him. The suspect brandished a knife and demanded money. The victim gave him a small amount of money, and the suspect fled. The suspect is described as an African American male in his 20’s, 6” tall and 190 lbs. He was wearing a red and blacked checked button-down shirt and a red knit hat with ear flaps.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Crime Report: Autumn Arson Edition
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a local man was arrested for arson after allegedly setting a series of leaf piles on fire.
ARSON-ARREST, 11/14/11, 3100 block of N. Vermont Street. On November 14 at 9:45 pm, a man set a series of seven of brush fires. Joseph Warsowick, 31, of Arlington, was arrested for Arson. He was held on a $1,750 bond.
Also this week, a bus driver helped to protect a woman from a pair of would-be armed robbers.
ATTEMPT ROBBERY, 11/15/11, 4800 block of Columbia Pike. On November 15 at 6:30 pm, two unknown men attempted to rob a woman at a bus stop by brandishing a knife. The victim fled on a bus and the driver would not let the suspects on board. The suspects were both African American males, 40-50 years old.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
County Employee Recounts Chasing Down Robbery Suspect
By night, Juan Rivera is a mild-mannered conga player and salsa dancer. By day, he’s an undercover crime fighter.
At least, that’s the role Rivera played Tuesday, when he helped to chase down a man who tried to rob a woman at an ATM machine in Courthouse Plaza.
Rivera, an employee in the county’s Commissioner of Revenue office, had just picked up sushi across the street from his office when he saw a man running and someone yelling “thief!” Dressed in a shirt and tie and still holding his to-go box of sushi, Rivera gave chase. Soon, he was joined by two other men, one of whom was calling police on his cell phone. The suspect, a tall, physically imposing man in his mid-20s, tried to flee into a nearby residential neighborhood.
“We went after him, he hid [behind] some houses, and I was like, hey he must be in one of these houses, because he just turned around the corner and disappeared,” Rivera recounted. “So we went looking and he was there. There was some verbal confrontation between him and the other person who was chasing him. Then he ran back into the houses, jumped a couple of fences to keep going, and we were right behind him and jumped a couple of fences, too. When he got to the last fence, which was really high, the police came from the left-hand side and caught him.”
So why did Rivera decide to chase after the man, ignoring the potential danger involved?
“To me, that’s just common sense. That’s just how i do things,” he said. “If someone gets robbed, to me, the people should react in a helpful manner. But there were only three of us that reacted. I didn’t go to tackle the guy… but at least participate in assisting this person who was just robbed.”
“It’s kind of sad to see how little participation there was,” Rivera continued. “I live in Columbia Heights in D.C., and if that would have happened there that guy would have not gotten farther than a block. People over there, they’re going to participate. The men there, if something happens to a woman, they just go.”
“Some kids might just do it for the fun of beating someone up,” he added with a laugh.
Once the suspect was in police custody, Rivera headed back to the office, slightly sweaty but with his sushi still in hand. He told his supervisor what happened, and was granted an extra 15 minutes to finish his lunch. Then, he got back to work. Yesterday afternoon, the victim — also a county employee — came and thanked him.
As it turns out, the suspect never got any of the victim’s cash. She was able to break free from the suspect’s choke hold, cancel the ATM transaction and yell for help, according to police. The suspect, identified as 26-year-old James Williams of no fixed address, has been charged with attempted robbery as well as grand larceny, from a previous warrant.
As for Rivera, he’s taking his five minutes of fame — which included an interview with NBC4 — in stride. After all, he’s already used to the spotlight, given that he plays the conga in two bands.
“It’s not a big deal to me,” he said of the new-found attention.
