Police: Would-Be Robber Destroys Store
Rebuffed when he tried to rob a convenience store on Columbia Pike, police say an Arlington man vented his frustration by proceeding to trash the store.
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
UPDATED: Man Arrested After Stabbing Vandal
(Updated at 9:10 p.m.) A 27-year-old Arlington man has been arrested after police say he stabbed a man who was vandalizing houses near Clarendon.
The incident happened just before 2:00 a.m. this morning, June 1, on the 800 block of N. Irving Street. According to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, three subjects were vandalizing houses — breaking items and throwing porch chairs and plants into the street — when Mauricio Canales, 27, came outside to confront them.
At some point Canales — who had been drinking, according to investigators — went back into the house and retrieved a large kitchen knife.
Canales told police that one of the subjects took a swing at him. Then, police say, he pulled out the knife and stabbed the subject just below the jawline. The subject fled the scene and eventually staggered over to Fire Station No. 2 in Bluemont with a five inch stab wound to his jaw area, along with lacerations to his forearm and hand. The subject was brought to a local hospital and his injuries are considered non-life-threatening, Sternbeck said.
Police arriving on scene at Irving Street found the bloody knife and the vandalized chairs in the street. Canales was located at his home, wearing a white shirt with blood on it, Sternbeck said. He was arrested, charged with malicious wounding, and is currently being held without bond.
So far, no charges have been filed against the three alleged vandals.
Suspect Pleads ‘No Contest’ to Langston-Brown Tire Slashings
(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) A 22-year-old man has been arrested and has pleaded no contest to two tire slashing sprees in the Langston-Brown area.
Cameron Scott Fraley, of no fixed address, was arrested on Dec. 19, 2010, four days after allegedly slashing the tires on more than 30 cars near Glebe Elementary School and Virginia Hospital Center.
Fraley was charged with misdemeanor destruction of property for the December tire-slashing spree. He was charged with another count of destruction of property for another tire-slashing spree in the same neighborhood in October, when 15-20 vehicles were hit.
Fraley pleaded no contest to both charges, and was sentenced to 200 days in jail with all but 40 days suspended, according to court records. He was also assessed $356 in court costs.
The tire slashings came at a time when Fraley was facing a felony charge for possession of oxycodone. According to court records, Fraley was indicted by a grand jury on the oxycodone charge on Oct. 18. The first tire slashing was discovered early on the morning of Oct. 20.
The second tire slashing was discovered on Dec. 15, the same morning Fraley entered a plea. A pre-sentence hearing on Fraley’s oxycodone charge is scheduled for Feb. 18.
Another Tire-Slashing Spree in Langston-Brown
It was a pretty lousy start to the morning for a number of residents of the Langston-Brown neighborhood.
We’re hearing that the tires were slashed on more than 30 cars overnight. Investigators are on scene taking photos.
Among the streets hit were Culpepper Street and 19th Street, near Glebe Elementary School.
This incident comes less than two months after another tire-slashing spree in the same neighborhood. On Oct. 20 we reported that a vandal slashed the tires on 15-20 cars in the area.
Vandalism in Virginia Square Neighborhood
A tipster tells us that houses, cars, a fence and a park were all vandalized in a neighborhood in the northern part of Virginia Square.
The vandal used blue paint to deface property in the area late Tuesday night.
We spotted what remained of the blue paint on a white picket fence at the corner of North Lincoln Street and 14th Street. Also, blue writing was scrawled on a building in Hayes Park, two blocks away.
Vandals Strike Langston-Brown Neighborhood
We’re hearing that vandals slashed the tires on 15-20 cars in the Langston-Brown neighborhood overnight.
Among the streets hit were North Edison Street and North Culpeper Street, near Virginia Hospital Center and Glebe Elementary School.
Police are investigating.
Crime Report: Mom Would Not Approve Edition
Early this morning, police responded to the small shopping center at the corner of Columbia Pike and Glebe Road for a report of men throwing rocks through the front windows of several stores. One of the two stores targeted was Mom’s Pizza Restaurant. From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
MISSILE INTO AN OCCUPIED DWELLING (SERIES) 09/01/10, 3200 block of Columbia Pike. On September 1 at 1:45 am, two subjects threw rocks into two occupied businesses, and two unoccupied businesses. Guillermo Rodriguez, 29, of Washington D.C., was charged with Drunk in Public. He was held until sober. Harris Rivera, 30, of Washington D.C., was charged with two counts of Throwing a Missile into an Occupied Dwelling and three counts of Destruction of Property. He was held without bond.
The rest of the crime report, after the jump.
Car Windows Smashed in Shirlington: Storm Damage or Vandalism?
At least a half dozen cars had windows shattered in the parking lot of the Shirlington Bus Station Thursday afternoon. It’s unclear whether the breakage was the result of a brazen daytime vandalism or whether it was caused by the strong storms that split trees in half just blocks away from the station.
In some cases the glass appeared to have exploded outward in small pieces, which does not seem like a likely pattern for vandalism. On the other hand, some cars seemed to escape the damage and the large glass panes in the bus station appeared intact.
The bus station is at the bottom of a long hill that leads up to Fairlington, the Arlington neighborhood hardest hit by the storms.
A police spokesperson did not have any information about the shattered glass.
One theory is that the storm brought with it a sudden, violent change in air pressure that caused the windows to “explode.” If you have any other theories as to what happened, we’re all ears.
Crime Report: Mass Vandalism Edition
As today’s Arlington County crime report notes, a vandal caused some major damage last week when he or she spray painted “numerous” vehicles parked along North Ivy, Lincoln, and 6th Streets in Ashton Heights.
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (SERIES) 07/15/10, 3200 block of N. 6th Street and the 500 blocks of N. Ivy and Lincoln Streets. Between late evening on July 14, and 6:30 am on July 15, numerous vehicles on several streets were spray painted with white paint. There are no known suspects.
The full crime report, after the jump.
Crime Report: Rude Behavior Edition
It’s generally considered good manners to hold the door open for strangers. We’re pretty sure, however, that Miss Manners would not approve of pummeling someone who fails to partake in such common courtesy.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY-ARREST 05/26/10, 1200 block of S. Eads Street. On May 26 at 9:30 pm, one woman assaulted another after the victim did not hold the door open. Atiba Ayala, 19, of Washington D.C., was charged with Assault and Battery. She was held on a $1,500 bond.
Elsewhere, some jerk(s) slashed the tires on at least 20 cars this week.
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (SERIES) 05/29/10, Lyon Park Neighborhood. Between 11 pm on May 28, and 7 am on May 29, an unknown subject vandalized at least 12 cars in the neighborhood. There is no suspect description.
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (SERIES) 05/31/10, 1800 block of N. Roosevelt Street. Between 11 pm on May 30, and 7 am on May 31, an unknown subject vandalized at least eight cars in the neighborhood. There is no suspect description.
The full Arlington County Crime Report after the jump, including more cell phone robberies.
Racist Graffiti Popping Up in Arlington
At least two cases of racist vandalism have been reported in Crystal City in the past two days. The graffiti, which has contained references to Hitler, may be linked to a string of incidents being investigated by U.S. Park Police.
Park Police have issued a warrant for 51-year-old Ronald Edward Bost, Jr., who they believe is behind racist screeds found on the George Washington Parkway and in several D.C. parks.
Bost has been known to frequent Arlington County libraries, police said.
Also today, at least two cases of vandalism were reported on the W&OD trail. It’s not known at this time whether those incidents are related to the Bost case.
