Police Seek 'Armed and Dangerous' Suspect

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by ARLnow.com January 5, 2012 at 3:55 pm 4,511 23 Comments

Arlington County Police are looking for a suspect who they describe as “armed and dangerous.”

Police say 43-year-old Charles Neal has been charged with Malicious Wounding in connection with an assault back in mid-December, but is currently at large. Neal — described as a 5’10”, 230 lbs African American male — is known to frequent Arlington’s Buckingham neighborhood, police say, and should be considered armed and dangerous.

“Anyone who has information about the whereabouts of Charles Neal is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department immediately at 703-558-2222, or Detective Michael Austin at 703-228-4183,” police said in a news release. “Det. Austin can also be reached by email at [email protected]”

According to investigators, Neal was one of several suspects who assaulted a man on the 4200 block of N. 2nd Road in Buckingham, just south of Ballston, early on the morning of Dec. 17, 2011. One suspect was arrested at the scene but Neal got away, according to police.

A police spokesman was unable to provide any additional details about Neal’s alleged involvement in the assault.

CW

This story makes all sorts of sense!

I am not a lawyer or LEO, but I thought you had to arrest someone before they were charged?
- my bad
  
  Not a lawyer either, but I believe someone can be charged with a crime “in absentia” or something like that.
  - CW
    
    Yes, I only ever hear about trial in absentia and I thought that was unconstitutional in the U.S.
    
    Searches on “arraignment in absentia” and “charging in absentia” don’t seem to yield much either.
    - Carro Free PEDRO
      
      Let me keep it simple.. you get charged and a warrant is issued for your arrest, then the popo come looking fo u.
- Ben
  
  My guess is the witness / victim picked him out of a photo line-up.
novasteve

While I’m not certain in this case, whenever they list these violent crimes that take place here, the people they arrest rarely if ever actually live here. That Bob and Edith’s diner event, for example, none of the puglists involved were residents, every other story listed has the suspect not being a resident.
bob

Seriously? It’s called an arrest warrant. They are issued by the court upon presentation of probably cause. If the suspect is not yet in custody, then the warrant sits until they are found and served. On criminal charges, a defendant is not *arraigned* until in custody.
- CW
  
  That’s what I wasn’t sure about, not being an attorney, judge, or LEO. I do not know if someone is charged upon formulation of an arrest warrant or upon arraignment.
bobco85

Just great. My block is being featured on this site AGAIN. This would explain why a few weeks ago I saw two cop cars sitting near one of the buildings on the street at 1 in the morning. Both of them had all their lights off and engines on (it was cold), probably looking for this guy. Trust me, there are some shady people on my block!

My favorite crime on my block is still the father who was caught stealing a bicycle and tried to assault a police officer in front of his 11 year old son: http://www.arlnow.com/2011/07/14/crime-report-carjacking-edition/ Btw, I keep my bike locked in my apartment (I’ve had one stolen before about a year ago from the Ballston parking garage).
Just Saying

I lived in Buckingham during the 1990s. Shortly after I moved away, “affordable housing” moved in a bunch of thugs to the neighborhood and armed crime now happens regularly in Buckingham. It is too bad that affordable housing advocates think criminal thugs add any value to a neighborhood. Affordable housing should not mean moving criminal thugs into neighborhoods.
- ArlingtonWay
  
  But … But … But … What about the DIVERSITY!? Arent you enjoying the DIVERSITY??? If you like Buckingham today, wait for Clarendon after the homeless shelter.
  - KalashniKEV
    
    +1000
    
    This place is about to get VIBRANT. 🙂
ArlingtonWay

I love how this has become the violent criminal and fast food restaurant update website. Bizarre.
- Moira Brown
  
  That’s the Arlington Way. Someone inform Mary Hughes Hynes that her search is over.
roquer

Introductory says cops are looking for an armed man in Buckingham? Only one?
Bard

I’m not sure why this warranted either a press release or a news item on ArlNow. Sounds like the guy was a part of a group who beat a man very badly. The incident happened a month ago and there’s no indication he’s assaulted anyone else since then. Unless there’s something I don’t know, it seems to me the press release is more a scare tactic to freak people out so they’ll keep an eye out for the guy, or so he’ll feel pressure to turn himself in. I doubt he poses much of a danger to the community at large at this point.
- CrystalMikey
  
  Maybe so if someone sees him they can report that to ACPD?
- OX4
  
  Yea man. The concept of a “wanted” poster has been around for thousands of years, and I agree it’s high time we put a stop to this nonsense. If a criminal gets free, let them go. They’ve already done their crime so it’s not like they’ll do another one.
- jack
  
  “I doubt he poses much of a danger to the community at large at this point.”
  
  Right, because that’s how it works. Every now and then you get caught up in a mob and beat the stuffing out of somebody. Heck, it’s happened to all of us. Then you wake up the next morning, think to yourself, “What the heck made me do that?” and you resume your life as a law-abiding citizen. The cops should just leave him alone.
rosslynboom

i met him once
- ArlingtonWay
  
  And? Details?
  - E
    
    he was cool with me, no problems. neat the metro.
- j
  
  Honestly, he looks familair. i just can’t place him.

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