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Another eyeglass store robbed, this time in Ballston

LensCrafters at Ballston Quarter

Another Arlington optometrist location has been robbed of eyeglass frames.

Police say a store on the 4200 block of Wilson Blvd was robbed of eyeglasses by three suspects shortly before it opened Sunday morning. One of the suspects allegedly “made threatening statements” to an employee before fleeing.

Police were called about a half hour later.

Arlington County police do not typically identify businesses that have been victims of crime, but the information provided in an ACPD crime report, below, corresponds to the location and hours of a LensCrafters location and affiliated optometry practice in an open air portion of Ballston Quarter mall.

This is at least the third such eyeglasses robbery in Arlington this year and the latest in a spate of such robberies across the D.C. area. Previous robberies in Arlington have taken place in Clarendon and along Columbia Pike.

The full ACPD crime report entry is below.

ROBBERY, 2022-06050114, 4200 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 11:30 a.m. on June 5, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that at approximately 10:50 a.m., the male suspect entered the closed business and an employee advised him to come back during their business hours. A short time later, the male suspect returned, followed by two additional male suspects. Suspects One and Two began to grab eyeglass frames from the shelves, while Suspect Three acted as a lookout. The employee confronted Suspect One, who made threatening statements towards her before the three suspects fled the scene on foot with the stolen merchandise. Suspect One is described as a Black male with a medium build, approximately 25-30 years old, 6’1″-6’3″, wearing a peach shirt, tan pants and small black cross body bag. Suspect Two is described as a Black male with a thin build, approximately 25-30 years old, 6’0″, wearing a gray hoodie, black pants, gator-style mask and black sneakers. Suspect Three is described as a Black male with a thin build, approximately 25-30 years old, 6’0″, wearing a gray hoodie, black ripped jeans, face mask and black shoes. The investigation is ongoing.