A man suspected of shooting two people outside of a taco restaurant in Merrifield was arrested in Arlington.
Arlington’s SWAT team arrested the 25-year-old man Sunday night at an address a block away from Wakefield High School.
“The suspect was taken into custody without incident by members of the Arlington County SWAT team in the 5000 block of S. Chesterfield Road on the evening of August 27,” and Arlington County police spokesperson tells ARLnow.
The arrest follows a shooting outside of a restaurant located along Route 29 just inside the Beltway.
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A man from Falls Church has been arrested for allegedly firing a gun into a crowd outside Taco Baja (7716 Lee Highway) in Merrifield.
Police say their investigation indicates that Jorge Armando Melendez Gonzalez, 25, approached a group of men standing outside the restaurant early in the morning on Saturday (Aug. 26).
“During the encounter, the suspect was assaulted by one of the men and the suspect opened fire into a crowd of people who were standing in front of the business,” the Fairfax County Police Department said. “The suspect then fled the area on foot.”
Police were called to 7716 Lee Highway at 1:51 a.m. for the reported shooting, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
Upon arriving, officers found two adult men in the parking lot with gunshot wounds. One of the men had been shot in the arm, while the other was shot in the abdomen, the FCPD says. Both men were taken to a hospital, one of them with injuries that police initially said were life-threatening.
Police identified a third victim when Inova Fairfax Hospital called 911 at 3:39 a.m. to report that a man had walked in with a gunshot wound to the arm, according to FCPD and the police scanner.
“Officers were able to determine the victim was related to the earlier shooting,” the FCPD said. “The victim’s injuries were considered non-life threatening and he was treated and released from the hospital.”
“Jorge Armando Melendez Gonzalez has been charged with three counts of Felony Malicious Wounding and three counts of Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony,” Fairfax County police said in a press release. “He is being held at the Adult Detention Center on no bond.”
“Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances that led to the shooting,” the press release adds. “Anyone who may have information about this shooting is asked to call 703-246-7800, option 5.”