A robbery suspect led police on a bike and then a foot chase Tuesday afternoon.
The incident started with a robbery of the Target store on N. Glebe Road in Ballston around 3:15 p.m. The suspect allegedly pushed an employee to the ground and then fled on a bicycle, with the stolen goods in tow.
Officers located the suspect on Carlin Springs Road and tried to stop him, but he continued on the bike before getting off and running from officers who gave chase on foot.
The chase ended with the suspect apprehended along the Four Mile Run Trail. According to scanner traffic and a witness, the suspect ditched the alleged stolen merchandise as he tried to get away.
“At about 3:35 p.m. as I cycled westbound on the W&OD Trail near Glencarlyn Park Pavilion 2, I encountered three eastbound police vehicles on the path with lights and sirens on in slow motion pursuit of a person on a bicycle headed eastbound toward Columbia Pike,” the witness told ARLnow. “The police were using their PA to command him to stop but he was not complying. I saw him drop a plastic bag on the trail at a footbridge over Four Mile Run and fling another bag into the stream.”
The suspect, a 34-year-old Arlington man, is being held without bond on several charges.
More, below, from an Arlington County Police Department crime report.
ROBBERY, 2024-06110151, 700 block of N. Glebe Road. At approximately 3:20 p.m. on June 11, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined that a male suspect entered the business, allegedly concealed items in a basket, and began to leave the business without payment. When the suspect was confronted by two employees, he allegedly pushed one male employee to the ground before fleeing the scene on a bike. The employee sustained minor injuries and declined medical treatment. A lookout was broadcast for the suspect, and officers observed him traveling on his bike in the area of N. Carlin Springs Road and attempted to stop him. The suspect refused to stop, and eventually got off his bike and ran, during which officers initiated a foot pursuit and took the suspect into custody in the area of the Four Mile Run Trail. During the course of the investigation, the stolen merchandise and a burglarious tool were recovered. The suspect provided false identifying information to officers and was later properly identified. [The suspect], 34, of Arlington VA was arrested for Robbery, Possession of Burglarious Tools, Obstruction of Justice, and Identity Theft. He is being held without bond.
