August has been a busy month for police responding to vehicle thefts at rental car lots in the Crystal City area.
Another such incident — at least the third this month and the fourth this summer — was reported over the weekend. It happened at the same Avis and Budget lot on the 2600 block of Richmond Highway as an armed carjacking on Aug. 1.
This time, two men “entered two unoccupied, running vehicles,” and drove off the lot, crashing through a gate that an employee tried to close, according to police. One of the cars reportedly contained an employee’s belongings.
Police say they recovered one vehicle the next day in Prince George’s County, Maryland. At the time of the theft, it was said to be a Jeep Wagoneer.
More, below, from the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report.
ROBBERY, 2024-08170181, 2600 block of Richmond Highway. At approximately 8:36 p.m. on August 17, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined two male suspects entered the parking lot of the business and entered two unoccupied, running vehicles. An employee observed the suspects and attempted to close the gate during which one suspect drove off of the lot and the other suspect drove through the gate, causing property damage, and fled the scene. No injuries were reported. During the course of the investigation, it was determined an employee’s personal belongings were inside one of the stolen vehicles. On August 18, one of the stolen vehicles was recovered in Prince George’s County, MD. The outstanding stolen vehicle is described as a white Nissan Rogue.
In addition to the incidents at this lot, another robbery was reported at the Enterprise lot, one block away, on Aug. 4. An alleged carjacking, meanwhile, happened in May when a rental car garage attendant in Pentagon City tried to stop one of six vehicles that thieves drove off the lot.
Photo via Google Maps
