A mother and an young child are fighting for their lives after being stabbed Saturday night in Pentagon City.
The stabbing happened around 9:45 p.m. near the entrance to the Target store at the corner of Army Navy Drive and S. Joyce Street. Initial reports suggest a mother and her baby were both stabbed and critically injured by a suspect said to be the child’s father.
Another young child that was with them was reportedly uninjured.
Police radio traffic suggests that the suspect was taken into custody in a nearby parking garage after being tracked down and bit by a police K-9. Arlington County police, medics and officers from other agencies all responded to the scene.
The two victims were rushed to local hospitals via ambulance.
“ACPD has taken a suspect into custody following a stabbing in the 900 block of Army Navy Drive,” police said via social media just before 10:20 p.m. “Two victims, an adult and juvenile, transported to area hospitals with serious injuries. Preliminary, suspect known to victims. There is no ongoing community threat.”
In a press release Sunday morning, below, police identified the suspect as 23-year-old Leonardo Reyes. He is being held without bond at the Arlington County jail, charged with two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and child abuse.
Both victims — police are now describing the child victim as a toddler girl, not an infant — are reported to be in stable condition, though the mother is also said to still be in critical condition.
In 2021 Reyes was arrested for the armed robbery of a business on Richmond Highway in the Crystal City area. He pled guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison, with all but a year-and-a-half suspended, court records show. He appears to have been on probation at the time of the stabbing, with a court review of his progress set for March.
The Arlington County Police Department is announcing the arrest of an Arlington man following a domestic-related double stabbing in Pentagon City. Leonardo Reyes, 23, is charged with Aggravated Malicious Wounding (x2), Contributing to the Delinquency of a Child (x2) and Child Abuse (x2). He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
At approximately 9:45 p.m. on December 14, police were dispatched to the 900 block of Army Navy Drive for the report of a stabbing. Upon arrival, officers located two victims, an adult female and a toddler female, suffering from lacerations and began administering lifesaving measures. The victims sustained serious injuries and were transported by medics to area hospitals. The adult female victim is in critical but stable condition and the toddler is in stable condition. A second child was on scene during the incident and was not injured.
The preliminary investigation indicates the adult female victim was walking on the sidewalk outside of a business while holding the toddler when the male suspect approached. The suspect assaulted the victims with a knife before fleeing the scene on foot.
A lookout for the suspect was broadcast and officers reported observing an individual matching the suspect description enter the parking garage as they arrived on scene. A perimeter was established and the suspect was located underneath a parked vehicle. The suspect struggled with officers as they attempted to take him into custody and was detained following the deployment of a police K9.
This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s tip line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Additional community resources and contact information are available on our website.
Aggravated malicious wounding carries a minimum of 20 years in prison, if convicted.
