An Arlington man was arrested early Sunday morning following a vandalism spree in Clarendon.
The 21-year-old suspect, Christian Amaya Ochoa, is accused of damaging flower pots and shattering the windows and glass door of Oasis: The Listening Bar, which opened in July at 2940 Clarendon Blvd. He also reportedly shattered the windows at the skin care studio Glowbar, which had announced plans to open next door this fall.
An officer noticed the damage around 4:30 a.m., according to a preliminary incident report. After speaking to witnesses, police located the suspect walking along Clarendon Blvd and arrested him on charges of destruction of property and public intoxication.
Ochoa had an outstanding warrant, according to Arlington County police. An incident summary is below.
At approximately 4:37 a.m. on September 28, an officer patrolling the area observed debris in the roadway and initiated an investigation, during which they located witnesses who allegedly observed a male suspect damaging property in the area. Officers developed a suspect description, located him walking along Clarendon Boulevard and took him into custody. During a canvass of the area, officers located two businesses in the 2900 block of Clarendon Boulevard with broken windows as well as damage to planters and a trash can. Christian Amaya Ochoa, 21, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with felony Destruction of Property (x2), misdemeanor Destruction of Property (x2) and Public Intoxication. He was also determined to be wanted by the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office and served with the outstanding warrant.
Oasis is closed today (Monday) as management assess damages, co-owner Tammie Disayawathana told ARLnow.
“I’m new to Arlington, and this is the first time ever that I opened a restaurant in the last 13 years,” Disayawathana said. “It actually happened to my baby — this is the newest one. I have no clue what he’s doing it for.”
Security camera footage shows a figure approach Oasis’ storefront and strike its doors and windows with an object before taking off on foot.
Disayawathana, who co-owns Oasis in addition to D.C.-area restaurant Sisters Thai with her husband, Jason Srirote, told ARLnow she is grateful for all the supportive messages she has received from neighbors and customers. She intends to reopen Oasis as soon as possible.
“I feel very warm with all the customer messages of support,” she said. “That’s very meaningful to us, very meaningful to me, and I hope we can get back to the business soon.”
Glowbar, meanwhile, is expediting window glass repairs and still intends to open this Sunday, Oct. 5, an employee at the storefront told ARLnow this afternoon. A grand opening community event is scheduled there from noon to 5 p.m.
Ochoa has previously been arrested on several other occasions, including one instance in 2022, in which he was accused of an attempted robbery following an altercation on S. Glebe Road. That charge was later dropped.
