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Flight path of the Fairfax County police helicopter during Wednesday night’s pursuit of a carjacked vehicle (courtesy Paul W., via FlightAware)

A man was carjacked in Ballston last night, leading to a police chase — but no arrests yet.

The carjacking happened around 10:30 p.m. on the 4000 block of Wilson Blvd, when two male suspects forced the victim out of his parked car and drove off.

Virginia State Police spotted the vehicle — on I-66 in Fairfax County, according to public safety watcher Dave Statter — and gave chase. The chase entered Arlington and was called off as the suspects sped into D.C.

The Fairfax County police helicopter was overhead during the pursuit and followed the carjacked vehicle into the District, observing the suspects bail out, according to Statter. Arlington County police say the vehicle was recovered.

“The investigation is ongoing,” police said.

More, below, from today’s ACPD crime report.

CARJACKING, 2024-01310253, 4000 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 10:33 p.m. on January 31, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was inside his parked vehicle when the two male suspects approached and engaged him in conversation, during which the suspect’s opened his vehicle’s doors, forced the suspect out, and stole the vehicle. A lookout was broadcast and Virginia State Police located the stolen vehicle outside Arlington County and initiated a vehicle pursuit. When the vehicle pursuit entered Arlington County on I-395, Arlington officers joined the pursuit which was subsequently terminated after the stolen vehicle exited the Commonwealth of Virginia. No injuries were reported. During the course of the investigation, the victim’s stolen vehicle was located unoccupied in Washington D.C. The suspects were not located.

This is the first successful carjacking reported in Arlington so far in 2024. Last year at least 18 carjackings were reported.

More from Statter:

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Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

Six juvenile suspects are facing charges after an alleged mini crime spree in the Pentagon City area Saturday evening.

The first incident happened around 5:30 p.m., near the Whole Foods store on 12th Street S., when a group of teen boys approached a woman and “demanded her property.” She ran away and nothing was taken, according to police.

A second incident happened about ten minutes later on the 1600 block of S. Eads Street, as the group approached a woman and brandished a gun, ultimately stealing her phone, police said.

Six suspects were subsequently detained at the Pentagon City Metro station and a BB gun — along with the stolen phone — was recovered, according to Arlington County police.

More, below, from today’s ACPD crime report.

ATTEMPTED CARJACKING, 2024-01270180, 500 block of 12th Street S. At approximately 5:39 p.m. on January 27, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was outside her parked vehicle when she was approached by several male suspects who demanded her property. The female victim ran from the scene and sought assistance. No items were reported stolen. At approximately 5:50 p.m., police were dispatched to the 1600 block of S. Eads Street for the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined a separate female victim was walking in the area when she was approached from behind by several male suspects. One suspect brandished what appeared to be a firearm, during which the victim threw her cell phone. The suspects picked up her cell phone before fleeing the scene. A lookout was broadcast and officers located the six juvenile suspects entering the metro and detained them. A BB gun and the victim’s cell phone were recovered by officers. Various petitions were obtained for the six juvenile suspects including the offenses of Attempted Carjacking, Robbery, Conspiracy to Commit Felony and Use/Display Firearm During the Commission of a Felony.

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Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

Arlington has recorded another carjacking, though the circumstances are somewhat unusual.

The incident happened around 8 p.m. Saturday on the 1800 block of N. Quinn Street, in the Rosslyn area.

Police say a juvenile male suspect threatened the victim, tried to strike him with a screwdriver, and then stole his keys and wallet. The suspect then “tampered” with the vehicle, according to Arlington County police, before running off and getting arrested a few blocks away.

Police are classifying the incident as a carjacking and robbery. It is at least the 18th reported carjacking in Arlington so far this year — up from 14 last year — but the first since late October.

More, below, from an ACPD crime report.

CARJACKING, 2023-12160222, 1800 block of N. Quinn Street. At approximately 7:58 p.m. on December 16, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was walking away from his parked vehicle when the juvenile male suspect approached, began making threatening statements and allegedly attempted strike the victim with a screwdriver. The suspect then stole the victim’s car keys and wallet and proceeded to enter the victim’s vehicle during which the victim called police. It was determined the suspect then tampered with the vehicle before leaving the scene on foot. Responding officers canvassed the area and located the suspect, who initially fled, and subsequently took him into custody at N. Quinn Street and Langston Boulevard. During a search of his person incident to arrest, the victim’s wallet and a screwdriver were recovered. The victim declined medical attention. Petitions for the juvenile male suspect were sought for Carjacking, Robbery and Attempted Malicious Wounding.

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Falls Church carjacking suspect (courtesy City of Falls Church)

The case involving the man who allegedly went on a carjacking and assault spree through Falls Church and Arlington is moving forward.

Last week — eight months after his arrest — he was identified as Garrett Reeves, of Lorton, according to Susan Finarelli, a public information officer for the City of Falls Church Police Department.

He has been charged with carjacking, malicious wounding, destruction of property with intent and felonious charges of failure to stop at an accident and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, per court records. He has hearings for these charges on Jan. 4 and 10, 2024.

Falls Church police arrested Reeves in March. According to police and a surveillance video aired by NBC 4, Reeves struck a pedestrian near the Beyer Volvo dealership and crashed into several cars, while driving a carjacked Jeep.

He fled and allegedly ran to a nearby shopping center, where he attacked a man and stole his car. He drove into Arlington and was reported to have rear-ended a woman driving on Langston Blvd. This stolen car was later found in Fairfax County, police said at the time. Two days later, he allegedly carjacked another car in Falls Church.

Between his arrest and now, however, he has spent most of his time in a state psychiatric facility because he was not deemed fit to stand trial. Statewide, this is an increasingly common finding that has strained state hospitals, the Virginia Mercury reports.

Falls Church police conducted two investigations before obtaining warrants for Reeves’ arrest, Finarelli said. He was arrested on multiple charges, including carjacking, and taken to the Arlington County Detention Facility — where Falls Church arrestees are jailed — though he was uncooperative and did not reveal his name.

“During his first arraignment, the Courts deemed him not mentally competent hence his transfer to the Western State mental hospital,” Finarelli said.

Last Tuesday, the Falls Church police department learned that the man was identified and transferred back to the Arlington County jail. There, Finarelli says, he was served with additional warrants and held in jail without bond.

The Arlington County Police Department is not seeking charges for the hit-and-run in the county — considered a misdemeanor — because Reeves faces felony charges for the hit-and-run and carjacking in Falls Church, ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow.

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Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

While many enjoyed pre-Halloween revelry this weekend, Arlington County police were kept busy with a variety of mayhem.

Several of the notable incidents happened early Saturday morning.

Just before 1 a.m., officers responded to a carjacking in Crystal City, in which a man is alleged to have forcibly stolen a car and a phone from a woman he knows.

From today’s APCD crime report:

CARJACKING, 2023-10280018, 23rd Street S. at S. Eads Street. At approximately 12:48 a.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of a dispute. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim and male suspect, who are known to each other, were inside the victim’s vehicle when they became involved in a verbal dispute, during which the suspect stole the victim’s phone. The suspect then threatened the victim and demanded the keys to her vehicle. The suspect took possession of the keys and the victim exited the vehicle. The suspect subsequently fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. No injuries were reported. Warrants for the suspect were obtained for Carjacking and Petit Larceny.

This is at least the 17th reported carjacking in Arlington so far this year, three more than the 2022 total of 14.

About an hour later, police responded to a bar in Clarendon for a 24-year-old D.C. woman who allegedly assaulted a bouncer.

After the bouncer declined to prosecute, the still-agitated suspect is alleged to have spit on a female officer. She was then arrested on the charge of Assault on Police.

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-10280034, 3100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 1:43 a.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of disorderly conduct. Upon arrival, it was determined the female suspect was acting disorderly inside an establishment and asked to leave by security personnel. The suspect refused and allegedly assaulted the security personnel. A deputy working the Nightlife detail intervened and the suspect remained combative. Responding officers detained the suspect during which, she kicked one of them. The victim did not wish to prosecute for the assault and officers banned the suspect from the property. The suspect then reapproached an officer and spat on her. [The suspect], 24, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with Assault on Police.

About an hour after that, a hit-and-run dispatch led to the discovery of a man suffering a serious laceration and a car chase of the suspect in both crimes.

The suspect, a 24-year-old Arlington man, was finally taken into custody in the Columbia Forest neighborhood and now faces a slew of charges.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-10280046, 600 block of S. Carlin Springs Road. At approximately 2:52 a.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of a hit and run which was later determined to have occurred in Fairfax County, VA. Upon arrival, it was determined the reporting party, who is the owner of the vehicle struck in the hit and run, followed the suspect vehicle into Arlington and observed the male suspect stop in the 600 block of S. Carlin Springs Road and remove an individual from the vehicle before fleeing the area. Responding officers located the individual, an adult male, suffering from a laceration and immediately rendered aid before being transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. A lookout for the suspect vehicle was broadcast and an officer observed the vehicle traveling in the wrong direction and initiated a traffic stop. The suspect disregarded the officer’s emergency equipment and fled the area. Following a vehicle pursuit, the suspect vehicle came to a stop in the 5100 block of 10th Place S., during which the suspect exited and fled the scene on foot. Following a foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody without incident and determined to allegedly be under the influence. The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and the known suspect were in a residence in the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street when they became involved in a verbal dispute that escalated to a physical altercation during which the victim suffered the injury. [The suspect], 24, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding, Eluding, Driving Under the Influence, Obstruction of Justice and Driving Under the Influence on a Suspended License. He was held without bond.

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File photo

Arlington County police are investigating an armed carjacking over the weekend.

It happened shortly after 11 p.m. on Friday, on the 5500 block of Columbia Pike, near the Fairfax County line.

The vehicle taken was a BMW, according to scanner traffic and as noted by local public safety watcher Alan Henney. The car was later found nearby and recovered, according to police.

“The male victim was walking to his parked vehicle when he observed the two male suspects in the parking lot,” said today’s ACPD crime report. “The victim then entered his vehicle during which the suspects approached, brandished a firearm and demanded the victim’s belongings. The victim exited his vehicle and the suspects entered and fled the scene.”

“During the course of the investigation, the victim’s vehicle was located unoccupied in the area,” the crime report continues. “The investigation is ongoing.”

By ARLnow’s count, this is at least the 16th carjacking in Arlington so far this year. At least half of those carjackings have been of BMWs. ACPD reported 14 total carjackings for all of 2022.

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Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

The 15th carjacking of the year in Arlington — based on ARLnow’s count of public crime reports — happened early Monday morning in the Green Valley neighborhood.

The incident happened around 3:20 a.m. on the 3200 block of 24th Street S., near the Shelton apartment complex.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

CARJACKING, 2023-10090040, 3200 block of 24th Street S. At approximately 3:21 a.m. on October 9, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was inside his parked vehicle when the male suspect approached on foot, brandished a firearm and demanded he exit the vehicle. The victim exited the vehicle and the suspect entered and fled the scene in the vehicle. No injuries were reported. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 6’0”-6’1”, with facial hair wearing a puffy jacket, jeans and a black mask. The victim’s vehicle is described as a black 2017 Lincoln Premiere with Virginia license plate TXN5943. The investigation is ongoing.

The last reported carjacking in Arlington happened on Sept. 21. With this latest incident, Arlington has now exceeded the 14 total carjackings reported in 2022.

Also in the latest ACPD crime report, two Hyundais were stolen while the airbags were taken from six Honda vehicles.

GRAND LARCENY AUTO/ATTEMPTED GRAND LARCENY AUTO/VEHICLE TAMPERING (Series) (Late), 2023-10080168/2023-10080171/2023-10080175, 1900 block of S. Eads Street/2000 block of Richmond Highway/1100 block of Army Navy Drive. At approximately 12:47 p.m. on October 9, police were dispatched to the late report of a larceny. Upon arrival, it was determined between approximately 5:00 p.m. on October 7 and 12:00 p.m. on October 8, the unknown suspect(s) stole two vehicles and caused damage to a third vehicle in the area while attempting to steal it. The stolen vehicles are described as a white 2018 Hyundai Sonata with Virginia license plate UCX2840 and a white 2014 Hyundai Sonata with Virginia license plate UMR4355. There are no suspect description(s). The investigation is ongoing.

LARCENY FROM AUTO/ATTEMPTED LARCENY FROM AUTO/DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Series) (Late), 2023-10080121/2023-10080182, 2300 block of 25th Street S./2400 block of 24th Road S. At approximately 9:56 a.m. on October 8, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny from auto. Upon arrival, it was determined between approximately 3:00 a.m. and 9:40 a.m., the unknown suspect(s) caused damage to the driver side door handles of eight vehicles in the area and stole airbags from six of the vehicles. No additional items were reported stolen from the vehicles. All involved vehicles are Honda models. There is no suspect description(s). The investigation is ongoing.

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A man was carjacked by gun-wielding suspects early this morning at the Lyon Village Shopping Center.

It happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. near the 24-hour CVS store, according to scanner traffic. The suspects could be seen fleeing down the Spout Run Parkway in a traffic camera video posted by local public safety watcher Dave Statter.

The man also reportedly had his phone and wallet taken.

More, below, from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report.

CARJACKING, 2023-09210006, 3100 block of Langston Boulevard. At approximately 12:26 a.m. on September 21, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was walking to his parked vehicle when the suspect vehicle approached and the male suspect exited. The suspect approached the victim while brandishing a firearm and demanded his vehicle. The suspect then pushed the victim to the ground and stole his keys, wallet and personal items. The suspect then fled the scene in the victim’s stolen vehicle, a blue 2023 Chevrolet Corvette bearing Virginia tags TYG4480, followed by the suspect vehicle, a gray sedan, which had approximately three occupants. The victim sustained minor injuries and declined medical attention.

This is at least the 14th carjacking reported in Arlington so far this year. That would equal the total number of carjackings reported in 2022.

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Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

A carjacking attempt in the Ballston area Monday morning was foiled by the vehicle’s stick shift, police say.

The incident happened around 5:45 a.m. on Labor Day at the Harris Teeter parking lot on the 600 block of N. Glebe Road.

Three men carjacked a victim who was driving a Kia Soul, but did not get far as they apparently did not know how to operate the vehicle’s manual transmission, according to police and scanner traffic.

The Fairfax County police helicopter was called in to help search for the suspects but they were not found and remain at large.

More, below, from today’s Arlington County police crime report.

ATTEMPTED CARJACKING, 2023-09040047, 600 block of N. Glebe Road. At approximately 5:44 a.m. on September 4, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim was exiting his parked vehicle when he was approached by three male suspects. The suspects instructed the victim to place his car keys on the hood of his car. The victim complied and walked away from the vehicle. The suspects fled the scene on foot after allegedly determining the vehicle was a manual transmission. Officers canvassed the area for the suspects yielding negative results. The suspects are described as white or Hispanic males, approximately 18-26 years old, wearing all black clothing. The investigation is ongoing.

Earlier Monday morning, police responded to an alleged incident involving an intoxicated suspect threatening a victim with a machete near Courthouse and Rocky Run Park.

From ACPD:

ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-09040035, 2300 block of 11th Street N. At approximately 3:16 a.m. on September 4, police responded to the report of a possible mental health call for service. The preliminary investigation determined the male victim was outside a residential building when he observed the male suspect walk by holding a machete. A short time later, the suspect returned and initiated a conversation with the victim, during which he allegedly brandished the machete. The victim ran and the suspect chased after him while making threatening statements. The victim was able to get to a safe location and no injuries were reported. Responding officers located the suspect in the area with the machete and took him into custody without incident. [The suspect], 33, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding, Brandishing and Public Intoxication. He was held without bond.

Also in today’s crime report, police said the gunfire near the Ballston Metro station over the weekend stemmed from a dispute between two people.

SHOT FIRED, 2023-09010239, N. Stuart Street at Fairfax Drive. At approximately 8:21 p.m. on September 1, police were dispatched to the report of a possible assault with a weapon. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim and suspect became involved in a verbal dispute during which the suspect brandished and discharged a firearm. No injuries or property damage were reported.

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File photo

A man sleeping in his car chased off a pair of would-be carjackers, according to Arlington County police.

The incident happened around 4 a.m. near the intersection of N. Woodrow Street at 20th Road N. That’s in the residential Waverly Hills neighborhood, about a block from Woodstock Park.

The carjacking attempt was reported to police about two hours after it happened, ACPD said today in a crime report.

“At approximately 3:55 a.m. the victim was asleep inside his parked vehicle when he was awoken by two unknown male suspects opening one of the vehicle’s back doors,” said the crime report. “The suspects demanded the victim exit the vehicle and made threatening statements implying they had a weapon.”

“The suspects then attempted to open the driver door and a struggle ensued during which the suspects struck the victim with an unknown object resulting in the victim sustaining lacerations,” the crime report continues. “The suspects then fled the scene on foot and the victim briefly gave chase. The victim then returned to the scene and called police.”

The victim’s injuries were described as non-life threatening. He declined treatment on scene.

So far in 2023 Arlington police have investigated more than a dozen carjackings as well as a few unsuccessful carjacking attempts.

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File photo

Yet another armed carjacking has been reported in Arlington, this time in the Columbia Forest neighborhood.

The carjacking happened in the early morning hours of Saturday, on the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street just south of Columbia Pike.

“At approximately 4:36 a.m. on August 5, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery,” said today’s daily Arlington County Police Department crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined the victim stopped his vehicle in a parking lot when the suspect vehicle, with four occupants, approached. One suspect then exited the suspect vehicle, brandished a firearm and demanded the victim’s vehicle.”

“The suspects then fled the scene in the suspect vehicle, a black SUV, and the victim’s stolen vehicle, a 2019 black Toyota Camry,” the crime report continues. “The victim’s stolen vehicle was later located unoccupied in Washington D.C.”

Several carjackings and an unsuccessful carjacking attempt were reported by ACPD in July. More than a dozen carjacking have been reported so far this year, by ARLnow’s count, many involving BMWs carjacked in the Crystal City area.

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