(Updated at 8 p.m.) Residents were asked to stay inside Monday evening as police searched part of the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhood following reports of gunfire.
The initial call for gunshots heard along the 1700 block of Arlington Blvd came in around 5 p.m. Police verified with nearby Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall that no firing drills were underway at the time before starting to search the area.
The U.S. Park Police Eagle helicopter was called in to assist amid more reports of shots being heard, but has since left the county after not finding any suspects, according to scanner traffic.
“ACPD is investigating the report of shots heard in the 1700 block of Arlington Boulevard,” Arlington police said around 5:45 p.m. “At this time, no injuries or property damage have been reported. A police helicopter is assisting with an aerial search of the area. Expect continued police activity.”
The search appeared to be focused on one particular building.
“Community members are asked to avoid the area as police continue to investigate the report of shots heard in the 1700 block of Arlington Boulevard,” ACPD said around 6:20 p.m. “If you are in the area, go inside and stay inside.”
Police also closed the N. Rhodes Street bridge, near where the search was taking place, according to Arlington Alert.
Shortly before 8 p.m., the search was called off.
“A search of the building has concluded,” said ACPD. “No evidence of a shooting was located and there is no apparent ongoing threat to the community. We appreciate the community’s patience during the investigation. The avoid the area/stay indoors has been lifted.”
More, below, via social media.
CONTINUED: Community members are asked to avoid the area as police continue to investigate the report of shots heard in the 1700 block of Arlington Boulevard. If you are in the area, go inside and stay inside.
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) January 8, 2024
LOCATION: 14th St N/ N Rhodes st
INCIDENT: Police Department Activity
IMPACT: Traffic has been closed in both directions on N Rhodes St starting at 14th St N and ending at Arlington Blvd. Seek alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/HjtoXX063O— Arlington Alert (@ArlingtonAlert) January 8, 2024
Arlington County Police: SEEK INDOOR SHELTER. ACPD is reporting shots fired near 1730 Arlington Blvd. Avoid the area. If you are in the area, go inside immediately and stay inside. Close and lock all windows and doors. Stay tuned for further updates.
— Arlington Alert (@ArlingtonAlert) January 8, 2024
Eagle is searching rooftops for any armed person after reports of gunfire… @HelicoptersofDC https://t.co/52VuIJwuST pic.twitter.com/4OmnUbxFOf
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) January 8, 2024
Anyone know what’s happening at Rt 50 & N Rhodes/N Queen? Police and helicopter circling! @ARLnowDOTcom @ArlingtonVaPD pic.twitter.com/hkOqFgE28n
— Emily L., MPA 🐰👩🏻🌾🗳 (@ehlcreations) January 8, 2024
Arlington County police are investigating after a boy says he was robbed twice by the same group of suspects.
The first robbery happened around 7 p.m. this past Thursday in Rosslyn, while the second happened around 7 p.m. the next day in the Courthouse area, according to police.
Police say the boy knows the three male suspects, one of whom brandished a knife during the first robbery.
More, below, from the latest ACPD crime report.
ROBBERY (late), 2024-01050225/2024-01060032, 1500 block of Clarendon Boulevard/15th Street N. and N. Uhle Street. At approximately 3:47 a.m. on January 6, police were dispatched to the late report of a robbery by force. It was determined at approximately 7:00 p.m. on January 4, the juvenile male victim was in the area of the 1500 block of Clarendon Boulevard when he was approached by three male suspects, who are known to him. Suspect One brandished a knife and made threatening statements while Suspect Two assaulted him and demanded his electronics. The suspects then left the scene with the stolen property and the victim did not require medical attention following the incident. At approximately 7:00 p.m. on January 5, the victim was in the area of 15th Street N. and N. Uhle Street when he was approached by the suspects from the incident the day before and approximately seven additional subjects. Suspect Two demanded and stole the victim’s personal property and caused damage to his electronic device before the group left the area on foot. No injuries were reported from the incident. The investigation is ongoing.
A driver ran into the back of a stopped Arlington police cruiser in Courthouse yesterday afternoon.
The crash, which happened two blocks from police headquarters — next to the construction site that was formerly a Wendy’s — happened around 2:30 p.m.
It’s unclear what led to the crash. Video posted by local public safety watchdog Dave Statter shows a car approaching the cruiser, which was stopped at a light, and simply plowing into it. The cruiser is pushed into the intersection before the driver apparently stops accelerating.
Watch: Wilson Boulevard is getting to be a hazardous place for @ArlingtonVaPD. Just after 2:30 p.m., someone rear-ended a police SUV stopped at the light at Wilson and N. Courthouse. No injuries were reported but it appears the airbag went off on the passenger side of the car.… pic.twitter.com/5u3Fg7a9ln
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) January 3, 2024
Immediately after, the driver and other occupants of the vehicle get out and talk to the officer. The cruiser’s rear bumper and window were both damaged in the crash.
Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow that the driver received a traffic citation for “Failure to Pay Full Time and Attention.”
This is at least the second ACPD cruiser damaged in a crash in the past week. On Friday, Dec. 29 a driver in Clarendon allegedly pulled in front of an officer speeding toward an incident, resulting in a wreck that nearly sent the civilian vehicle into a nearby storefront.
That driver was cited for “Failure to Yield the Right-of-Way,” Savage said.
All was not quiet in Arlington this past Christmas weekend.
Arlington County police responded to several notable incidents, including a man who allegedly ate at a Courthouse area restaurant, left without paying, and then flashed a gun at an employee.
The dine-and-dash incident happened around 2 p.m. this past Saturday on the 1900 block of Clarendon Blvd, the same block as Sushi Rock restaurant.
“At approximately 1:56 p.m. on December 23, police were dispatched to the report of a person with a gun,” said an ACPD crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect dined at the business and exited without payment during which an employee confronted him. The suspect lifted his shirt exposing what appeared to be a firearm before leaving the scene on foot.”
“Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results,” the crime report continues. “No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.”
The next day, around 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve, a driver was robbed by two armed male suspects who took his wallet and phone, police said.
“The victims were in their parked vehicle when two male suspects approached on foot, brandished firearms and demanded the driver’s wallet and phone,” ACPD said. “The suspects then fled the scene in a maroon SUV. No injuries were reported. Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspects yielding negative results.”
Metro is planning a major closure of two Arlington Metro stations next month.
The Rosslyn and Courthouse stations will be closed the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day — from Friday, Jan. 12 to Monday, Jan. 15. The four-day closure is for repairs and maintenance.
“Blue Line trains will run from Franconia-Springfield to Arlington Cemetery and Foggy Bottom to Downtown Largo; Orange Line service will operate from Vienna to Clarendon and Foggy Bottom to New Carrollton; and Silver Line trains will run between Ashburn and Clarendon only,” Metro noted in a press release.
The full press release is below.
During the Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend, starting on Friday, Jan. 12 through Monday, Jan. 15, Metro will close segments of the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines, between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery/Clarendon to perform infrastructure repairs and maintenance. The Rosslyn and Court House stations will be closed, and free shuttle buses will provide frequent service between all affected stations.
The four-day closure will allow Metro to address critical repairs, infrastructure improvements and other maintenance at one time. The same work would have required multiple weekends of single tracking with severe disruption to service, including some lines operating every 26 minutes or with truncated service.
The work is scheduled for the MLK holiday weekend when it will impact the fewest customers. Ridership during the four-day period is historically 27 percent lower on Metrorail than the average Friday through Monday. Additionally, with post-pandemic changes 15 percent fewer customers use Metrorail on Fridays than the midweek peak and on MLK Day ridership is less than half of a normal Monday.
The Rosslyn tunnel beneath the Potomac River is one of the busiest sections of the system, with trains passing through every three to four minutes all day causing more frequent wear on the infrastructure.
During the weekend crews plan to replace dozens of concrete grout pads, which support the rails. To do this, the rails must be removed, and the old grout pads demolished. After framing, new concrete will be poured with additional time needed to set. The work will be coupled with installation of new rails, fasteners, platform edge lighting and fiber-optic cables, drain maintenance, and welding rails together to eliminate joints for a smoother, better ride.
Outside of the work zone, Blue Line trains will run from Franconia-Springfield to Arlington Cemetery and Foggy Bottom to Downtown Largo; Orange Line service will operate from Vienna to Clarendon and Foggy Bottom to New Carrollton; and Silver Line trains will run between Ashburn and Clarendon only.
Travelers over the holiday weekend going to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport may use the Yellow Line via Gallery Place or L’Enfant Plaza as an alternative with service operating every six minutes during weekday peak periods and eight minutes at all other times. Customers may also use the Manassas Line on VRE to connect to the Blue or Yellow lines at Alexandria. South of the airport, the Blue and Yellow lines will continue to be available for customers with no impact for those headed to the airport.
Customers traveling through Washington Dulles International Airport should allow additional time for shuttle buses to connect to the Silver Line. Additional details will be provided on shuttle buses and other travel alternatives in January.
In addition, Saturday, Jan. 13 and Sunday, Jan. 14, the MDOT MTA Purple Line project will also be doing construction, impacting Metro’s Red Line. There will be no Red Line service between Takoma and Forest Glen. The Silver Spring Station will be closed. Trains will operate in two segments from Shady Grove to Takoma and Glenmont to Forest Glen. Metro will utilize the closure to perform leak mitigation, replace rail ties, and preparatory work for switch replacement.
Customers are encouraged to sign up for MetroAlerts text or email messages for the latest service information or follow us on X @wmata @metrorailinfo @metrobusinfo. Metro’s customer service team is also available to respond to social media, email, chat, or by phone at 202-637-7000 (automated information available 24/7) weekdays from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
A bronze replica of the sculpture “Compassion,” depicting an adult and child embracing, was installed this morning (Tuesday) in Courthouse along Wilson Blvd.
The new replica replaces the original concrete sculpture that had been a fixture in the median along Wilson Boulevard, near Ireland’s Four Courts, for nearly six decades.
Donated to Arlington County in 1969, “Compassion” was deemed weathered beyond repair earlier this year, due to age and exposure to the elements. It sustained even more damage while it was removed from the median last August and was ultimately destroyed as part of the decommissioning process.
Before its removal, however, Colin Poole — the grandson and apprentice of the sculpture’s creator, England-born Una Hanbury — digitally scanned the original and created a bronze replica.
Poole was able to recreate the “missing details” of the sculpture by drawing on photographs and his grandmother’s sketches, according to a press release.
“Una Hanbury was my grandmother, mentor and hero,” Poole said in the release. “Some of my earliest memories are of her studio… My first monumental bronze was with a collaboration with her and now, many decades later, we collaborate once again.”
Greystar Real Estate Partners, the developer responsible for the two new apartment buildings adjacent to the sculpture, fully funded the relocation of the bronze statue, according to Arlington Public Art Director Angela Adams.
A crane carefully lowered the sculpture onto a newly constructed median on Tuesday morning, close to its original location.
“Greystar paid for the entire commission,” Adams told ARlnow.
“Per the site plan agreement for the Landmark project, the developer was obligated to determine how to preserve the original ‘Compassion’ sculpture since they were needing to rework the traffic median where it sat as part of their project,” she continued.
Although the original concrete statue was not officially a part of the the county’s public art collection, plans are underway to include the bronze replica among its roughly 70 permanent public art projects in Arlington, says Adams.
“Those negotiations are ongoing,” Adams said.
She also noted that a formal dedication of the sculpture, along with the larger plaza and surrounding buildings, is scheduled for sometime in 2024.
(Updated at 12:20 a.m. on 12/7/23) After a 2-year search for new digs, Arlington Independent Media is on the cusp of moving from its long-time headquarters in Clarendon.
Next week, Arlington’s public access TV channel, community radio station and media training provider intends to sign a lease for space in Courthouse Plaza, says its CEO Whytni Kernodle. The building is owned by JBG Smith and home to Arlington County headquarters.
The cash-strapped organization is having to look outside its coffers to leave before its Dec. 31 deadline. The organization disclosed it had $31,000 in cash on hand during its November meeting, according to Lynn Borton, a former producer with AIM who was in attendance.
Kernodle requested $350,000 in funds that Comcast sets aside for expenses by public institutions, Arlington Public Schools and the county government. She also intends to fundraise another $25,000.
Once settled in Courthouse, Kernodle envisions an “On Air!” sign attracting passers-by to come and listen to music and watch AIM produce live shows. Next year, she wants to add public speaking events.
“The really great community media organizations are out in the community without waiting for people to come to their location,” she said. “We’re coming to the community as opposed to expecting the community to come to us.”
AIM will retain its rent-free second location in a county-owned building in Green Valley, for which it pays an “affordable license fee,” according to the county.
Kernodle says it was not a viable headquarters because it was too small and too far from the broadcast tower AIM uses in Courthouse for live shows. She also did not want to give up a North Arlington presence.
The move comes as the organization faces pressure to clarify its finances and rely more on fundraising, membership fees and advertising, and less on county funding, for its operational expenses.
AIM also faces existential pressures from consumers choosing streaming over cable, as fewer cable subscriptions means less funding for Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Access Channels — and fewer viewers.
Streaming, along with better technology and the dominance of social media, can also weaken the value of AIM’s core offerings — professional-grade equipment, studios and training for content creators — says Rodger Smith, a senior instructor in the George Mason University Department of Communication.
“Why go to AIM when I can be in my house and I can create a podcast that still sounds broadcast quality or I can produce video,” says Smith, who is also the faculty advisor for WGMU, the campus online radio station. “They have to offer a service that [people] can’t find anyplace else.”
Rocky finances and a forthcoming governance document
AIM will be leaving a building where the rent almost sank it financially, but its woes are not behind it.
When AIM lost free rent at 2701 Wilson Blvd as part of a 2016 local cable franchise agreement, it racked up $80,000 in debts and nearly went under, even after the county paid its market-rate rent for several months, says Borton.
While serving as AIM’s president, she got collections officers to stop calling in 2019 and negotiated a lower rent. The organization has known it needed to move since 2021, when the new owner of 2701 Wilson Blvd opened the Beyond Hello dispensary next door, with plans to take over AIM’s space, Borton said.
All this time, the county tried to wean AIM from county support, proposing, then lessening, cuts after outcry from AIM staff and listeners.
The organization continues to face financial transparency challenges, as it is behind on its Form 990s. The IRS makes public these nonprofit tax forms so people can gauge an organization’s financial health.
Two Arlington County Sheriff’s Office deputies prevented a near-fatal opioid overdose in the lobby of the county courthouse yesterday morning.
The individual, a member of the public and not an inmate, was found lying on the ground in the courthouse lobby at approximately 8:30 a.m. Thursday, showing signs of a severe overdose.
While the specific opioid wasn’t named, officials noted that the individual was resuscitated with Narcan, a drug used to reverse overdoses from opioid painkillers and heroin.
The individual required several doses of Narcan to be revived, according to ACSO spokeswoman Amy Meehan.
After deploying the Narcan, deputies alerted emergency medical services and the man was transferred to the hospital.
Arlington County continues to feel the impacts of the nationwide opioid crisis, and regionally, about 32% of adults know a family member or friend struggling with addiction, estimates the Inova health system.
So far this year, Arlington has seen 43 non-fatal and 20 fatal overdoses, according to county data. That marks a decrease in the overall number of registered overdoses, though fatal overdoses have yet to see similar declines.
One fatal overdose, of a 14-year-old Wakefield High School student in January, sparked increased efforts and discussions within Arlington Public Schools, the county and the broader community about the need for counseling services and the availability of overdose-reversing treatments.
A press release about the incident from the sheriff’s office is below.
The quick response of two Arlington County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Corporal Gan and Corporal Garrison, saved a man’s life yesterday. While assigned to the Courthouse, the deputies saw a man lying on the floor in distress exhibiting overdose symptoms and immediately went to assist the individual. Corporal Gan administered Nasal Naloxone (also known as Narcan®), while Corporal Garrison alerted emergency services and the man was transported to the hospital.
Arlington County sheriff deputies and first responders carry Nasal Naloxone (also known as Narcan®), a safe and effective medication that can reverse an overdose from prescription painkillers or heroin. Narcan is available over the counter without a prescription. Arlingtonians can request free Narcan and REVIVE (Narcan) training by emailing the Department of Human Services.
It is important for our community to be aware of the signs of an overdose as this is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation. If you observe someone experiencing the following overdose symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately:
- Slow or shallow breathing
- Dizziness or confusion
- Cold or clammy skin
- Vomiting or gurgling
- Blue lips and/or fingernails
- Not responsive or sleeping and cannot be woken up
- Deep gurgling or rattling snore
Key Contact Information
- Emergency: 9-1-1
- DHS Substance Use Warm Line: 571-302-0327
- Report Information on Narcotics Distribution
Programs and Services
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, there are numerous treatment resources available in Arlington and through the Department of Human Services. Community members are also encouraged to prevent medication misuse or overdose by safely disposing of unused, unwanted or expired prescription medication in one of Arlington’s four permanent drug take-back boxes or by requesting a free deactivation bag.
An employee of a shop in Courthouse was beaten by a robber early Wednesday morning, according to police.
The robbery happened around 3 a.m. at the Tobacco Vape Cigars store at 2305 Wilson Blvd.
“The employee was inside the closed business when he heard the male suspect force entry into the store by shattering a glass door,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “The employee attempted to confront the suspect, who began collecting merchandise, and a physical altercation ensued during which the suspect struck the employee before fleeing the scene on foot.”
“Medics evaluated and released the employee on scene,” the crime report continued. “Responding officers broadcast a lookout and canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results.”
The smoke shop is located in a small building that formerly housed SuperStar Tickets.
The circumstances surrounding this morning’s robbery are somewhat similar to those of a high-profile case in Arlington from March 2020. A group of three people broke into a smoke shop in the Green Valley neighborhood during early morning hours, and an employee who was sleeping in the back shot one of them. The employee was charged with Malicious Wounding but found not guilty last year.
The wee hours of the morning ended up being a busy time for Arlington first responders today. Around the same time as the robbery was dispatched for police, firefighters were arriving on scene of a small fire at the Ethiopian Community Development Council building, just off Columbia Pike on S. Highland Street.
Costs are rising for some traffic signal upgrades in Courthouse.
Developer Greystar is installing new traffic signals at three intersections near its new, 423-unit, 20-story building that replaced several restaurants, including Summers Restaurant, in an area known as the “Landmark block.”
The new signals are part of a host of other county-funded projects the developer agreed to undertake in January 2022, along with pavement, sidewalk and curb and gutter improvements to public streets.
These improvements have progressed on a separate timeline from the building, approved in March 2021 and on which Greystar broke ground that fall. This July, as construction on the apartments drew to a close, Greystar received extra time for the transportation projects.
Earlier this year, when the civil engineering plan for the traffic signals was under review, county staff made some “refinements to technical details” regarding the signals, per a county report.
These tweaks increased the overall project costs by $1.1 million, according to the county. Greystar is requesting the additional funding to complete the work and the Arlington County Board is set to review this ask on Saturday.
The overall cost of the project is now $3.5 million, up from $2.4 million.
The traffic signals will be installed where N. Courthouse Road bisects Wilson and Clarendon Blvd as well as the intersections of N. Courthouse Road and 15th Street N. and N. Uhle Street and Clarendon Blvd.
The changes, which the county describes as “refinements to technical details,” are as follows:
A. Increases in all mast arm lengths, which require more costly structures and foundations.
B. Increases in the lengths of trenched conduits due to the density of the underground utilities.
C. Changes to equipment specifications to accommodate newer technologies in the control cabinets.
D. Increases in signal and civil design costs.
E. Additional duration of maintenance of traffic due to the complexity of the anticipated work.
DES obtained an independent cost estimate of this work, $2.77 million. The county says Greystar’s $2.75 million request is thus “fair and reasonable.”
As for the apartment building, the first set of tenants were set to move into “The Commodore” starting last month. The first retail tenants in a slate of restaurants and fitness studios were also set to move in last month, too, though others will not open until next year.
Arlington County police are investigating a brazen armed robbery just a couple of blocks from their headquarters.
The CVS at 2121 15th Street N., next to the Courthouse Metro entrance, was robbed around 7:50 p.m. Thursday by a man armed with a gun.
The initial police dispatch said he pointed the gun at staff. Today’s ACPD crime report says he demanded money and fled with cash.
Despite a search of the area and local Metro stations, the man — said to be a notably diminutive 5’3″ tall — was not found.
More from the crime report:
ROBBERY, 2023-11020222, 2100 block of 15th Street N. At approximately 7:52 p.m. on November 2, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect entered the business, approached the counter, brandished a firearm and demanded money before leaving the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. A lookout for the suspect was broadcast and officers canvassed the area yielding negative results. No injuries were reported. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 5’3” tall and wearing a black hat, black jacket and blue pants. The investigation is ongoing.
CVS ARMED ROBBERY— 2121 15th St-North in Arlington. Man pointed a gun at store staff and robbed the CVS before fleeing on foot, possibly into the Courthouse Metro #WMATA. Happened around 7:50 p.m. @ARLnowDOTcom pic.twitter.com/USxrIRvLkL
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) November 3, 2023