News

A drunk driver who struck and killed a woman in a head-on collision on GW Parkway has been sentenced to 8 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Carlos Hernandez Romero — who did not have a driver’s license and who was driving 80 mph in the wrong direction the night of Jan. 1, 2025 — admitted to aggravated DWI manslaughter, according to a press release from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for Arlington and Falls Church.


Around Town

Free Lyft rides will be available this Friday for the Fourth of July, courtesy of a D.C.-area nonprofit.

The SoberRide initiative plans to offer free rides from 4 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Saturday. Participants age 21 and over will be able to use a promo code once to receive a ride worth up to $15.


News

Immigration officers say they have arrested an undocumented man previously convicted of killing a pedestrian with his car just south of Arlington.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced yesterday (Wednesday) that it had detained Alvaro Alejandro Pacheco Ramos, described by ICE as “an illegally present Salvadoran alien.”


Events

Free rides will be available throughout the D.C. area during Cinco de Mayo celebrations next month.

From 4 p.m. Monday, May 5 until 4 a.m. Tuesday, May 6, residents age 21 and over will be able to receive free Lyft rides worth up to $15. A promotional code will be published at 3 p.m. on www.SoberRide.com.


Events

This weekend the Arlington County Police Department is reminding motorists of the dangers of drunk driving.

The police department will host “Don’t Press Your Luck,” an anti-drunk-driving event that will highlight the impacts of alcohol when behind the wheel, this Saturday from 8-10 p.m. at the intersection of N. Irving Street at Wilson Blvd.


News

The man who struck and killed a woman near the Thomas Jefferson Community Center in the fall of 2022 will spend four years in prison.

Julio David Villazon received his 10-year sentence, of which six years were suspended, on Friday, according to Arlington County Circuit Court records. After his release, he will have five years of supervised probation. The court also suspended his driver’s license indefinitely.


News

Lyft is ringing in the new year by offering free rides to Arlington residents over 21 from now until New Year’s Day.

Spearheaded by the Tysons-based Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the initiative, known as SoberRide, aims to reduce drunk driving around holidays including Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day and New Year’s Eve when DUI crashes tend to spike.


News

A day of remembrance for lives lost — in Arlington, Northern Virginia, and around the world — to vehicular crashes will be held at Wakefield High School this month.

It is a local instantiation of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims held annually on the third Sunday of November around the world. The events will mark the deaths of approximately 1.35 million people annually in traffic crashes.


News

Lyft will offer free rides up to $15 next weekend to curb drunk driving as Arlington sees an uptick in alcohol-related crashes.

Organized by the Tysons-based nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the initiative, known as SoberRide, aims to prevent drunk driving during holidays, such as Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day and New Year’s Eve when such behavior is more common.


News

Drunk driving — the alleged reason why a woman was killed in a hit-and-run last month — is on the rise in Arlington.

The fatal crash in the Arlington Heights neighborhood has county leaders considering greater emphasis on curbing drunk driving. Neighbors, meanwhile, are asking the county to add more traffic calming measures to combat risky driving, particularly near Alice West Fleet Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School.


Around Town

There will again be free Lyft rides on Independence Day, at least in part because of Amazon.

The trillion-dollar tech company with a growing presence in Arlington is donating $10,000 to the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) for its SoberRide partnership with Lyft.


Around Town

(Updated, 10/29/21, 10:10 a.m.) There will be free Lyft rides in Arlington and across the region this Halloween weekend.

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) is again partnering with the rideshare company for the SoberRide program to provide free rides this upcoming Saturday (Oct. 30) night to prevent drunk and impaired driving.


View More Stories