Update at 7:50 p.m. — The bomb squad has given the “all clear,” per scanner traffic, and units have started leaving the scene.
FINAL: The investigation determined there was no credible threat and the all clear was given. Road closures and the building evacuation have been lifted.
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) February 4, 2024
Earlier: Arlington County’s bomb squad is investigating a “suspicious vehicle” at a Crystal City office building.
The Saturday evening incident has prompted a massive police and fire department response to the building at 2231 Crystal Drive. It started as some sort of a police investigation around 4 p.m. and escalated to include all available ACPD units and the ACFD bomb squad around 6 p.m.
The bomb squad response was expanded around 6:45 p.m.
In a social media post, Arlington County police said they’re investigating “a suspicious vehicle in a parking garage” and the building has been evacuated. Crystal Drive and a portion of 23rd Street S. are closed in the area.
No additional details about the incident were immediately available.
CONTINUED: The following road closures are in place during the ongoing investigation:
Crystal Drive between 20th St. S. and 23rd St. S.
Additionally, eastbound traffic on 23rd St. S is closed in the area.
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) February 4, 2024
— TheNateAbraham (@N8abraham) February 3, 2024
Crystal Dr. shut down between 20th and 26th Sts. S. And another photo pic.twitter.com/WSpS6CXBjO
— Jonathon Hauenschild (@TheDiscipulus) February 4, 2024
A large fire department and police response is on scene at a fatal house fire in McLean, near the Arlington border.
The fire was reported around 9:15 a.m. on the 4000 block of Ridgeview Circle, in the Chain Bridge Forest neighborhood just south of the GW Parkway.
First arriving firefighters reported a column of smoke rising in the air and requested a second alarm, which included numerous fire department units from Arlington.
Firefighting operations were still in progress an hour after the initial dispatch, with white smoke rising from the garage, though the bulk of the fire was knocked down within 30 minutes. Much of the interior of the two-story home appears scorched, despite the front of the main roof remaining intact.
An SUV could be seen parked in the driveway of the home. Fairfax County police confirmed just before 10:30 a.m. that a man was found dead in a bedroom and an investigation is now underway.
#FCPD detectives are responding to the fire in the 4000 blk of Ridgeview Circle after a man was found deceased in the bedroom. We are working with @ffxfirerescue to investigate the circumstances. https://t.co/bmsJrbiuBC
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 11, 2023
(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) The man whose house exploded during a standoff with police is dead.
James Yoo, 56, is presumed dead as a result of the explosion of the duplex at 844 N. Burlington Street, in the Bluemont neighborhood, Arlington County police confirmed during a news conference this afternoon.
Human remains were located at the scene, said Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn, and the medical examiner is working to identify the remains. There are no ongoing threats to the community and no outstanding suspects, Penn added.
The explosion happened around 8:25 p.m. Monday and was heard — and felt — from miles around. It followed a standoff that started around 4:45 p.m. as Yoo fired some 30-40 flares from his window, sending them over neighboring Fields Park and in the direction of Key Elementary School.
The force of the explosion shattered home and car windows near the blast site and injured several Arlington police officers. The officers suffered only minor injuries, police previously said.
As many as a dozen surrounding homes were damaged and ten households temporarily displaced by the explosion, ACPD said today. Nearby residents, including those in the duplex unit adjoining Yoo, were evacuated by firefighters about an hour and a half prior to the explosion, authorities said. Those displaced are being provided with temporary housing and necessities, Penn said.
Gas to the house was turned off at the meter prior to the explosion, according to ACFD Assistant Fire Chief Jason Jenkins.
“Their efforts last evening saved lives, period,” Jenkins said. “They minimized damage to property, and I thank them for their efforts.”
Before the explosion, ACPD used a SWAT vehicle to breach the front door and establish communication with Yoo, ordering him to come out. As officers “tried to engage with the suspect,” they “experienced what is believed to be multiple gunshots from a firearm coming from within the dwelling,” Penn said.
Arlington police then “began to deploy non-flammable, less-lethal chemical munitions” in several parts of the home they thought Yoo might be hiding, in an attempt to get him to surrender. Shortly thereafter, the house erupted in a giant fireball that sent debris soaring through the air. Some debris was found several streets away, authorities said.
Firefighters battled the resulting fire for hours, until the early morning hours, with ACFD using a water stream from a ladder truck to douse the potentially gas-fed flames. The fire is now out, authorities said.
Neighbors told ARLnow that Yoo had previously pulled a knife on people looking at the house while it was listed for sale for a few months in 2021. Three days before Monday’s incident he had posted a paranoid rant on Linkedin against his neighbors in the duplex, at the end of quiet street that dead-ends at the Bluemont Junction Trail, near Arlington County Fire Station No. 2.
Penn said that police are now aware of Yoo’s “concerning” social media posts, but noted that he was otherwise largely off the police department’s radar before last night.
“The Arlington County Police Department does not have any prior documented interactions with the suspect at this address other than two calls for service for loud noise,” Penn said.
At Fire Station No. 2 today, numerous personnel from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could be seen, helping the Arlington County police and fire departments investigate what caused the explosion. Penn said the ATF and the FBI are both assisting with the investigation, alongside the Northern Virginia Critical Incident Response Team and the Arlington County Fire Marshal’s Office.
David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said the bureau received communication from Yoo in the past about “alleged frauds” against him.
The FBI and ATF both sent bomb technicians and other investigators to the scene and are working to determine the cause of the explosion, spokespeople said. No timeline was given for when the investigation will conclude, other than it is expected to “extensive and time consuming.”
In a bid to improve accountability, the Arlington County Fire Department is looking to put its mission and priorities in writing with its first-ever strategic plan.
The plan is designed to help the department identify its values and strengths and determine where to channel its resources over the next five years.
“The core values that someone wrote or prescribed in years past don’t necessarily reflect what [community members and fire personnel] believe in and feel represent them today,” ACFD Assistant Fire Chief Jason Jenkins told ARLnow. “This is our opportunity to rebrand our mission, reimagine our core values to again focus on our future.”
Although a strategic plan is not mandatory, Jenkins — who spent 26 years at Fairfax County Fire and Rescue before coming to Arlington — said he believes it would provide clarity where there is “a lot of uncertainty” around the department’s goals.
“And without a clear focus, or clarity around the organizational goals, then it leaves folks wonder wondering where are we going, and how do we plan to get there,” he said.
The focus on core values comes as amid internal changes made in response to allegations of harassment of female employees and hazing of recruits.
Jenkins also the strategic plan could also inform how firefighters, and other resources, are allocated from station to station. The fire department got a boost last year when the Arlington County Board greenlit the hiring of 40 more firefighters and instituted a Kelly Day, which cut the average workweek from 56 to 50 hours.
As ACFD begins to recover from several years of understaffing, which led to a troubling reliance on overtime, it is also having to evolve to respond to new public safety threats and more medical emergencies.
The strategic plan could ensure ACFD has “the right type apparatus in the right places as well as an effective number of specially trained firefighters on duty to mitigate any multitude of hazards,” Brian Lynch, president of the firefighters union, Local 2800, tells ARLnow.
“This is even more important now as Arlington continues to grow and threats, such as climate change, increase the risks we need to protect the community from,” he said.
Lynch commended Jenkins for his “energy” in helping spearhead the strategic plan.
“We are optimistic that by listening to the people who make the department work, as well as the people we serve, combined with the assistance of outside experts, will help guide the efforts to make a safer Arlington for all,” Lynch said.
Work on the strategic plan kicked off earlier this month with an in-person feedback session at the Long Bridge Aquatic Center.
About 20 community stakeholders, including county government representatives, civic association members and local business owners, filled out surveys about the department’s strengths and areas in need of improvement.
They also rated which programs — including fire code enforcement and prevention, fire suppression, and emergency medical services — they believe the department should prioritize.
The feedback will be published as part of a final draft of the strategic plan, which Jenkins says should be ready by Feb. 1, 2024.
(Updated at 10:10 p.m.) All lanes of S. Glebe Road were blocked between Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike this afternoon due to a crash.
Initial reports suggest that two vehicles collided near the intersection of Glebe and 15th Street S. around 1:45 p.m. One vehicle flipped on its side and at least one vehicle occupant was reported to be trapped and injured.
Numerous fire department and police vehicles were on scene as the person was extricated from their vehicle by firefighters and transported to a local hospital via ambulance.
Glebe Road was back open as of 3:15 p.m., according to Arlington County.
Traffic camera video of the crash posted Monday night by local public safety watcher Dave Statter shows some questionable driving decisions by a trio of drivers. One driver sideswipes the second — whose car overturned — while simultaneously trying to pass the third, who just turned onto the northbound lanes at the last second ahead of oncoming traffic.
Car overturned: This is today's crash on S. Glebe Road & S. 15th Street in Arlington. Despite one car rolling over, there was no initial report of life-threatening injuries. @ArlingtonVaFD & @ArlingtonVaPD handled. Video from Arlington traffic camera recorded by @SafetyVid.… pic.twitter.com/qQP5sFKBGd
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) November 28, 2023
Drones could soon figure into the future of public safety in Arlington.
Arlington’s police and fire departments, the Sheriff’s Office and the Dept. of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management are developing a joint program to use drones when responding to public safety and emergency incidents.
Now through New Year’s Day, people can comment on their draft policies regulating the training, operations and oversight of the “Unmanned Aircraft Systems program,” or UAS.
“All comments provided will be reviewed and evaluated for incorporation into the policies,” a county press release says. “Implementation of the program is anticipated in early 2024 following the completion, review, and incorporation of community feedback on the draft policies.”
Law enforcement could use drones for situational awareness: for instance, one was seen during the large public safety agency presence at the Key Bridge Marriott when it was condemned. Drones could also help collect evidence, conduct search and rescue operations and monitor public events.
The county has posted draft policies for ACPD, ACFD and the Dept. of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management online for people to review. Much of the language is the same across all three policies.
More on the purpose of the program, from ACPD’s policy:
The UAS program shall be used only to support the missions of participating agencies and for legitimate purposes such as situational awareness of public safety incidents, search and rescue operations, and evidence collection, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations.
These drones will not be equipped with weapons. Only those assigned to the program, with proper training, can operate them, in accordance with the Fourth Amendment — which prohibits unlawful searches and seizures — and other applicable laws.
If approved, there would be monthly audits reviewing the number and length of flights, their efficacy, any safety or equipment concerns and potential violations of policy or law, the policy says.
ACPD will let the public know about all pre-planned drone deployments and it will publish an annual report with the total number of flights, the time, date, location of and reason for each flight. Exceptions would be made when this information would jeopardize personnel safety or a criminal investigation.
These aircraft could help these agencies work more efficiently and safely with fewer staff. ACPD, for instance, has had to scale back services amid ongoing challenges with recruiting and retaining officers.
Improved officer safety could, in turn, bolster staffing levels, Arlington’s police and fire chiefs said earlier this year, in a preliminary discussion with the Arlington County Board about drones.
More from a press release:
The draft policies were developed after an extensive review of model policies and recommendations by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and policies of police departments across the country with established UAS programs. The goal is to create model policies for Arlington County, utilizing established best practices while ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. […]
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Background
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) provide enhanced operational capability, safety, and situational awareness for first responders in support of public safety. The UAS Program will only be utilized for specific public safety missions and will be operated only by trained and authorized personnel in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. For additional information on the UAS program, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit our website.
An Arlington County-owned pickup truck was driven off the side of a small concrete bridge in Lubber Run Park this afternoon.
The low, narrow bridge over Lubber Run is located just to the north of the park’s amphitheater, in the Arlington Forest neighborhood.
Initially, the incident drew a large rescue response to the park, but arriving firefighters quickly determined that no one was injured nor trapped by the crash. They secured the truck in place ahead of the arrival of tow crews.
Police and county personnel remain on scene as crews work to pull the truck back onto the trail.
(Updated at 1 p.m.) Someone phoned in a bomb threat at Swanson Middle School this morning.
The caller claimed that bombs were planted in the middle school, in the Westover area. The school was quickly placed in lockdown, an Arlington Public Schools spokesman confirmed to ARLnow.
Police and fire department personnel — including bomb-sniffing dogs — were dispatched to the school around 9:50 a.m.
The following was sent to Swanson families just before 10:30 a.m.
Swanson Middle School remains in lockdown* due to a bomb threat made over the phone. The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) and Arlington County Fire Department are on the scene to determine the credibility of the threat. All students and staff are safe at this time. The safety and security of students and staff is our top priority.
At this time, we ask that parents stay where they are and remain available to receive updates and instructions as needed. Please do not come to the school. Additional details will be communicated as soon as they are known.
As of 11:15 a.m. Arlington County police said no explosives were found during a search of the school. Students were dismissed from school shortly thereafter.
“ACPD and ACFD have given the school an ‘all clear’ following a search of the school property,” families were told in an email. “The investigation into the circumstances of the telephone threat is ongoing.”
“Because of the threat, students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m.,” the message continued. “The safety and security of your child is our top priority.”
UPDATE: A search of the property has concluded and no evidence of a crime was located at the school. The investigation into the circumstances of the telephone threat is ongoing.
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) November 13, 2023
Medics treated two people after a violent collision on a local trail Friday evening.
The crash on the Custis Trail, at the intersection of eastbound Langston Blvd and Ft. Myer Drive in Rosslyn, was caught on camera.
In the video, posted by local public safety watcher Dave Statter, a cyclist can be seen crossing Ft. Myer Drive at the intersection. The cyclist then collides with a person on a motorized scooter or skateboard who turned in front of them.
Both people remained nearly motionless on the ground as a pair of cyclists pulled up and started providing aid. Firefighters can then be seen arriving on scene, ahead of the arrival of two ambulances.
The incident happened around 5:15 p.m. Friday, according to scanner traffic. The extent of the injuries are unclear and an Arlington County police spokeswoman had no further information about the incident.
Watch: Traffic-cam caught a bicycle and scooter collision in Rosslyn, VA Friday afternoon. @ArlingtonVaFD treated two people. Be careful out there. Via @SafetyVid. @ARLnowDOTcom @CordellTraffic @matthewyoung31 #safety #bicycle #scooter #crash #collision #accident #firefighters… pic.twitter.com/EksKuJ9zS3
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) October 30, 2023
Ambulances were temporarily re-routed to other hospitals after VHC Health suffered some technology issues this morning.
The re-routing for non-critical cases was broadcast to Arlington County Fire Department medics around 10:30 a.m. As of 12:45 p.m., another broadcast suggested that the hospital was back on line for ambulances.
A spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow that technology issues prompted a re-route notice out of “an abundance of caution.”
“VHC Health is experiencing intermittent downtime of some non-critical systems,” the VHC spokesperson wrote. “The redirection is in an abundance of caution. Care for all patients on campus is not impacted.”
VHC did not directly answer a question about what caused the systems issue. American hospitals have been dealing with a wave of cyberattacks and ransomware hacks, sometimes knocking systems out for weeks at a time, various news outlets have reported.
Formerly known as Virginia Hospital Center, VHC Health opened an expansion of its Arlington campus earlier this year and has been expanding to other Northern Virginia locations.
Arlington police are investigating a series of harassing emails sent to a group of female Arlington County Fire Department employees this summer.
To move the inquiry along, the police department has offered a $20,000 reward to the first person within ACFD who provides information that leads to the identification and arrest of the anonymous sender, per a copy of the reward notice shared with ARLnow.
The reward notice is labeled as “confidential” and not for dissemination outside of public safety personnel.
In June, several female ACFD employees received anonymous emails that amounted to criminal harassment, the notice said.
“The emails continued throughout the month of June until they were sent en masse to Arlington County Fire Department staff,” it says. “These emails have impacted additional personnel outside of those who directly received the emails.”
ACPD began its criminal harassment investigation the same month, police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. She said the county subsequently funded a reward to support the ongoing investigation and the notice was sent to ACFD personnel.
The notice comes on the heels of an August report by WTOP detailing harassment that some 30 women in ACFD allege they have endured for several years. The report is based on a letter, shared with the news outlet, in which the women call attention to “a troubling pattern of misconduct and a culture that jeopardizes our safety and well-being.”
WTOP says the letter describes years of “anonymous emails and text messages, often sexual in nature,” sent to women employees, as well as specific instances where some employees were sexually harassed or assaulted.
ACPD has received previous reports of harassing communications, Savage confirmed to ARLnow. The notice likewise links the emails sent this June to “previous unsolved cases involving anonymous, sexually explicit messages.”
This is all the information Savage says ACPD can share for now, however.
“To ensure the integrity of the ongoing criminal investigation, no additional details are available for release at this time,” she said.
Brian Lynch, president of the firefighters union, Local 2800, condemned the harassing emails as “straight up unacceptable” and praised the women who came forward, noting many actively participate in union efforts.
“No one should be subjected to this vile conduct,” Lynch said in a statement to ARLnow. “Our entire union stands behind the victims here. As evidenced by the email reported on by WTOP, harassment is a problem that has gone on too long in our department, and too many members have been suffering in silence.”
ARLnow asked the fire department how long it has known about harassing emails, if it instructed the alleged victims to file police reports, whether ACFD is investigating the new allegations and if it has concluded any prior inquiries.
ACFD Capt. Nate Hiner confirmed the department is investigating “allegations raised by employees,” but did not otherwise respond directly to ARLnow’s questions.
Hiner also provided the following statement, which matches what WTOP previously received from the county.
Arlington County will continue to work with staff, hear their concerns, and take necessary actions to strengthen the safety and security of our workforce. Employees and volunteers of Arlington County have various avenues to report any concerns, issues, or allegations including the Office of Human Rights. Arlington County appreciates those who have raised concerns and supports those who are affected by the allegations.
