This week’s Arlington County crime report contained a number of notable items. Among them:
On Tuesday, Feb. 7, a suspect tried to flee after police found 32 grams of crack cocaine during a traffic stop on S. Glebe Road. Police used a Taser to help stop the suspect, identified by police as 41-year-old Deron Brown of Washington, D.C. Brown was charged with possession with the intent to distribute.
When Chipotle opens for business — no word yet on an expected opening date — it will open directly next to a Taco Bell.
It will also face competition from the currently under-construction Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, which is opening in nearby Pentagon Row, and from the sit-down Chevys Fresh Mex, located across the street at the Pentagon Centre shopping center.
Someone had the nerve to break into the Greenbrier Baptist Church and steal a laptop last week, according to the latest Arlington County crime report.
BURGLARY, 01/05/12, 5400 block of S. 7th Road. Between 7:30 pm on January 4, and 6:20 am on January 5, an unknown subject entered through a basement window of a local church. A laptop computer was stolen. There is no suspect description.
The release of the retro, $180 Nike Air Jordan XI sneaker drew large crowds at malls from coast to coast. Early this morning, the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City was no exception.
A crowd of 500-600 people mobbed the mall in pursuit of the coveted shoes, according to Arlington County Police. We’re told the mall had only one security guard handling crowd control when police were first called to assist. When officers arrived, they encountered a chaotic scene. At about 5:00 a.m., an officer frantically declared a “signal one” — requesting urgent assistance from all available units.
The call originally came in as a report of a man spotted with a gun near the Capital One Bank, on the food court level. Police took five people into custody near the Pentagon City Metro station, and soon determined that the initial report of a gun was erroneous.
The five people initially taken into custody were all banned from the mall, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. One of the men was arrested for assaulting another man, she said, and the other four were released from custody.
Arlington County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Calif.) and representatives from mall owner Simon Property Group were all on hand for the ceremony. Also present were reps from 350Green, the Los Angeles-based company that manufactures the charging stations.
The charging stations are located on level 2 of the mall parking garage. They can partially charge an electric vehicle in as little as 90 minutes, while the car’s owner shops.
Hope, who was scheduled to speak at the Sunday afternoon event, surprised the audience when he revealed that he was going to have his meticulously-maintained coif shaved off to help raise money and awareness.
Be Brave and Shave is the signature event of Heroes Against Childhood Cancer, which raises money for cancer research at Children’s National Medical Center. Since its founding in 2009, Be Brave and Shave events have raised some $1.5 million for the cancer programs at Children’s, making it possible for the hospital to hire its first professor of oncology. The organization is hoping to raise enough money to hire another pediatric cancer researcher in the near future.
The Pentagon City mall has its Christmas tree up, and Santa will arrive next Saturday, November 12, to pose for pictures with customers.
Ballston Common Mall is waiting until after Thanksgiving to bring in Santa. He’ll arrive there on Black Friday, November 25. There will also be special hours on December 4 and December 11 for people to bring their pets for photos with Santa.
A woman was arrested at the Pentagon City mall on Saturday for allegedly throwing a drink at a coffee kiosk employee, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 08/20/11, 1100 S. Hayes Street. On August 20 at 6 pm, a woman threw a drink at an employee of a coffee kiosk. Jennel Solomon, 27, of Washington D.C., was charged with Assault and Battery. She was released on a summons.
From 4:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, first responders from Arlington’s police, fire and sheriff’s departments, as well as the Arlington County Office of Emergency Management and the Alexandria Police Department, will conduct a joint training exercise inside the mall.
“The purpose of the exercise is to test the response of Arlington County’s public safety agencies in a simulated emergency situation,” Arlington Police said in a statement. No word on the exact type of emergency that will be simulated.
Pentagon City Water Balloon Prank Shatters Windshield — Someone apparently thought it would be funny to throw water balloons at cars leaving the Pentagon City mall parking garage on 15th Street. Perhaps it was funny, up until the point where one of the water balloons hit the windshield of a family’s minivan and shattered it as they were driving. [WUSA9]
Groundbreaking Set for Arlington Mill Center — The ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Arlington Mill Community Center (909 S. Dinwiddie Street) has been set for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24. [Sun Gazette]
Happy Birthday, Mr. President — Last night’s Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting included a special birthday tribute to President Barack Obama, who turns 50 today. ACDC members sang a rendition of “happy birthday” and then chowed down on slices of birthday cake.
Suspect Eludes Cops, Helicopter — A man suspected of an unspecified crime in another jurisdiction fled from Arlington police just after 10:00 last night. The man took off on foot during a traffic stop on the 1700 block of N. Quebec Street, just north of W-L High School. Police set up a perimeter, called in K-9 units and requested assistance from the U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter, in an effort to find the man. The search was called off around 11:30, but all was not lost — police were able to nab the three other suspects in the vehicle.
