The incident happened around 2:00 p.m. at a store inside Ballston Common Mall. Police say Matthew Martin, 45, purchased some DVDs at the store. Before he left, however, a store clerk noticed that he was trying to conceal other items that he did not buy, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
At that point, police say, Martin displayed a knife, threatened the clerk and fled the scene without paying for the concealed merchandise.
Police have released only a few details about the alleged crime, but are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect.
The incident happened around 6:00 a.m. at an apartment somewhere in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood, off of Columbia Pike. The man broke into the apartment and attempted to sexually assault a juvenile female, according to Arlington County Police. The victim did not know her attacker, police said.
Someone broke into an apartment in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood over the weekend and stole a “variety of expensive jewelry.”
From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
Arlington County police are looking for two suspects who broke into Crystal City Sports Pub (529 23rd Street S.) and stole cash from an ATM.
Howard Montgomery, 47, of no fixed address, was spotted just before 3:00 a.m. last Thursday riding a bicycle and carrying another alongside him, Arlington County Police said. When an officer questioned Montgomery, he tried to flee but was taken into custody “after a brief struggle,” according to the police report.
Montgomery, who was also in possession of “a power grinder with numerous blades,” admitted to stealing the Cannondale and Drossinger bikes, police said. He was arrested and charged with grand larceny, larceny with intent to sell, possession of burglarious tools and obstruction of justice.
(Updated at 1:10 p.m.) There have been 41 reported thefts of vehicle tires and rims in Arlington so far this year. Of those, 24 have been stolen from just two models: the Honda Fit and Civic.
In keeping with what seems to be a national trend, the Fit is the most-targeted of the two, accounting for 16 — nearly two fifths — of the 41 thefts, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
In Arlington, roadway panhandlers “have upped the ante and no longer are content to just stand in medians, but of late have been found walking in between lanes of traffic while vehicles are stopped.”
That’s according to the Sun Gazette, in the its weekly Highs and Lows column. The paper gave Arlington County a “thumbs down” for not dealing with the issue.
A man was robbed at gunpoint in the Buckingham neighborhood early Saturday morning, according to police.
From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
(Updated at 2:15 p.m. on 12/23/21) A man was arrested Tuesday evening after allegedly masturbating in sight of children.
The incident happened around 6:00 last night. Police say Arlington resident Jose [Redacted], 56, was seen masturbating behind a shopping center on the 4800 block of Columbia Pike, while watching children at a nearby playground.
The sign has been programmed to display the phrase “don’t hit the car in front of you.” The message has drawn national media attention, with the likes of Fox News and The Blaze picking up the story.
Earlier this month, @CruiseInDeCarr tweeted a photo of the sign to ARLnow.com, adding: “You wouldn’t think we’d need a sign for this.” While that may be the logical assumption, it appears drivers haven’t heeded the obvious advice, considering that intersection came in as the top area for motor vehicle accidents in Arlington during the second quarter of 2013. During that time period, police responded to 11 accidents at the site, nearly all of them rear-end collisions.
(Updated at 2:15 p.m. on 12/23/21) An intoxicated man assaulted two Lyon Village residents after stumbling into their yard and banging on their door, according to Arlington County Police.
Police say 23-year-old [Redacted], of Harrisonburg, Va., banged on the side door of a house on the 1400 block of N. Garfield Street, near Clarendon’s bar district, around 2:00 a.m. Sunday. Two female residents came out to confront [redacted] after they saw him entering their garage and ducking behind a vehicle, said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
Earlier: Police have surrounded an apartment building on S. Glebe Road, near Shirlington, after officers heard a gunshot from one of the apartments.
Shortly before 4:00 p.m., officers responded to the Twenty400 building (2400 24th Road S.) to check on the welfare of a man who had not shown up for work for several days. Upon making entry into the apartment, officers heard a gunshot, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. They immediately backed out of the apartment and called for additional resources.
