(Updated at 1:50 p.m.) A tow truck driver helped to defuse a tense situation in Crystal City yesterday (Wednesday) morning.
Police were dispatched to the area for a man standing on the edge of a Route 1 overpass. It was unclear why the man was standing there, but there was concern that he might jump to the roadway below.
A shoplifting suspect led Arlington police on a foot chase in Pentagon City, then allegedly bit an officer before finally being taken into custody.
The incident happened Monday afternoon in the area of the Pentagon City mall, along the 1100 block of S. Hayes Street.
For at least the second time this month, someone accidentally fired a shot while cleaning a gun inside an apartment building.
This latest incident happened around 6 p.m. Sunday in Clarendon.
Debating the Arlington Way — “Their unsigned flier asks whether the push for new housing types marks ‘the end of the Arlington Way,’ defined as a ‘long-standing tradition of public engagement on issues of importance to reach community consensus.’ The new ‘Arlington Way 2.0,’ it accuses, involves ‘lack of respect,’ ‘failed analysis’ and ‘governance problems’ as ‘partisans grab control of decision-making and steamroll the public.’ Those harsh words made me wonder, must the Arlington Way always mean ‘you get your way?'” [Falls Church News-Press]
CA Says No to Hypothetical Abortion Prosecutions — Arlington and Falls Church Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti is among “more than 80 elected attorneys from around the country [who] vowed not to prosecute individuals who seek, assist in, or provide abortion care.” [Common Dreams, Vox]
Thanks to a change in state law, cops in Virginia can again start pulling over the drivers of vehicles with loud, modified exhaust systems.
But it’s not going to happen right away.
Lots of Rain from Wednesday Storms — Most parts of Arlington saw 2-3 inches of rain from Wednesday’s onslaught of storms and downpours, with one weather station in a southwestern portion of the county reporting 3.41 inches. [National Weather Service, Twitter]
No ‘Missing Middle’ Cost Analysis — “Staff leading the effort acknowledge there has been no cost-benefit analysis of exactly how such a major zoning change would impact the local government’s bottom line. Nor is there likely to be one. ‘We typically don’t do analysis of this nature. It’s hard to even capture all of that,’ said Richard Tucker, one of a number of county-government housing personnel dispatched to the June 14 meeting of the Arlington County Civic Federation to address an issue that is fast becoming the most contentious Arlington battle since the Columbia Pike streetcar fight of a decade ago.” [Sun Gazette]
(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) Arlington is in the midst of a rash of catalytic converter thefts.
At least a half dozen vehicles in the Arlington Forest and Barcroft neighborhoods have have their catalytic converters stolen in recent days, a reader tells ARLnow. That follows reports of multiple converter thefts in various parts of the county in March and April.
Thieves are entering homes in North Arlington and driving off with luxury cars using keys pilfered from inside.
At least two overnight incidents involving three stolen vehicles — a BMW and two Audis — were reported in the Old Glebe and Rock Spring neighborhoods in the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report.
Arlington is getting reimbursed by the federal government for lending officers to security details around the U.S. Capitol.
The Arlington County Police Department provided about 50 tactical officers to U.S. Capitol Police during the recent State of the Union address on March 1. Under a Memorandum of Understanding with USCP, approved by the County Board in November after another mutual aid deployment, ACPD will provide officers to assist at the Capitol when necessary and the costs of the deployment will be reimbursed.
Dispute Leads to Violence, Vehicular Mayhem — “The victim pulled the suspect out of the vehicle and he pushed her, causing her to fall to the ground. A security guard intervened and separated the parties. The suspect then reentered his vehicle, described as a white van, and fled the scene. While fleeing, the suspect allegedly struck the victim’s vehicle, a sign on the property, and drove towards the security guard, causing him to dive out of the way.” [ACPD]
Beyer Wants Quieter Airplanes — “As the representative for the area around Reagan National Airport, one of the most common concern heard by Rep. Don Beyer is airplane noise. On Friday, Beyer is reintroducing the Cleaner, Quieter Airplanes Act to seek study on reducing airplane noise and emissions.” [Patch]
Activists say a county proposal to prohibit police cooperation with federal immigration agencies in most circumstances doesn’t go far enough.
The proposed policy, dubbed the “Trust Policy,” is set to be discussed at this Saturday’s Arlington County Board meeting. The Board is scheduled to vote on the policy at its July meeting.
Arlington saw a significant rise in crime in 2021 compared to the last pre-pandemic year of 2019.
The overall crime picture was something of a mixed bag, with most crime categories rising but no murders and a steep drop in drug charges in 2021, thanks in large part due to the decriminalization of marijuana in Virginia.
