A suspect is in custody after police say a store in Virginia Square was robbed and one of its employees threatened.
The unidentified store on the 3400 block of Washington Blvd — the same block as the Giant supermarket — was robbed of several bottles of wine Tuesday afternoon, according to scanner traffic. The thief then used a wine bottle to threaten a store employee before boarding a Metro bus, police said.
Police tracked down the bus and took the suspect into custody.
More, below, from the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report.
ROBBERY, 2023-09120186, 3400 block of Washington Boulevard. At approximately 3:41 p.m. on September 12, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect entered the business, collected merchandise and allegedly exited the store without payment. An employee followed the suspect out of the store, during which the suspect threatened the employee with a wine bottle before boarding a Metro bus. Officers located the bus with the suspect on board and took him into custody without incident. [The suspect], 35, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Robbery. He was held without bond.
A 41-year-old man is in jail after police say he used a brick in an early morning robbery attempt.
The incident happened around 2 a.m. in Crystal City. Police say the man stood in front of a car, demanded cash from those inside, then bashed the car with the brick “multiple times” before the victims were able to flee.
Police responded and took a suspect into custody.
From today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 2023-05070025, 1600 block of Crystal Drive. At approximately 2:02 a.m. on May 7, police were dispatched to the report of a destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined the victims were inside their vehicle attempting to leave the area when the male suspect allegedly approached, stood in front of the vehicle while holding a brick, and demanded money. The suspect struck the vehicle multiple times with the brick before the victims were able to leave the area. No injuries were reported. Responding officers canvassed the area, located the suspect, and took him into custody without incident. [The suspect], 41, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Destruction of Property, Attempted Robbery, and Abduction. He was held without bond.
Also in today’s crime report: another incident of teens running after an alleged vehicle-related crime.
This incident happened around 9:30 p.m. in Pentagon City, and involved five juvenile male suspects fleeing on foot before all being apprehended, according to ACPD.
ATTEMPTED GRAND LARCENY AUTO (Significant), 2023-05060271, 1400 block of S. Joyce Street. At approximately 9:24 p.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a vehicle tampering. Upon arrival, an officer observed approximately five juvenile suspects allegedly tampering with two vehicles, one of which had a smashed rear window. The officer attempted to make contact with the suspects, during which they fled the scene on foot. Officers initiated foot pursuits, located the five juvenile male suspects and took them into custody. Two suspects sustained minor injuries and were treated by medics. Petitions are pending for the juvenile suspects.
Additionally, there were two separate incidents of alleged gun brandishings, both along Columbia Pike over the weekend. One involved an implied gun and the other a BB gun, according to police.
BRANDISHING, 2023-05060148, 900 block of S. Dinwiddie Street. At approximately 12:29 p.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect approached the two victims, allegedly physically assaulted Victim One and made threatening statements implying he had a firearm before leaving the scene. The victim reported minor injuries and did not require medical attention on scene. During the course of the investigation, the suspect returned to the area and was taken into custody without incident. [The suspect], 25, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Brandishing and Assault and Battery. He was held without bond.
BRANDISHING, 2023-05070094, 4800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 12:13 p.m. on May 7, police were dispatched to the report of a person with a gun. Upon arrival, officers located the suspect on scene and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined the suspect approached the known victim, told him to leave the area and when the victim refused, the suspect allegedly brandished a firearm. Officers recovered a BB gun on scene. No injuries were reported. [The suspect], 44, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Brandishing and Disorderly Conduct. He was held without bond.
A woman walking near the entrance to the Key Bridge in Rosslyn last night was assaulted, stabbed and then robbed.
Police were dispatched just before 9 p.m., after a 911 caller reported a woman being attacked near some bushes at the Arlington end of the bridge. Arriving officers reported that she had been stabbed and requested medics.
“The preliminary investigation indicates the female victim was walking in the area when the male suspect approached from behind, slapped her buttocks, knocked her to the ground and stabbed her, resulting in lacerations,” Arlington County police said this morning in a crime report.
“The suspect then stole the victim’s backpack and fled the scene on foot,” the crime report continues. “The victim was treated on scene by medics before being transported to an area hospital for injuries considered non-life threatening.”
The stab wound was described as a “superficial” injury to the upper back and shoulder, according to scanner traffic. The suspect reportedly fled down the hill in the direction of the GW Parkway, but police were unable to locate him.
“The suspect is described as a Black male in his 20’s, approximately 6’0” tall and wearing all black,” the crime report said. “A search of the area for the suspect yielded negative results. The investigation is ongoing.”
WOMAN STABBED — on the Arlington Co side of the Key Bridge. Police responded just before 9 p.m. for a report of a man attacking a woman in the bushes. They found her stabbed. Circumstances are unclear. Police are trying to determine what happened now. @ARLnowDOTcom pic.twitter.com/yQmxGZ7j3Z
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) May 2, 2023
An ART bus driver suffered serious injuries last night after being assaulted by a rider along Columbia Pike, police say.
The driver was reported to be bleeding from the mouth when police and medics were dispatched to the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street just after 10:45 p.m. Sunday. It’s unclear what led to the attack.
The suspect was “leaving a public transit bus when he assaulted the driver,” according to today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report. “Following the assault, the suspect exited the bus and fled the scene on foot. The bus driver sustained serious, non-life threatening injuries and was treated on scene by medics before being transported to an area hospital.”
Also in today’s crime report, several security guards were hurt at the Pentagon City mall Friday evening after a suspect tried to steal handbags, then fought the security guards and brandished a knife.
The incident happened on the third level of the mall near the entrance to Macy’s, according to scanner traffic.
From ACPD:
ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-04280202, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 6:17 p.m. on April 28, a patrol officer was flagged down by an individual reporting a fight in-progress. Upon arrival, the officer observed loss prevention attempting to detain the suspect and assisted with taking him into custody. The investigation determined the suspect entered the store and allegedly removed handbags from a display case. A loss prevention officer then confronted the suspect who pushed the loss prevention officer to the ground and physically assaulted him before fleeing the area. Two additional loss prevention officers located the suspect outside of the business and attempted to detain him, during which the suspect assaulted them and brandished a knife. Medics evaluated the loss prevention officers on scene for minor injuries. During a search incident to arrest, credit cards not belonging to the suspect were recovered. [The suspect], 30, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding, Robbery, Assault and Battery (x2), Credit Card Theft (x3) and Possession of Burglarious Tools.
Two men are in police custody after a carjacking Friday night.
The carjacking was the tenth reported in Arlington so far this year, and the fifth in which a BMW was taken in the Crystal City and Pentagon City area.
Police were called from the CVS store on the 2400 block of Richmond Highway shortly before 9 p.m. Friday, after a victim reported the theft to employees, according to scanner traffic. The suspects had knocked the two victims, who tried to flee to the ground and took their keys before driving off, according to police.
More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
CARJACKING, 2023-04070196, 2400 block of Richmond Highway. At approximately 8:50 p.m. on April 7, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the two male victims were entering their parked vehicle when the suspect vehicle approached, two suspects exited, brandished firearms and demanded the keys to the vehicle. The victims ran from the vehicle and the suspects chased them, knocked them to the ground and took the vehicle’s keys. The suspect vehicle, a gray sedan, fled the scene followed by the suspects driving the stolen vehicle. During the course of the investigation, officers contacted the Metropolitan Police Department and provided information related to the investigation. The stolen vehicle was later recovered in Washington, D.C. and two male suspects were taken into custody by the Metropolitan Police Department. Warrants were obtained for Carjacking, Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony for [suspect one], 18, of an unknown location and [suspect two], 20, of Washington D.C. Both are being held in Washington D.C.
17th St and Piney Branch Pky NW appears to be the BMW carjacked earlier from Arlington County. Sounds as if two are in custody but others in the BMW got away after a crash. h/t @ARLnowDOTcom and @RealTimeNews10 #ColumbiaHeightsDC #LanierHeightsDC #CrestwoodDC #MountPleasantDC https://t.co/D1jKsqxz8H pic.twitter.com/peQbupfgqh
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) April 8, 2023
Also in the crime report, ACPD reported the arrest of a group of airsoft-gun-toting teens after a coat theft in Pentagon City, and the arrest of a 42-year-old Texas man for allegedly ramming his vehicle into another during a dispute.
WEAPONS VIOLATION, 2023-04080213, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 7:45 p.m. on April 8, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery by force. Initial information provided to dispatch indicated five juvenile suspects allegedly stole the victim’s coat and fled the scene. A lookout was broadcast and responding officers located two juveniles in the Metro and detained them without incident. An airsoft gun was located on one of the juveniles. He was taken into custody and a petition for Carrying an Air Gun in Public was obtained. The victim of the alleged robbery did not remain on scene and the circumstances of the incident remain under investigation.
ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-04090101, 2700 block of S. Glebe Road. At approximately 11:39 a.m. on April 9, police were dispatched to the report of public intoxication. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim and suspect became involved in a verbal dispute during which the suspect allegedly drove his vehicle into the victim’s vehicle, causing damage. Responding officers located the suspect on scene and took him into custody without incident. No injuries were reported. [The suspect], 42, of Round Rock, Tx, was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding and Destruction of Property. He was held on a secured bond.
A man walking along Columbia Pike at 8 p.m. on Friday was punched and robbed by a trio of suspects, two of whom were armed.
That’s according to the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report.
The incident happened on the 5000 block of Columbia Pike, just west of the Arlington Mill Community Center. It was reported to police about 50 minutes after it happened, according to ACPD.
“The victim was walking in the area when he was approached by the three unknown male suspects,” the police department said. “Two of the suspects displayed firearms in their waistbands while one of the suspects struck the victim with his fist, stole an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the scene on foot. The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated by medics.”
A robbery attempt in the Penrose neighborhood did not go as planned, after the would-be victim reportedly grabbed and broke a suspect’s replica handgun.
That’s according to scanner traffic and an Arlington County Police Department crime report today.
The incident happened Sunday afternoon on the 2800 block of 8th Street S., two blocks north of the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive.
“At approximately 2:35 p.m. on March 5, police were dispatched to the report of an attempted robbery,” said the crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim and two unknown suspects arrived at this location for the prearranged sale of a computer. The suspects showed the victim the computer before brandishing what was later determined to be an air soft gun and demanding the victim’s money.”
“The victim handed the suspects cash and took control of the air soft gun,” the crime report continued. “The suspects then fled the scene on foot, dropping the money in the process. No injuries were reported.”
Scanner traffic at the time suggested that the black handgun, which looked like a Glock, broke when the victim snatched it away from the young suspect.
The suspects — described as in their teens or early 20s — showed up to the sale wearing hoodies and masks, according to ACPD. The computer in question was described as a Mac in a police dispatch.
“The investigation is ongoing,” police said.
Hat tip to Alan Henney
A man has been arrested after allegedly robbing a gun store in Clarendon.
Police say the 22-year-old man, of an unknown address, stole a gun and ammunition from the store on the 2600 block of Wilson Blvd, which corresponds with the address of Nova Armory.
From an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
ROBBERY, 2023-03020128, 2600 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 1:34 p.m. on March 2, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect entered the business wearing a ski mask and was asked by store employees to remove it but did not comply with their requests. The suspect then allegedly selected a firearm and ammunition and began to exit the store. Employees tried to stop him, during which the suspect attempted to strike one of the employees before fleeing the scene with the stolen items. The suspect boarded a Metro Transit bus and responding officers stopped the bus, located the suspect on board and took him into custody. During a search of his belongings, officers recovered the stolen firearm and ammunition. [The suspect], 22, of an unknown address was arrested and charged with Robbery and Prohibition of Wearing of Masks in Certain Places. He has held without bond.
The robbery suspect has the same name as a man who charged the suspect in the shooting death of his twin brother in a Pittsburgh courtroom last year.
In December, a man in his early 20s tried unsuccessfully to steal a gun from Nova Armory. The gun was recovered after the store manager chased him down, but the suspect managed to get away.
Carjackings appear to be rising again in Arlington and across the D.C. area.
An uptick between 2019 and 2020 spurred Arlington County Police Department to focus prevention efforts on robbery, burglary and destruction of property incidents. Increased enforcement in 2021 resulted in fewer carjackings, after ACPD made two significant carjacking arrests, per ACPD’s 2021 annual report.
“The combination of the collaboration and the education and proactive work that ACPD did reduce the carjackings and then reduced the stealing of cars in general,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, who participated in a regional effort to crack down on carjackings during that time. “With that reduction, less collaboration was needed, but we are working together to make sure that we’re doing the same coordination as before with other jurisdictions.”
But now the crime — in which a person steals a victim’s car by force, threat or intimidation — seems to be ticking up again, with five carjackings in January 2023 compared to zero carjackings in January 2022 and 14 throughout the 2022 calendar year, according to stats provided by ACPD.
Meanwhile, across the river in D.C., one Arlingtonian was carjacked near Union Station and another resident’s Rolls Royce was stolen near Logan Circle, according to police reports.
Dehghani-Tafti said the social science data shows the certainty of being caught is the strongest deterrent from people committing crimes, but deterrence can be harder with carjacking.
“These can be hard crimes to solve because people get away so fast and cars change hands so quickly, they take a lot of collaboration and coordination and proactive action,” she said.
Law enforcement and the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney say they’re devoting more resources to combat these crimes.
ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage says the department “continues to deploy increased police resources, to include both visible and non-visible assets, in Crystal City and the surrounding neighborhoods to address this crime trend.”
“The Arlington County Police Department remains a member of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force which coordinates on offenses such as carjackings,” she said. “As part of our ongoing investigative efforts into these incidents, detectives are working collaboratively with our regional law enforcement partners to share information, identify trends, apprehend suspects and hold them accountable for their actions.”
Dehghani-Tafti, meanwhile, is meeting with a division of Virginia State Police on vehicle thefts, generally.
Two units in the VSP Fairfax Division are “partnering to take a more concentrated and analytical look at vehicle thefts within the Northern Virginia region,” state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. “This is not uncommon for state police to do, as we consistently look for ways to address any crime patterns that develop and identify ways to strategically address and resolve them.”
Fact patterns
Of the five reported carjackings last month in Arlington, four were in the Crystal City and Pentagon City areas — where many such incidents were concentrated during the last spree — and three involved BMWs.
“In recent cases, carjacking suspects have generally approached victims as they were inside their idling parked vehicles, brandished a firearm and demanded the victim’s keys and property,” per an Arlington police press release, sent in response to the uptick. “In some cases, the suspects approach the victim by pulling alongside them in a vehicle, which is later determined to be stolen. Reported incidents in Arlington have generally involved multiple suspects.”
While some are threatened with guns, other victims are attacked when they exit their cars.
On Jan. 27, a Columbia Pike resident was exiting his car near Union Station in D.C. to let out an Uber customer when he was attacked and the attacker drove away in his car. The victim and another driver idling behind him chased the alleged carjacker for nearly a mile. Stuck behind a dump truck, the suspect reversed the stolen car and hit the pursuing car. The duo apprehended the suspect but ultimately let go, citing fear for their safety and a growing crowd, according to a Metropolitan Police Department incident report.
The car was later returned to the owner.
Arlington police issued the following safety tips for residents in response to the recent spate of carjackings.
- When inside your vehicle, keep your doors locked and windows up
- Exit your vehicle and continue to your destination promptly after parking
- Be aware of your surroundings when entering and exiting your vehicle
- Limit your use of devices that may distract you, such as cell phones and headphones
- Don’t leave items unattended or visible in your vehicle
One woman’s story
Some two-and-a-half years ago, then-Alexandria resident Lauren Brown was similarly attacked while waiting to turn left onto S. Glebe Road near the Harris Teeter in Potomac Yard. She told ARLnow her experience as a cautionary tale.
A group of 18-year-olds in a stolen car hit Brown. After pleading with her not to call the police — with whom she was already on the phone — they drove away. They returned, and one occupant hit her while the other got in her car and they drove away.
“It’s a really crazy thing what adrenaline does to your body,” she said. “I didn’t feel [the injury] until a few days later.”
Arlington police are investigating a violent robbery in the Lyon Park neighborhood last night.
The robbery happened around 11 p.m. on the 200 block of N. Wayne Street, in the area of the Washington and Lee Apartments, and resulted in gunfire and a serious injury.
“At approximately 11:07 p.m. on December 27, police were dispatched to the report of shots heard,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victim who had sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries and declined the treatment of medics. The investigation determined the victim was inside his residence when approximately three male suspects entered, physically assaulted him and stole his personal belongings, including a firearm, before fleeing the scene on foot.”
“During the course of the investigation, officers recovered evidence of a firearm being discharged and located property damage to the floor of the residential building,” the report continues. “There are no descriptions for the three suspects. The investigation is ongoing.”
The crime report does not specify who fired the gunshot nor the nature of the victim’s injuries.
Robbery at Pentagon City Mall — “1000 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 3:39 p.m. on November 22, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect entered the business, allegedly concealed merchandise and attempted to leave without paying. The suspect was then confronted by two loss prevention officers, during which he attempted to push past them. A brief struggle ensued, and the suspect was detained by the loss prevention officers.” [ACPD]
Arrest in Arlington After D.C. Shooting — “A woman is injured after a man shot at her car on Interstate 295 in D.C. on Sunday, police say. The woman was driving on DC-295 at Exit 5C at about 1 a.m. when a man in a white truck with a California license plate shot at her car… Shortly after the incident, at about 1:15 a.m., a car that matched the suspects car’s description was pulled over in the 2300 block of 24th Road S in Arlington.” [NBC 4]
‘Project Winter Cheer’ Seeks Support — “Offender Aid and Restoration is seeking support for its ‘Project Winter Cheer’ initiative, which supports children and families impacted by incarceration during the holiday season… The program aims to provide each child with a $50 gift card, which will be presented along with a note from their parent letting them know that the gift is coming from them and wishing them love during the season.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Monday — Mostly cloudy and breezy throughout the day. High of 54 and low of 41. Sunrise at 7:07 am and sunset at 4:49 pm. [Weather.gov]
Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent
