The Alexandria Police Department (APD) announced tonight that they’ve made an arrest for the fatal shooting in Arlandria in July.
APD said 26-year old Rae’Qwan McClinnahan, a non-city resident, has been charged with second degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a murder.
On July 24, 29-year-old father of two Eric Holmes Jr. was fatally shot on the 800 block of W. Glebe Road.
McClinnahan is currently being held without bond, according to APD.
The Alexandria Police Department (APD) is asking for help from the public in locating the suspects behind last Saturday night shooting in Old Town.
Police said that two men were shot when motorcycle and dirt bike riders who previously rolled through Arlington gathered at around 8:15 p.m at the Speedway and Liberty stations on S. Patrick Street (Route 1) near Franklin Street.
“Victim #1, a 30-year-old male, was located near the National Harbor and transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound and is non-life threatening,” APD said in a release. “Victim #2, a 30-year-old male, was identified at a local hospital with a gunshot wound and is non-life threatening.”
No arrests have been made from this incident or from another Saturday shooting that left a man with life-threatening injuries in Arlandria. The Old Town and Arlandria incidents were not related, police said this week.
As with previous violent incidents, APD is asking the public for help. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact APD Detective B. Smith at 703-746-6159. Video, audio, or digital images relating to the shooting can also be uploaded anonymously.
(Updated on 8/27/23) Alexandria police are on scene of multiple shootings in the city.
First, a man was shot in the Arlandria neighborhood around 7:45 p.m. Saturday. The shooting happened on the 3800 block of Florence Drive, in the parking lot of an apartment building, and was phoned in to 911 by a child caller, according to scanner traffic.
A witness told ALXnow that he heard two shots and ran over to the scene and found the victim bleeding from gunshot wounds to the leg and the upper body.
Police cordoned off the area and started a search of nearby neighborhoods for a Hispanic suspect wearing a black and white striped shirt and white pants. Arlington police also assisted by setting up a perimeter along Four Mile Run.
The victim’s injuries are life-threatening, according to police.
Around 8:15 p.m., two additional shootings were reported along S. Patrick Street south of Old Town. A large group of motorcycle and dirt bike riders that previously rolled through Arlington was gathered at the Speedway and Liberty stations at Franklin Street when shootings reportedly happened at both, according to scanner traffic.
At least two people were initially said to be shot and brought by fellow bikers over to Maryland. In a subsequent press release about the series of shootings, Alexandria police said that one person had been hospitalized as a result of the gas station shooting.
Alexandria Police are investigating two separate shootings that occurred within 15 minutes of each other Saturday night.
At approximately 7:52 p.m. officers responded to the 3800 block of Florence Drive. A 26-year-old male victim was found suffering from a gunshot wound and transferred to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Officers are still investigating and ask anyone with information to call Detective T. Griffin at (703) 859-3271. All callers can remain anonymous.
At 8:05 p.m., officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 700 block of S Patrick St. Upon arriving to the scene, officers learned dozens of individuals riding dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and other recreational vehicles were gathered at two neighboring gas stations when individuals began shooting. Through regional collaboration, detectives learned of a victim being taken to an area hospital in stable condition.
As of 1 a.m. Sunday, officers are still working to clear the scene. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective B. Smith at (703) 851-3545.
Streets were closed in the area of S. Patrick Street and Franklin Street due to the large emergency response and police investigation.
Notification:: There is a significant police presence on Rt. 1 in the 700 block of S. Patrick St. Drivers should expect delays while officers investigate a shooting incident.
Police are asking anyone with information to call (703) 746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous. pic.twitter.com/SWCc72C9PC
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) August 27, 2023
New: People running & bikes pulling out of the Speedway gas station suddenly just after 8 pm. This was the scene of the shooting @AlexandriaNow reporting tonight. The fuzzy video also shows the large group of bikes arriving about 12 minutes earlier. The flashes appear to be red… pic.twitter.com/hlaW0sq8O2
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) August 27, 2023
James Cullum contributed to this report
A popular El Salvadoran restaurant has moved around the corner in Arlandria.
Last Friday, El Cuscatleco Restaurant held a packed grand opening at their new 3,359-square-foot location at 3819 Mount Vernon Avenue in the Del Ray North shopping center. The restaurant/dance club was forced to move from their longtime home at 251 W. Glebe Road since Housing Alexandria is turning the property into a massive affordable apartment building.
“This is a much nicer space,” said Rose Ascencio, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Oscar Salinas. “We kept that place together with tape and rubber bands. We were absolutely blessed to find this space so close by.”
El Cuscatleco Restaurant features live entertainment on weekends, and hundreds of revelers routinely packed into the old location. The new location is still under construction, but the interior includes a stage, a full bar and a number of slot-like skill gaming machines.
Ascencio said she and her husband signed a 10-year lease with the option to renew.
The new restaurant is also a block away from Fanaticos Sports Bar and Grill (3901 Mount Vernon Avenue), which also features El Salvadoran music and food, although Ascencio says her restaurant has more of a family-friendly vibe.
“We’re a family restaurant,” she said. “The new space is a work in progress, but we’re very happy to be here.”
A long vacant Arlandria convenience store just landed Dollar Tree as a new tenant.
The former CVS at 3811 Mount Vernon Avenue did not renew its lease more than a decade ago, and the 11,300-square-foot property has been vacant ever since. Over the last several weeks, contractors have erected the Dollar Tree sign on the building and installed store fixtures.
The Finmarc Management, Inc. property is located in the Del Ray North Shopping Center, which has struggled with occupancy for the last several years.
A contractor on the project told us he expects to finish the interior renovation within the next few weeks, although could not offer any information on when the store will open.
There are more than 15,000 Dollar Tree locations throughout the country. The Chesapeake-based company did not return calls for comment.
Police are asking for the community’s help to find an SUV allegedly used by a suspect in yesterday’s fatal shooting in Arlandria.
A 29-year-old Alexandria man named Eric Holmes Jr. was identified as the victim in Monday’s fatal drive-by shooting. Holmes was shot in a hail of gunfire around 11:30 a.m. in the 800 block of W. Glebe Road, according to scanner traffic.
“We will end this cycle of violence in our community, but only with your support,” said Mayor Justin Wilson in an APD video posted on YouTube.
“Every day I hear from residents who are so concerned, frightened by this violence and how it is impacting our community, including those who are directly impacted by this violence,” he continued. “The Alexandria Police Department will have the resources they need to keep the community safe, but they need your support to help us do that.”
The incident is the fifth homicide of 2023 and was also the second shooting within a week in Alexandria.
“We need you as a community to help us identify and speak up,” City Manager Jim Parajon said in the video. “When you see something, say something. When you hear about something, you know about something. That’s the only way that we as a community are going to be able to solve this crisis together.”
The city’s gun-related crime skyrocketed 100% in 2022, with 152 gun-related incidents that year, versus 76 incidents in 2021.
To combat the emerging trend, police intend to add multiple mobile camera units to areas with high crime and pilot a “gunshot detection system” next year. The department is also sponsoring community cookouts and coffee meetups.
In the video, Police Chief Don Hayes said he hasn’t seen the city this violent in his 30 years as a resident.
“We are outraged at the senseless violence that is taking place in our city,” Hayes said, urging the community to come forward with helpful information. “We know that someone saw someone and they know something.”
Anyone with information on this incident can upload video, photo and audio files to an APD portal, contact Detective Michael Whelan at Michael.Whelan@alexandriava.
(Update at 11:10 p.m.) A man who was hospitalized after a shooting in Arlandria has died, according to police.
Alexandria police identified the victim as 29-year-old Eric Holmes Jr. and asked the public for tips.
The victim in the 800 block of W Glebe Road afternoon shooting has died.
Alexandria Police have expanded the scene, closing traffic on W Glebe Road in both directions. pic.twitter.com/s4MkdLf7Lm
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) July 24, 2023
URGENT: APD requests the community’s help in locating this car which was used in today’s shooting. It is a silver Nissan Rogue with “Enterprise Car Sales” placard in the rear license plate holder.
Anyone who sees this vehicle or has info about the shooting, call 703-746-6711. pic.twitter.com/flIi3uJiwj— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) July 25, 2023
Alexandria Police Department officers said they heard multiple gunshots fired in the area of the scene on the 800 block of W. Glebe Road, according to scanner traffic from around 11:30 a.m. today (Monday).
The police department tweeted at the time that drivers can expect delays due to the significant police presence at the scene.
This is the second shooting under investigation in less than a week in Alexandria that sent a victim to the hospital with life threatening injuries and is part of a reported uptick in gun violence in the last two years.
There is a significant police presence in the 800 block of W Glebe Road while officers investigate a shooting. Drivers can expect intermittent delays. pic.twitter.com/I1eCUChVMK
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) July 24, 2023
James Cullum contributed to this report
After considerable pushback, the city is rethinking its bonus height provision as a way to build affordable housing in Alexandria.
The city’s controversial zoning for housing plan proposes to upend a number of zoning ordinances. One of them is a bonus height amendment that would incentivize developers to add affordable housing to projects in exchange for two additional stories of construction in areas where height limits are 45 feet or more.
“I would just encourage us that, as we’re thinking about how to prioritize, that we’re not just thinking of it in terms of where can we get the most height or not, but we’re also looking at maybe some of the unintended consequences,” said Council Member Alyia Gaskins in a joint meeting with the Planning Commission on Monday.
On Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, that would mean 70-foot-tall apartment buildings, and residents say the move would ruin the small town feel of the neighborhood. The bonus height provision would also impact properties along Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, as well as in Arlandria, Alexandria West, the Beauregard area, the Landmark area, Eisenhower West, Old Town North and Carlyle.
“What we are finding in our initial analysis is that in most cases, the opportunity for additional height may not be particularly valuable than setting new constraints like setbacks and limit what’s possible on the site much more than height does,” said Nancy Williams, the assistant director of the Department of Planning and Zoning.
The negative effect would be the displacement of more families than are being added back into affordable housing.
“If we do a redevelopment and we’re only getting 30% of that additional height in affordability and the rest of it’s not affordable, that might be totally negated by tearing down a garden style apartment building,” Planning Commission Vice Chair Melissa McMahon said, adding that the policy would generate a bunch of unintended consequences and development won’t work citywide.
The Planning Commission deferred a vote on the bonus height proposal last summer after protests from Del Ray residents.
“Part of the reason we’re here, quite honestly, is because of some of the pushback the Commission offered to the to the bonus height provision and I think it prompted a conversation around how we look at the entirety of this process,” Mayor Justin Wilson said.
While Del Ray could see negative consequences from adding height in exchange for affordable housing, Williams said there are specific situations where height would be useful and asked whether the bonus height provision should be focused on limited locations.
City Council Member John Taylor Chapman said that the Eisenhower Valley is a prime spot for implementation of the provision.
“I think of places like Eisenhower valley where, whether it’s the eastern part where we started to really grow and frankly message to the community that we don’t mind getting taller there,” Chapman said.
If the proposal is approved as-is, developers would still have to go through an intensive special use permit (SUP) process, which could limit developers wanting to come into Del Ray.
Council Member Kirk McPike said that argument is “not compelling” and that the city shouldn’t inadvertently induce counterproductive redevelopment.
The proposal went through a community engagement phase in the spring, and City staff recommendations will be made in July and August. More community engagement sessions are expected in September and October and then public hearings with the Planning Commission and City Council will be held in November and December.
The proposed zoning for housing initiative is below the jump. Read More
(Updated 3 p.m.) After taking a beating at the Planning Commission, Arlandria bar Hops ‘N Shine (3410 Mount Vernon Avenue) came out of a City Council meeting a little better off.
The bar faced some intense criticism from the Planning Commission over racking up violations of the bar’s zoning conditions, mainly for allegedly continuing to utilize outdoor spaces for trivia nights even after being told to stop by the city.
The Planning Commission did not recommend the bar be allowed outdoor live entertainment or outdoor cooking conditions. While the City Council voted at a meeting on Saturday to uphold most of the recommendations from the Planning Commission, an amendment took out one of the more servere parts of the Planning Commission recommendation.
City Council member Canek Aguirre added an amendment that allowed the bar to continue to use speakers outdoors for background music.
The City Council was supportive of the addition and praised the bar’s community impact, but told the bar owners in no uncertain terms that city officials would have their eye on the bar and didn’t want to see it return with more noise violations.
“[As] background music renters the chat we don’t want to see you back in three months,” said City Council member Sarah Bagley. “The neighbors have demonstrated an intent to be reasonable. You have had a positive effect on the community, but I don’t want to see you in three months either.”
The vote brings the minor saga of Hops N’ Shine’s neighborhood troubles to a close, at least for now. As at the Planning Commission, neighbors shared frustrations about noise coming from the bar, though city staff noted that the noise was not enough to ever violate noise ordinances and were only violations of the permit conditions for the bar. The City Council meeting also had a larger showing of supporters from other parts of the city who endorsed their support of the local watering hole.
If issues around Hops N’ Shine are re-docketed, Aguirre said there’s a good chance the city could pull the restaurant’s permit entirely.
City Council member Kirk McPike said that city leaders wanted to see the local business succeed, but emphasized that background noise from the bar “needs to be truly in the background.”
(Updated 9:55 p.m.) Alexandria’s Planning Commission voted to recommend eliminating outdoor music at Hops N’ Shine (3410 Mount Vernon Avenue) and the restaurant owners faced some withering rebukes from Planning Commissioners.
The bar failed to get a recommendation for the outdoor live entertainment or outdoor cooking conditions, two of the major components of the special use permit (SUP) application.
Arlandria bar Hops N’ Shine has accrued a devoted local following for its live music and trivia events, but the bar has also drawn the ire of some neighbors when the noise of those events go beyond the confines of the bar. The staff report noted that there have been “17 valid complaints related to violations of SUP conditions”
Owners of Hops N’ Shine noted during the public discussion that the complaints are being challenged in court and asked that the bar be considered “innocent until proven guilty”. Some of the complaints, they said, were the result of misunderstandings as the restaurant struggled to adapt to the pandemic and a post-pandemic environment.
“We have tried to be a good corporate citizen, to live by the rules and abide by the rules,” said Abe Hadjiesmaeiloo, one of the bar’s owners. “I know we have lots of complaints tonight with major issues. Some of the issues with complaints were a misinterpretation on our part.”
Abe said many of those complaints stemmed from one particular neighbor who told him from the outset they aimed to have the restaurant shut down and regularly harassed both customers and staff at the restaurant. Paymon Hadjiesmaeiloo, Abe’s son, said he was concerned about the precedent that could be created if a group of individuals were able to use the complaint system to shut down a local business.
Some on the Planning Commission weren’t buying it.
“There were several violations that were reported here that you were told that outdoor live trivia shows were problematic for the neighborhood and not repeated, yet they continued even after [that],” said Planning Commission Chair Nathan Macek. “We have a record from staff that shows there have been repeated reports of outdoor trivia noise from business after repeated notices of violation and requests to cease the activity. Why did it continue?”
Another owner, C.J. Cross, explained that there was confusion from the city on what was or wasn’t allowed.
“Initially, when we had a complaint about trivia being outside, spoke with the inspector… and he told us we were within what we were able to do with having amplification of trivia outside,” Cross said. “So we were under the belief that we were good to go… Since then, after having conversation with city staff and them saying ‘you know what, that might have been told in the past, but that’s not what we now deem as allowed.’ Since that conversation in fall of last year, we have stopped amplification of trivia outside.”
Matt Rofougaran, another owner of the bar, said the outdoor activities have been generally innocuous.
“We sell custom made grilled cheese sandwiches and beer,” Rofougaran said. “We have toys for kids and a whole coloring book page. We do fundraisers for the community. We’re not a nightclub, we’re not ‘throw massive party’ types. We want acoustic music, someone singing ‘Friends in Low Places’… When we got a violation for outdoor cooking, you know what we had? Little smore kits for kids to make s’mores.”
But neighbors said granting the requests from Hops N’ Shine would reward bad behavior from the restaurant.
“It has been fairly problematic with respect to the amount of noise that travels over their area,” said Steve Harris from the Mount Vernon Court Community Associations. “One question we would have is: while we appreciate the staff recommendations, they did still reward them by expanding their hours from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.”
Other neighbors said Hops N’ Shine has been disruptive for neighbors. One nearby homeowner said they could smell the cigar smoke from Monday cigar nights, hear the trivia hosts on Wednesday nights, and that their children struggle to sleep with the sounds of bar patrons just 15 feet from their bedroom.
Ultimately, the Planning Commission voted to mostly stick with the staff recommendation — approval on paper, but with much of the requested improvements gutted.
Under staff’s recommendation, all windows and doors must remained closed during indoor live entertainment, and outdoor cooking and outdoor live entertainment permissions as denied — though permits can still be obtained for individual events.
Addressing the restaurant owner’s claims that what constituted live outdoor entertainment was unclear, the staff report lists “live music, game/trivia nights, movie nights, classes/workshops/meetings fundraising events and any such similar events.”
“I think, if there has been misinterpretation of the standards and expectations of the city, tonight they stop,” said Planning Commissioner Mindy Lyle. “It should be very clear what our expectations are for a business. Mr. Macek and I have been two of the most supportive for expanding restaurant hours and expanding restaurant opportunities. I remember voting in favor of your expansion last time. I want to say: I think that might have been an incorrect decision.”
Lyle said, despite Hops N’ Shine owners protesting that the complaints were miscommunications or neighbors with a vendetta, the number of violations are still concerning for Planning Commission members.
“[There are] 17 violations, whether they’re proven in court or not,” Lyle said. “Don’t tell me that staff is 100% wrong in issuing them. Staff is very careful in issuing violations and many times they err on caution and don’t jump the gun, because they know there are consequence to those actions.”
Macek said the approval still offers some flexibility to the business, but didn’t mince words regarding the Planning Commission’s frustrations.
“I think there has been egregious behavior by this applicant with respect to the operation of their business,” Macek said. “This is highly unusual that we’d have a business with 17 violations documented… The egregious performance here justifies revoking their right to have outdoor amplified sound.”
While owners of the restaurant said many supporters in the community signed their endorsement of the bar’s plans, Planning Commissioner Melissa McMahon said those voices don’t necessarily weigh as heavily in this matter as neighbors’ do.
“Your best friend doesn’t make your best roommate,” McMahon said. “What I’m hearing tonight is that living compatibility, this restaurant’s living room backs up to a bunch of other people’s living rooms… The hundreds, potentially thousands of people who would write in support of you as a business, as a member of the wider community: legit perspective, but those are the people that love you because they don’t have to live with you… The people you do have to live with, you have to find a way to live side by side.”
The application heads to the City Council for review on Saturday, June 17.
