The Truist bank at 2809 Mount Vernon Avenue is temporarily closed today (Friday) after an alleged altercation with a former employee.
A former employee who had been terminated allegedly told bank staff that they “had a gun in the car and would be right back,” per scanner traffic.
Bank employees locked the doors at the bank and called police around 1:20 p.m.
As of 1:35 p.m. the bank was still closed with Alexandria Police cars parked around the building and officers inside speaking to bank staff.
James Cullum and Vernon Miles contributed to this story
Chase Bank cut the ribbon on its new location in the heart of Old Town this morning.
Chase Bank bought 628 King Street for $11 million in December 2022, more than double its assessed value ($5.2 million last year), according to Alexandria property records. The building was previously a Banana Republic for decades, and closed along with The Gap at 622 King Street in January 2022.
“It is an honor for us to be a part of the Old Town community,” said branch manager Wendy Turner at the ribbon cutting. “It is such a privilege to be a part of this charming and historic community of Old Town residents and business owners, and we;’re so excited to be here.”
Chase Bank first moved to Alexandria in 2019, across the street at 106 N. Washington Street. The New York-based company has 114 locations in the D.C. metro area and plans on having 140 locations by the end of 2025.
A permanent sign will be erected within the next several weeks, staff told ALXnow.
“When we look at our locations we really want to make sure they’re visible and accessible,” said Chase Bank regional manager Alfonzo Guzman. “We’re going to be here in Old Town for a long time.”
The building at 628 and 622 King Street was constructed as a 600-seat theatre in 1854. During the Civil War, the building was named Washington Hall General Hospital, and contained 100 beds for Union soldiers. The building was later a laundromat and an insurance firm before it burned down and was rebuilt.
First National Bank is coming to 704 King Street in Old Town.
The 4,200-square-foot retail building has been vacant since Nando’s Peri-Peri moved from the location last July.
The new bank, which underwent a significant interior renovation over the last year, is also a block away from the new Chase Bank that opened at the corner of King and Washington Streets last month.
The move is part of an FNB expansion from seven to 11 banks in the Northern Virginia and D.C. Metro area by this year, according to a 2023 news release. The Pennsylvania-based bank has been acquiring local banks in order to fill in the gap between D.C. and North Carolina, according to the Washington Business Journal.
An opening date for the new branch has not been announced.
Chase Bank is renovating the former Banana Republic location at 628 King Street, and hopes to have construction completed by November, contractors and bank representatives told ALXnow.
The Chase Bank at 106 N. Washington Street will be moving to the new location, according to Caroline Evert, Chase Bank’s executive director of external communications.
The interior of the former Banana Republic has been gutted and will resemble the interior of other Chase Banks.
“We’ve been looking for a larger location,” Evert said. “It’s going to look like the old bank (at 106 N. Washington Street), just bigger.”
Evert said that the bank wants to hold a ribbon cutting for the new bank in January.
The building at 628 and 622 King Street was constructed as a 600-seat theatre in 1854. During the Civil War, the building was named Washington Hall General Hospital, and contained 100 beds for Union soldiers. The building would become a laundromat and insurance firm before burning down.
Banana Republic and The Gap rented both spaces for decades until early last year, when Gap Inc. closed both locations. The spaces are now being individually rented.
Renderings of the new bank were not available by ALXnow’s deadline.
Potomac Yard’s microbrewery Hops Grill and Brewery didn’t live to see the new Potomac Yard Metro station open, but the Washington Business Journal reported the location at 3625 Richmond Highway could see new life as a bank.
The Business Journal reported that JPMorgan Chase & Co. has leased the microbrewery as part of a broader push throughout the region.
The bank won’t take up all of the 6,900-square-foot space, the Business Journal said, as about half of it will be subleased.
The new location is not far from the planned Virginia Tech campus and a stone’s throw from the new Potomac Yard Metro station that opened last month.
Image via Google Maps
A 27-year-old Maryland man has been charged with robbing two separate Alexandria banks in March and April.
Jaquan Royal, of Prince George’s County, was arrested on May 24 in connection to the robbery at the Wells Fargo Bank in Arlandria (3506 Mount Vernon Avenue) on March 23, and at the Bank of America in Carlyle (415 John Carlyle Street) on April 3.
In both cases, the suspect allegedly handed the teller a note demanding cash and fled with an undisclosed amount. No one was injured in either robbery.
Royal is being held in another jurisdiction and goes to court on June 12.
The Alexandria Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident and asks anyone with information to contact Detective John Brattelli at 703-746-6699, at [email protected], or by calling the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
News Release:: APD Makes Arrest in Connection to Two Bank Robberies
The Alexandria Police Department has charged a man in connection with two bank robberies in the area.
Read more: https://t.co/OfQKjfA0T0 pic.twitter.com/RFDHsoR5B5
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) May 26, 2023
(Updated 2 p.m.) The Alexandria Police Department is responding to another bank robbery at the Wells Fargo Bank at 3506 Mount Vernon Avenue.
The same bank was hit with a robbery in March.
According to the scanner, the man walked into the bank and passed a note to a clerk. Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett said an unknown amount was handed over to the suspect. Police said on Twitter that no injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
Bassett said around 2 p.m. that police had taken a person of interest into custody but are awaiting positive ID before any formal charges are made.
Notification:: In response to a commercial robbery, there is a moderate police presence in the 3500 block of Mount Vernon Avenue. No injuries were reported in connection with this incident. APD is on scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/K5Hnuxb3sN
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) May 12, 2023
James Cullum contributed to this story
No one was injured after the Bank of America at 415 John Carlyle Street was robbed late Monday morning.
Alexandria Police were dispatched to the bank at around 11:15 after a man wearing a black puffy jacket and a blue surgical face mask reportedly handed the teller a note demanding cash. The suspect fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash.
No suspect description was provided, and police said to expect activity in the area. No one was reportedly injured in the incident.
Anyone with information on this incident can call the Alexandria Police Department non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
(Updated 2:15 p.m.) The Alexandria Police Department is responding to reports of a bank robbery at the Wells Fargo on the 3500 block of Mount Vernon Avenue in the Arlandria neighborhood.
Scanner traffic indicated the call for the robbery came in around 11:54 a.m. There were no injuries and no weapons reported in connection to the robbery.
Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett said a suspect left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash and there is currently no suspect in custody.
According to a release:
In response to a bank robbery, there is a heavy police presence in the 3500 block of Mount Vernon Avenue. No injuries or weapons were reported in connection to this incident. APD is on scene and investigating.
As of 12:40 p.m., traffic on Mount Vernon Avenue was shut down at the Glebe Road intersection.
James Cullum and Vernon Miles contributed to this story
Image via Google Maps
After 10 years, EagleBank is closing its Alexandria branch on Friday, March 3.
The EagleBank branch at the Atrium building (277 S. Washington Street) will then transfer all its accounts to its Ballston Branch (4420 N. Fairfax Drive).
Customers received the news in a Dec. 27 letter from Conchita Lumpkins, EagleBank’s director of community banking.
“It has been an honor and pleasure to serve your banking needs at this location for many years,” Lumpkins wrote. “We look forward to continuing to serve you at the Ballston location or any of our branch offices.”
EagleBank CEO Susan Riel told the Washington Business Journal in November that the company faces staffing issues, real estate lending challenges and rising interest rates.
Last year, EagleBank and its former CEO Ronald D. Paul were fined millions for violating insider lending regulations, and Paul was banned from banking.
The Old Town branch opened in 2013. No official reason for the closure was provided. The bank, which lists 25 branches on its website, reportedly closed two other locations in 2022.
