crime | ALXnow

More details released on fatal crash that killed three teens on I-395 exit

Published September 29, 2026 at 1:45PM

Virginia State Police vehicle (photo by John Calhoun/JC Photography)

Virginia State Police have released more details on Monday morning’s (Sept. 28) fatal crash that killed three teenagers and injured a fourth in a stolen vehicle.

According to state police, the vehicle was stolen two days before (Sept. 26) in Prince George’s County, Md. The stolen vehicle was spotted in the area of Stevenson Avenue and S. Walker Street in Alexandria’s West End around 12:45 a.m. Monday, and the driver sped onto northbound Interstate 395 when a state trooper tried to make a traffic stop. The driver lost control at the exit ramp for the Shirlington Road exit, causing the vehicle to strike a jersey wall.

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Alexandria police to publish map of Flock camera locations, conduct surveillance systems audit

By James Cullum

Published September 28, 2026 at 2:45PM

A Flock Safety license plate reader is seen along a public road, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Houston. (David Goldman/Associated Press file)

The Alexandria Police Department will release a map of automated license plate reader (ALPR) camera locations across the city by Oct. 1, the same day that it begins a third-party audit of its surveillance programs.

That’s according to a long list of answers that APD posted on the city’s website in response to questions posed at the Sept. 8 City Council meeting. At that meeting, Mayor Alyia Gaskins said that she does not think there is a role for Flock cameras in the city, and was backed up by two other Council members.

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Three juveniles die, one seriously injured, after high-speed chase on I-395 in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published September 28, 2026 at 9:15AM | Updated September 28, 2026 at 10:54AM

Virginia State Police cruiser (staff photo)

Three juveniles died and another suffered life-threatening injuries after a high-speed chase on Interstate 395 in Alexandria early this morning (Sept. 28).

Virginia State Police is reporting that around 12:45 a.m., a state trooper “spotted” a stolen vehicle in the area of Stevenson Avenue and S. Walker Street in the city’s West End. The trooper tried to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle, which was stolen from Prince George’s County, Md., didn’t stop. Instead, the driver continued onto northbound I-395 and lost control at the exit ramp for the Shirlington Road exit, causing the vehicle to strike a jersey wall.

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Feds accuse Alexandria-based computer forensics firm leaders of hiding Russian ownership

By James Cullum

Published September 24, 2026 at 1:45PM

The statue of Justice outside the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

The founder and the CEO of an Alexandria-based digital forensics software firm have been arrested after allegedly hiding that the company is owned and controlled by Russian nationals with Russian technology, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Oxygen Forensics Inc. founder and co-owner Oleg Sergeyevich Davydov, 52, was arrested Sunday [Sept. 20] at London Heathrow Airport before getting on a flight to Istanbul, and CEO Lee Reiber, 55, was arrested in Idaho the same day. Both were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and the U.S. is trying to extradite Davydov.

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Potomac Yard restaurant staff recount fighting off attempted robber with grill scraper

By James Cullum

Published September 23, 2026 at 9:15AM

Omar’s Pitas & Platters at 3100 Richmond Highway (staff photo by James Cullum)

Staffers at a restaurant in the Potomac Yard area recently fought off a knife-wielding attempted robber and are telling their story.

On the night of Sept. 1, manager Merve McDonald was behind the counter at Omar’s Pitas & Platters (3100 Richmond Highway) and turned his back momentarily when the commotion started.

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Alexandria man held without bond after alleged abduction, robbery of girlfriend

By James Cullum

Published September 22, 2026 at 1:45PM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

An Alexandria man is being held without bond on charges of abduction, robbery and violating a protective order against a woman he was dating.

The suspect has been held without bond since his arrest on Monday, May 18. On the previous evening, Sunday, May 17, the victim told police the suspect physically assaulted her and stole $1,500, her iPhone and her car, according to a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit.

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APD: Attempted robbery suspect left blood trail, was found under his mother’s bed

By James Cullum

Published September 22, 2026 at 11:45AM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Employees at a local business fought off a knife-wielding robber at a restaurant near Potomac Yard on Sept. 1, and the 64-year-old suspect is being held without bond after police found him hiding under his mother’s bed.

Around 11:15 p.m., the suspect allegedly walked into the restaurant in the 3100 block of Richmond Highway holding a large hunting knife. Staff reported that he jumped on the front counter and demanded they open the register. Instead, the three employees threw things at the suspect and injured him with a large grill scraper, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

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APD: Alleged 2025 sexual assault at Alexandria City High School remains an open investigation

By James Cullum

Published September 18, 2026 at 2:45PM | Updated September 18, 2026 at 3:01PM

Alexandria Police at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus (staff photo by James Cullum)

An alleged sexual assault in a bathroom at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus (3775 W. Braddock Road) last year is still an open investigation, according to the Alexandria Police Department.

On the day of the incident — March 15, 2025 — the 15-year-old victim told police that she was pushed against her will by a male student into a unisex bathroom at the school. The victim said she was prevented from escaping and told the suspect to stop several times. An ACHS security officer heard them inside the bathroom and intervened, according to a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit.

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APD: Clerk pepper-sprayed during cigarette theft at Richmond Highway gas station

By James Cullum

Published September 17, 2026 at 11:45AM | Updated September 17, 2026 at 12:01PM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Alexandria Police Department is investigating the theft of multiple cartons of cigarettes after a clerk was pepper sprayed at a gas station near Potomac Yard.

The employee reported that around 7 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, the suspect walked into the convenience store of the Exxon gas station at 2320 Richmond Highway and asked what time they started serving food. The clerk responded, and the suspect then allegedly pepper-sprayed the clerk, walked behind the counter and stole multiple cartons of Newport cigarettes, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

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JUST IN: Arlandria stabbing suspect arrested, was recently indicted after traffic incident

By James Cullum

Published September 16, 2026 at 2:45PM

Tiger Mart and Bakery at 3903 Mount Vernon Avenue in the city's Arlandria neighborhood (via Google Maps)

A 21-year-old Alexandria man is under arrest for allegedly stabbing a man early Tuesday morning (Sept. 15) outside a convenience store in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood.

Jelzon Garcia Gonzales was arrested in the 7000 block of Columbia Pike in Annandale after the Alexandria Police Department received “multiple tips from the community” and a photo of the suspect from a nearby business, APD announced today (Sept. 16). He was charged with aggravated malicious wounding and is being held without bond.

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Suspect wanted in early morning stabbing in Arlandria

By Emily Leayman

Published September 15, 2026 at 5:40PM | Updated September 16, 2026 at 9:02AM

Alexandria Police Department cruisers on Nov. 7, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Police Department is seeking a suspect after a stabbing early Tuesday (Sept. 15) in Arlandria.

Around 3:20 a.m., police believe an unknown man approached a man sleeping on the ground near the Tiger Market parking lot (3903 Mount Vernon Avenue) and stabbed him multiple times. EMS requested officers to respond around 4:08 a.m. for “unknown trouble,” and the victim reported that the stabbing happened an hour or two prior.