The Alexandria Police Department is investigating the early morning burglary of a tobacco shop on King Street in Old Town.
APD was called at around 5:30 a.m. by a passerby who found that the glass front door of Alexandria Vape and Tobacco (1213 King Street) had been smashed, according to dispatch reports. Police found the owner of the shop, who said that two suspects smashed the front door and then fled the scene, the owner told ALXnow.
The Alexandria Police Department is currently investigating multiple break-ins and the reported theft of more than $11,000 in jewelry and cash from two vehicles parked in the garage of a luxury apartment building in the 4900 block of Seminary Road in Alexandria’s West End.
Details on the incidents were released Monday in a search warrant affidavit, allowing APD to recover video surveillance footage from the parking garage.
Welcome to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s our recap of the most-read stories.
Our top story this week is on two Alexandria business owners charged with possession of an illegal gambling device for operating skill games. The news marks the first indictments against Alexandria business owners for the devices. Dozens of skill game machines operate at multiple convenience and grocery stores in the West End and Arlandria neighborhoods, despite police hand-delivering warning letters to more than a dozen offending businesses. Skill games were outlawed as illegal gaming by the Virginia legislature in 2020, and Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter told ALXnow that his office is assessing “all potential investigative leads.”
Want to find out what’s happening with crime in Alexandria? A new app created by a lifelong city resident does just that.
Last year, freelance app developer Trevor Weir launched AVAware on the iOS App Store. After a free week-long trial, a $3.99 monthly fee kicks in, giving users an ad-free opportunity to explore publicly available information on all manner of Part 1 crime events occurring in the city.
A 35-year-old Dumfries man faces multiple charges related to a shooting last month at Ben Brenman Park (4800 Brenman Park Drive) in Alexandria’s West End.
The July 10 shooting was the result of an argument in a TikTok livestream between Aria and the male victim, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. Samir Ahmad Aria was charged with reckless handling of a firearm, shooting in a public place without injury, and pointing/brandishing a firearm — all Class 1 misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.
A man being held without bond in the Alexandria jail faces robbery charges for allegedly walking into convenience stores in Alexandria and Fairfax County with a hammer or tire iron and stealing cigarettes from behind the counters.
Anthony Nyreki Edwards, of no fixed address, goes to court Friday, Aug. 15 on two counts of felony robbery with a weapon. He was arrested on April 30 and has been linked to numerous incidents, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit:
Four women arrested and charged with shoplifting in Maryland have been linked to the theft of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from a Lululemon store in Old Town.
On Feb. 19, the Gaithersburg Police Department arrested Precious Spivey, 18, Mone Herndon, 27, Shawn Stewart, 27, and Tanaysia Stewart, 18, all of Washington, D.C., for stealing more than $10,000 in merchandise from Bath & Body Works in Germantown and a LensCrafters and Lululemon store in Gaithersburg. The department said the group was engaged in an “organized retail theft ring.”
An Alexandria man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for a “high-level drugs conspiracy that shipped significant amounts of narcotics” into Virginia, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.
Adrian Bryce Roberts, 41, was sentenced to 12 years of active incarceration on July 28 after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, and transporting more than an ounce of narcotics into the state, according to Porter’s office.
Two people have been charged with possession of an illegal gambling device for operating skill games, marking the first indictments against Alexandria business owners.
The Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office just announced that a grand jury returned indictments against Alexandria business owners Oscar Salinas, 57, and Michelle Kim, 53, both charged with one count of possessing an illegal gambling device. Salinas is an Arlington resident, and his restaurant is located in the 3800 block of Mount Vernon Avenue in the Del Ray North Shopping Center. Kim is from Montgomery County, Maryland, and her business is located in the 200 block of S. Van Dorn Street.
We made it to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at this week’s top stories.
Our most-read post is on a proposal to open a 24-hour Mexican restaurant in the city’s Del Ray neighborhood. The effort is facing some pushback from neighbors wary of potential crime and safety issues. In July, Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita officially announced in a special use permit application that it wants to open at 529 E. Howell Avenue, the former home to Bark Social. It would be the fourth restaurant for the local chain, and while the restaurant won’t serve alcohol, outside patio hours would be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, according to the application. The inside area is proposed to be open 24 hours a day.
A 26-year-old Washington, D.C. man has pleaded guilty to felony charges related to the attempted abduction and rape of a woman in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood.
Dykwon Perry Davis pleaded guilty in Alexandria Circuit Court on August 7, 2025, to abduction with the intent to defile and attempted rape for the incident, which occurred on February 3, 2024. He faces up to life in prison for the abduction charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the rape charge, according to a press release from Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.
