No arrests were made after a fight resulted in a single shot being fired from a gun in the Lincolnia area of Alexandria on Saturday afternoon, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
APD was notified of the gunshot at around 3:30 p.m. in a parking lot of an apartment complex in the 6100 block of Lincolnia Road. Police were told that multiple males were fighting, and that the fight was broken up when the suspect fired the gun in the air.
A shell casing was found at the scene, according to an APD dispatch.
Minutes later, police pulled apart two men fighting a few blocks away in the area of Little River Turnpike and N. Beauregard Street. The men were briefly detained and then released.
Anyone with information on this incident can contact the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
Officers are investigating the report of shots fired in the 6100 block of Lincolnia. No reported injuries and no suspects. pic.twitter.com/9t9m4k0Vuz
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 13, 2024
It was quite a week in Alexandria.
It seems that nearly all of Monday’s news was overshadowed by the eclipse. Hundreds of bespectacled residents turned out at Ben Brenaman Park to witness the cosmic event.
Out top story this week was on the four-year-old autistic student at Jefferson-Houston Elementary School who walked away from the school and was found barefoot in a tunnel near the King Street Metro station. The head of school and academic principal were subsequently placed on administrative leave, and the child’s mother told us that she was thankful for her daughter’s safe return, but that she won’t be returning her to Jefferson-Houston.
On Tuesday, we also reported about a new seven-story residential development proposal in the Landmark area. A developer filed a permit to redevelop 6101 and 6125 Stevenson Avenue, which is currently an office building and parking lot, into a seven-story residential apartment building with 270 units, a 340-space parking garage and amenity space.
City Council has a full docket at their meeting this Saturday, and will vote on raising fees for ambulances, stormwater utilities and late car tax payments. Council will also consider the proposed residential redevelopment of the Vulcan Materials site in the West End.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Jefferson-Houston Elementary School administrators put on leave after autistic 4-year-old walked away from school (14934 views)
- Notes: City cancels eclipse viewing party in Old Town, but there’s another party at Ben Brenman Park (12016 views)
- JUST IN: 23-year-old Alexandria motorcyclist identified after fatal crash on Duke Street (9870 views)
- Motorcyclist dies after crash with DASH bus on Duke Street (6063 views)
- New seven-story residential development pitched for Landmark neighborhood (4766 views)
- Amazon Fresh in the Potomac Yard Shopping Center is still happening (4676 views)
- Police: Man released after getting stuck in harness on Seminary Road Bridge over I-395 (4258 views)
- Alexandria man charged with forcible sodomy and attempted rape in Old Town (3519 views)
- Del Ray bar Hops N Shine wants live outdoor music 10+ hours a day (3201 views)
- Alexandria’s Planet Fitness evacuated after emailed bomb threat (2930 views)
Have a safe weekend!
The Alexandria Police Department released a D.C. man after put on a harness and got stuck on the Seminary Road Bridge that runs across Interstate 395 on Sunday.
APD and the Alexandria Fire Department responded to a psychiatric emergency at around 8:15 a.m., and found the 62-year-old man with a harness wrapped around his waist and “strapped to the bridge,” police said in a dispatch.
After being unable to locate air bags or mattresses, AFD found a 24-foot-tall ladder, which the man used to climb down to N. Van Dorn Street, according to dispatches.
The entire incident was over by 8:40 a.m. and resulted in Virginia State Police and APD shutting down the northbound Seminary Road exit, as well as a portion of N. Van Dorn Street.
The man reportedly told police that he was trying to “retrieve personal property when he got stuck.” He was released after safely reaching the ground, according to APD.
APD did not release any other information on the man with the harness.
Police and fire crews have reopened lanes of the I-395 N ramp from Seminary Rd. above N Van Dorn St after they worked to free a subject who harnessed himself to the bridge and attempted to lower himself down to retrieve personal property when he got stuck. There are no injuries.
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 7, 2024
Here's the scene from the 8a hour as fire, EMS, and police dealt with the man who harnessed himself to the bridge at Seminary Rd. This was westbound over N. Van Dorn at the I-395N ramp. The traffic-cam video doesn't show the person, but thanks to all who alerted me to the… https://t.co/k9CljTve29 pic.twitter.com/T4gCeY8Jvu
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) April 7, 2024
A Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with one felony count of eluding police after allegedly crashing into a car near the Seminary Road exit of Interstate 395.
Just before midnight on Wednesday (Nov. 22), Virginia State Police reported investigating a four-door blue Tesla driving 95 miles per hour in a 55 mile-per-hour zone on I-395 near the Seminary Road exit. The state trooper attempted to pull the driver over, and he instead took the Seminary Road exit, allegedly ran a red light and smashed into a Honda Civic.
The driver, 25-year-old Peter McCauley, was reportedly driving his own vehicle and had a 28-year-old female passenger, who was transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The 22-year-old female driver of the Honda also reportedly suffered minor injuries. Everyone involved in the crash wore seatbelts, according to VSP.
“The impact of the crash caused the Tesla to run off the road and strike the Jersey wall,” VSP said in a release. “Meanwhile, the Honda ran off the road and struck the Jersey wall and a light pole.”
McCauley is an MPD officer and his police powers have been revoked, according to the Washington Post.
VSP said that the incident remains under investigation.
The crash was recorded by STATter 911.
UPDATED: With video of the blue Tesla as it exited I-395.
Crash #caughtoncamera: A @VSPPIO trooper tried to catch up with a car he witnessed speeding on I-395S. The car exited at Seminary Road in Alexandria and headed east. That's where it appeared to have run a light and hit… pic.twitter.com/txtvEaNMxx
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) November 23, 2023
The Alexandria Police Department says it is investigating multiple weapons violations over the weekend, including a man who was shot in the shoulder in a suspected carjacking in the West End.
The first incident occurred on Saturday, Sept. 17, around midnight in the 2000 block of N. Beauregard Street. The victim reported to police that her Airbnb guest pulled a handgun on her and fled the area in a black Kia Forte, according to the police scanner.
The suspect was later arrested on I-395 south near the exit for Edsall Road, according to the police scanner. The suspect reportedly provided police with a fake identification, and three handguns were found in the vehicle, according to the police scanner.
The second incident occurred on Saturday around 10:15 p.m. in the 300 block of S. Reynolds Street in the Landmark area. A man was shot in the shoulder and reported to police that he was the victim of an attempted carjacking.
The third incident occurred in the 12oo block of Quaker Hill Drive. Four gunshots were reported by multiple callers to police, although no suspects were seen and no arrests were made, according to the police scanner.
Anyone with information on these incidents can call the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
The south-facing exit from I-395 onto Seminary Road has been for high occupancy vehicles (HOV) only since 2019, but solo drivers will have an option to take the exit ramp for a toll starting early next month.
The ramp off the express lanes currently has an HOV-3+ restriction, meaning the cars must have at least three occupants. Transurban, which operates the express lanes, said it is the only ramp along the corridor closed to toll-paying customers.
The shift to a toll option is scheduled to take effect on Friday, Sept. 9
“Converting the ramp will offer vehicles who are traveling with fewer than three people the option to pay a toll to exit to Seminary Road from the northbound 395 Express Lanes, or to enter the southbound Lanes from Seminary Road,” Transurban and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said in a release. “Dynamic message signs currently installed on Seminary Road will display real-time toll prices to destinations available from the ramp beginning September 9.”
Vehicles with an E-ZPass set to “HOV ON”, along with buses and motorcycles, will continue to have toll-free access to the ramp.
Work on adding toll signage and road markings will require temporary traffic shifts starting today through Tuesday, Aug. 30.
Photo via Google Maps
After road work on I-395 was rescheduled from this weekend, the highway will see closures starting tonight.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said several lanes of I-395 between Edsall Road and Duke Street are rescheduled to close between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. tonight through Thursday night.
Tonight and tomorrow night, it’s two northbound lanes and three southbound lanes.
“The two right northbound I-395 general purpose lanes between Edsall Road and Duke Street and the three left southbound I-395 general purpose lanes between Seminary Road and Duke Street will be closed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night,” VDOT said in a release, “with full stoppages of up to 20 minutes each in both directions occurring between midnight and 4 a.m. each night.”
On Wednesday it will be three lanes on alternating sides of the northbound side of the road, then the same for the southbound side on Thursday.
“The work is part of the project to rehabilitate the Duke Street bridge over I-395,” VDOT said in the release. “The improvements will extend the overall life of the bridge and improve safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians, and include replacing the concrete bridge deck and beams, upgrading the westbound sidewalk to a shared-use path, and widening the eastbound sidewalk. The project is scheduled for completion in winter 2023/24.”
Image via Google Maps
There are major traffic delays leading up to Interstates 495 and 395 in Alexandria, as a trucker convoy protesting COVID-19 mandates has entered D.C. and created miles of backups.
Traffic snaked all the way down to Jefferson Manor, just south of Huntington, which is about a half-mile from the interstate.
The convoy drove through the area last week without incident.
Heads Up, Friends! There's expected to be increased commercial and passenger vehicle traffic on the Beltway (I-495) and I-395 today.
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) March 14, 2022
California, New York and Pennsylvania where just some of the trucks that are currently grinding traffic to a halt on 395 north… police and DDot blocking access to downtown. Soooo if you happened to be trying to get home like me, it’s going to be a while… pic.twitter.com/oztQNCUyWE
— Tommy McFLY (@TommyMcFLY) March 14, 2022
#BREAKING: Expect heavy traffic delays along I-395, Southbound DC-295 to I-495 due to the trucker convoy from Hagerstown. @DCPoliceDept are closing some streets and exits into DC to keep traffic moving. https://t.co/L1sdaVv9hy
— 7News DC (@7NewsDC) March 14, 2022
Say farewell to the Fairies of Del Ray–just for now! — “You might have noticed the petite doors and houses and stained glass windows hidden in the crooks of trees and crannies of rocks in the Del Ray neighborhood.” [Zebra]
I-395 Seminary Road ramp conversion OKed by VA board — “The conversion will allow solo riders to use the ramp for a toll and HOV-3 carpoolers to continue using it for free.” [Patch]
Youngkin, Psaki respond to Northern Va. school systems’ announcements on mask requirements — “Youngkin said he would use state resources to force the school systems to comply, though he did not specify how.” [WTOP]
Obituary: Bill Stokes — “International business consultant dies at 57.” [Alexandria Gazette]
(Updated at 5 p.m. on Nov. 30) Virginia State Police have released the identity of the driver in Sunday’s fatal single-vehicle crash at the Duke Street overpass of Interstate 395 on Sunday.
Alexandria resident Eric G. Jones, 46, was killed after his SUV crashed and became wedged under the overpass.
“A 2019 Honda HR-V was traveling north when the left front tire (a spare tire) blew out,” VSP said in a release. “This caused it to run off the right side of the road where it struck the overpass support.”
The crash was reported around 4:23 p.m on the northbound side of I-395 at Exit 3B.
The crash remains under investigation, VSP said.
