Police assist in chase Friday night — “There is a heavy police presence in the area of North Latham Street and Taney Avenue due to a Virginia State Police pursuit that originated from out of the city. APD assisted and suspects have been taken into custody for non-violent offense(s).” [Twitter]
Alexandria Library eliminates fines for overdue items — “Here’s some great news for library patrons. Alexandria Library has decided to eliminate fines for overdue items. What is the reason for the change?” [Zebra]
DASH bus eliminates fares — “The changes come as part of the city’s broader Alexandria Transit Vision Plan and after City Council approved the elimination of bus fares in its FY2022 budget. The aim of these changes is to expand the services’ accessibility for residents, particularly low-income residents and residents of color, who need and use this aspect of the city’s transit network.” [Alex Times]
Today’s weather — “Sun and a few passing clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 85F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph… Mostly clear skies. Low 62F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.” [Weather.com]
New job: Security officer — “Securitas plays an essential role for our clients and in society. TheSecurity Officer position helps maintain a safe and secure environment for our clients by actively monitoring the premises, including patrolling a variety of locations.” [Indeed]
Alexandria was spared from significant flooding this week after remnants of Hurricane Ida swept through the East Coast. The only flooding found was on lower King Street in Old Town, where businesses laid sandbags at windows and doorways.
“We’re open inside, but if you want to eat you’re probably going to have to come barefoot,” a hostess at Mai Thai told ALXnow on Wednesday.
Our top story this week was, for the second week in a row, on the recent brawl inside Alexandria City High School.
It’s a three-day weekend, and on Sunday the annual Old Town Festival of Speed & Style will bring crowds to marvel at classic and beautiful rides along King Street. Monday is Labor Day, and the city will operate on a holiday schedule.
In this week’s poll we asked how satisfied readers are with Alexandria City Public Schools since reopening on August 24. A majority (31%) reported being extremely unsatisfied with the school system, while 29% said ACPS has done a good job, 25% are extremely satisfied and 14% are unhappy overall.
Important stories
- Pedestrian struck and killed on N. Beauregard Street in West End
- City could extend pandemic-support for local businesses into 2022
- City lays out goals for Arlandria-Chirilagua preservation
- Salon Meraki will quadruple in size when it expands this fall in Old Town
- New policy could open up more ‘co-living’ options in Alexandria
- Pets rescued from Hurricane Ida in Louisiana up for adoption in Alexandria
- The Hive is expanding to a new location in Old Town, also planning men’s apparel shop
- Man arrested after brief chase leads to hit-and-run near Holmes Run
- Fire Department pay battle heats up as firefighters say staffing issues put public safety at risk
- Parents concerned in opening days as ACPS works on construction projects at Mount Vernon Community School
- West End school purchase headed to Planning Commission review
- Alexandria man on run from police for more than a year after theft from gym in Carlyle
- Mae’s Market & Cafe opens in Old Town
Top stories
- BREAKING: Video shows brawl at Alexandria City High School cafeteria just two days after school starts
- 13-year-old hit by car while walking home from school in Del Ray
- Fox put George Washington Middle School into a lock-in today
- Man arrested for spending spree after finding wallet in Bradlee Shopping Center parking lot
- No injuries or arrests after shots fired on Duke Street
- ACPS Superintendent Hutchings asks community to hit the brakes on email campaigns
- Alexandria man arrested for beating up ex-girlfriend in Old Town North
- Alexandria sees cases rise in August and warns of COVID-19 in schools
- Alexandria man convicted for possessing child porn and violating parole
- Historic Black cemetery under threat of being washed away in Old Town
- Man swallows two bags of drugs and runs from police in Old Town
Have a safe weekend!
A 19-year-old Prince William County man was arrested after a brief chase near the 5200 block of Taney Avenue in the West End.
The incident occurred on Monday, August 9. An Alexandria Police officer was at a stationary traffic post in the 4800 block of Taney Avenue, when he tried to stop a black Ford sedan, according to a search warrant affidavit.
The suspect then allegedly fled at a high rate of speed for about four blocks before striking several other vehicles and coming to rest in the 5200 block of Taney Avenue.
“(The officer) observed the driver of the black Ford sedan running from the sedan and the scene of the accident before losing sight of him,” police reported.
A witness to the accident also told police that they saw the suspect throw an unidentified object over a fence into the backyard of a home on Taney Avenue. Police went to that address and found two full glass vials and a broken vial of suspected PCP.
The suspect was arrested about a half-mile away in the 5400 block of Richenbacher Avenue. He was released on bond the next day and charged with driving without a valid license, hit-and-run, reckless driving and disregarding/eluding police.
Alexandria boxer Troy Isley to compete in Olympics — “Troy Isley, 22, is a middleweight boxer from Alexandria, a T.C. Williams High School alumnus and part of the Alexandria Boxing Club. He secured his spot on the Olympic team on June 7, USA Boxing confirmed.” [Patch]
Alexandria Police helped chase down suspect Friday — “Alert:: APD assisted PG County Police and Fairfax County Police with chasing down a suspect. The chase originated in PG County and came through our city via Fairfax County. No injuries to report. The suspect was taken into custody.” [Twitter]
Emmy Squared Opens in Old Town — “After a soft opening this weekend, Emmy Squared will open its doors Wednesday, June 30 at 124 King St., in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, near the waterfront.” [Alexandria Living]
New uses coming to original Mount Vernon High School — “The building was originally built in 1939 on land that used to be part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate. It was used as a high school until 1973 and then a middle school until 1985. The building was then leased to the Islamic Saudi Academy in 1989 until that school relocated to a new building in 2016.” [Alexandria Living]
Today’s weather — “Sunny (during the day). Hot. High 94F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph… Clear skies (in the evening). Low 74F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.” [Weather.com]
New job: Tour guide — “Seeking a responsible, punctual, and social tour guide/driver to help with winery and brewery tours on weekends. Must be comfortable driving large groups (driving minivan or 15 passenger van). Clean driving record is a Must!” [Indeed]
An Alexandria Police officer jumped out of the way of a car that sped toward him after a traffic stop near Police Headquarters on Monday, June 7.
At around noon, the officer conducted a traffic stop on Cockrell Street (a dead end) near the intersection with Duke Street, approached the black sedan and asked the driver to turn off their engine.
“The driver did not comply and then drove off towards the dead end, turned around and drove back directly towards the officer,” APD senior communication officer Amanda Paga told ALXnow. “The officer jumped out of the way and was not hit.”
Paga said that the driver drove east on Duke Street at a high rate of speed, and was lost by another pursuing officer. A suspect description was not available.
“The pursuit was terminated when the officer lost sight of the vehicle after it reached northbound I-495 and went across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge,” Paga said. “Lookouts were shared with neighboring jurisdictions… The driver, when caught, is facing several charges including reckless driving, eluding and assault on police.”
Courtesy GoogleMaps
What a week in Alexandria. Here’s the rundown.
Our top story was on President Joe Biden stopping by the Sportrock Climbing Center in Alexandria last Friday with First Lady Jill Biden and Governor Ralph Northam.
Seeing the president around town is getting to be a regular thing. The president, who also visited in April, discussed “the state’s progress against the coronavirus pandemic” and the celebration of “summer as Virginia lifts all COVID-19 distancing and capacity restrictions.”
This week, we also followed up on a New York Times report about the Virginia Theological Seminary making reparations payments to slavery descendants. The program was launched in 2019, and the school issued $2,100 in annual payments to 15 families in February.
On Wednesday, the Fire Department released its restructuring plan, which goes into effect June 12, and is intended to help emergency response times by shifting resources. AFD will conduct community conversations on the restructuring on Saturday, June 5, at 10 a.m.; Monday, June 7, at 2 p.m. and Thursday, June 10, at 7 p.m.
Closing the short workweek, on Friday Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown announced that his retirement. Brown’s last day is June 25, and the City Manager is soon expected to name an acting chief to lead the department while the city’s undergoes a national search for a permanent replacement.
Election stories
- Bennett-Parker says Levine mailer on Commonwealth of Virginia letterhead is ethics breach
- Wilson keeps fundraising lead over Silberberg in mayoral primary, McPike leads City Council candidates
- City Council candidate thinks divisive local issues are Republican comeback opportunity
- Former City Council member Willie Bailey announces bid for School Board
Important stories
- A rare glimpse inside Alexandria’s abandoned and overgrown GenOn power plant
- Virginia Theological Seminary is making reparation payments to slavery descendants
- Alexandria military veterans honored on Memorial Day
- Alexandria brings back summer cooling and senior care program
- Police investigate Old Town hit and run
- Woman arrested in Braddock for attacking father of her child with pepper spray and a knife
- Driver in stolen U-Haul pickup truck successfully eludes Virginia State Police
- Alexandria Jail slowly lifting COVID restrictions, in-person attorney visitation for inmates resumes
- Mayor releases figures for ongoing eviction crisis in Alexandria
- ‘Rock It Grill’ eyeing karaoke expansion, bringing back Halloween party
Top stories
- UPDATED: President Biden and Gov. Northam visited Alexandria this morning
- JUST IN: Virginia State Police chase U-Haul pickup truck through Alexandria
- Bennett-Parker says Levine mailer on Commonwealth of Virginia letterhead is ethics breach
- Goodie’s Frozen Custard & Treats opens in Old Town
- Hank & Mitzi’s Italian Kitchen closes for the foreseeable future in Old Town North
- Volunteers needed this weekend to help clear dangerous stretch of Mount Vernon Trail
- Wilson and Silberberg mayoral debate finale opens possibility of ‘tweaking’ Seminary Road Diet
- Homegrown Restaurant Group gives employees raise to $15 an hour, will ease COVID restrictions at 6 restaurants
- ‘Rock It Grill’ eyeing karaoke expansion, bringing back Halloween party
- Here’s the order that City Council candidates will appear on the ballot for the June 8 democratic primary
- Ownership of Landmark’s streets could make a big difference down the road
Photo via White House/Twitter
More details have been released on a string of 130 smash-and-grab burglaries at businesses in Alexandria and throughout the region.
A number of juveniles from around Alexandria have been arrested in connection to the incidents.
Last month, Alexandria Police said that one juvenile suspect was arrested.
In most cases, the suspects broke windows with rocks or bricks and drove away in stolen vehicles. During one three day stretch in February, there were approximately 35 incidents in Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Fairfax County and Fairfax City, according to a police search warrant affidavit.
At least three of the suspects were identified as members of the “Culmore City Gang,” which has ties to Fairfax County, police said.
One of the juvenile suspects, a D.C. resident, has been documented as a member of the gang for several years. He was identified on security camera footage from one of the incidents and was eventually tracked down in a stolen vehicle on March 18. Police said the suspect was arrested for probation violation but “fled from court-ordered custody at the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Facility.”
Numerous additional burglaries followed the juvenile’s escape. Hours after another incident on April 8, Arlington County Police tracked down the suspect who escaped with another juvenile (later issued a juvenile arrest warrant) in a stolen 2010 Ford Explorer.
The suspect who escaped custody was arrested after five separate incidents that occurred at businesses on S. Pickett Street in the West End on April 23. He was arrested the following day while allegedly fleeing a burglary incident at an Arlington pharmacy. On his phone police found photos and videos of the suspect and other juveniles holding large sums of money, drugs, firearms and ammunition — all while wearing clothing that was captured on security videos.
As of April, it is believed that the suspects “have stolen ignition keys from vehicles, utilized them in a burglary,” police said in the affidavit. “After utilizing the vehicle in the burglary, the suspect returns the vehicle to the owner, but keeps the ignition key, returning to the vehicle to commit more thefts.”
Police arrested another juvenile outside his home in Fairfax County on April 27, and he was allegedly was in possession of a stolen firearm.
On May 13, another juvenile suspect was arrested after a brief chase in Arlington. The driver was taken into custody, and inside the vehicle police found a stolen firearm and a blue canvas beg containing “approximately $10,000 of electronic cigarettes similar to ones reported stolen in ongoing regional burglaries.”
Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to contact Detective Walter Boyd at 703-746-6245 or [email protected] or Detective Edmund Dougherty at 703-746-6697 or at [email protected].
Virginia State Police lost track of a stolen white U-Haul pickup truck that was chased through Arlington, Alexandria and D.C. on Tuesday afternoon.
At around 4 p.m., police spotted the 2019 U-Haul Chevrolet Silverado traveling northbound on Interstate 395 near the Little River Turnpike exit.
“The vehicle had been reported stolen out of Fauquier County,” VSP public relations director Corinne Geller told ALXnow. “Once the trooper confirmed it was the stolen vehicle, the trooper activated his lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop on the Silverado. The driver refused to stop, sped away and a pursuit was initiated.”
The suspect was chased down Arlington Ridge Road in Arlington, continuing down Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria before the Silverado ended up driving on the wrong side of the street at Glebe Road and West Glebe Road and nearly rammed a VSP cruiser. The suspect veered out of the way and struck a road sign, which was knocked into the middle of the street, and has since been cleared away.
“His vehicle got damaged,” the investigating officer said via dispatch. “Pretty heavy damage… His vehicle nearly struck my cruiser.”
The truck was then involved in a crash with two trucks on northbound 395 on the 14th Street Bridge as it drove into D.C. A tweet from a former reporter and volunteer firefighter who runs a fire and EMS news website even showed the chase going into D.C.
“Once the suspect vehicle got back to I-395 north and crossed the 14th Street Bridge into Washington, DC, the troopers lost sight of it and the pursuit was terminated,” Geller said.
Video of a @VSPPIO rush hour chase 20-mins. ago on I-395N through Arlington into DC where VSP lost the truck. At least 1 other vehicle & street sign hit. Speeds at times in excess of 100mph. @ARLnowDOTcom @dclinenews @WTOPtraffic @hhowardWTOP #police #traffic @TomJackmanWP pic.twitter.com/URTOrTTp1q
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) June 1, 2021
Virginia State Police briefly chased a suspect driving a white U-Haul pickup along Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria. The suspect was chased from Arlington and into Alexandria before turning onto West Glebe Road and taking out a road sign at around 4:15 p.m.
The U-Haul truck drove on the wrong way of the street on West Glebe Road, and nearly struck a VSP cruiser. The suspect veered out of the way and struck a road sign, which was knocked into the middle of the street, and has since been cleared away.
“His vehicle got damaged,” the investigating officer said via dispatch. “Pretty heavy damage… His vehicle nearly struck my cruiser.”
The truck was then involved in a crash with two trucks on northbound 395 on the 14th Street Bridge as it drove into D.C.
Alexandria Police were not notified of the incident and are not coordinating with VSP. ALXnow has also reached out to VSP for an update.
Virginia State Police just chased a U-Haul pickup truck from Arlington into Alexandria on Mt. Vernon Ave, then back into Arlington and finally into D.C. via I-395 pic.twitter.com/VWvULlvpli
— Arlington Now (@ARLnowDOTcom) June 1, 2021
Video of a @VSPPIO rush hour chase 20-mins. ago on I-395N through Arlington into DC where VSP lost the truck. At least 1 other vehicle & street sign hit. Speeds at times in excess of 100mph. @ARLnowDOTcom @dclinenews @WTOPtraffic @hhowardWTOP #police #traffic @TomJackmanWP pic.twitter.com/URTOrTTp1q
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) June 1, 2021
What a week in Alexandria. Here are some of the highlights.
The Alexandria City Council on Wednesday approved its Fiscal Year 2022 $770.7 million budget on Wednesday, and it includes a 2 cent real estate tax reduction. It’s the first time that’s happened in 15 years, and the budget also fully funds Alexandria City Public Schools’ request and includes a 1% raise for city and state employees.
But perhaps the biggest news of the week came with City Councilman Mo Seifeldein’s proposal to eliminate School Resource Officer funding from the budget. The effort was supported along by Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Councilman Canek Aguirre and Councilman John Taylor Chapman, who voted along with the group after failing to save the program in a last-minute effort.
Crime stories dominated many headlines, and Police Chief Michael Brown spoke with us this week about his department’s efforts to reduce destructive elements throughout the city. More from that interview will be published next week.
In this week’s poll, we asked about the importance of political endorsements for local candidates. Out of 222 responses, 48% (107 votes) don’t consider endorsements while voting; 39% (86 votes) said endorsements influence their decision; and 14% (29 votes) feel that endorsements hold a lot of sway.
Election stories
- City Council candidates clash on critical local issues, Part 1
- City Council candidates clash on critical local issues, Part 2
- NEW: Alexandria School Board shakeup looms as few incumbents have filed to run for reelection
- Election: Northam endorses Wilson for reelection
- Here’s which City Council candidates signed the new ‘Alexandria Constituents’ Bill of Rights’ pledge
Important stories
- COVID-19 update: 40% of residents got first vaccine shot, 29% got second shot
- Old Town dominated the city in 2020 business grant funding
- NEW: Man sentenced 41 months for targeting Alfred Street Baptist Church, journalists and others in ‘swatting’ conspiracy
- Developer JBG Smith joins J.P. Morgan Global Alternatives to own and manage 2 million square feet of Potomac Yard
- ACPS could adjust grades in recognition of COVID challenges
- West End man with history of violent behavior taken into custody
- Appeal to save North Ridge home takes fight to City Council
- Girlfriend of murder suspect arrested for breaking into home and beating up witness
Top stories
- Parking issues plague Potomac Yard, city looks to create residential parking district
- Knife pulled on woman who chases would-be thieves in Old Town
- D.C. man arrested after 130 mph chase leads to crash on Interstate 495
- Police: Armed robberies occur minutes apart in Del Ray and Arlandria
- Two injured in hit-and-run in Old Town, driver leaves car and flees on foot
- Too noisy? City Council is considering revising Alexandria’s noise ordinance
- Alexandria City Council to end School Resource Officer program at Alexandria City Public Schools
- Alexandria man arrested for firing gun at 7-Eleven door near Braddock Road Metro station
- Here’s the order that City Council candidates will appear on the ballot for the June 8 democratic primary
- JUST IN: Power outages across Alexandria as strong winds hit the city
- What’s next for GenOn and the rest of Old Town North?
Have a safe weekend!
