A 28-year-old Fairfax County man wanted for a Jan. 4 shooting incident faces numerous charges after allegedly striking an Alexandria Police Department cruiser in the Landmark area earlier this month.

Police arrested Mengesha Mnat after a brief chase on April 3, after he allegedly pulled into the 7-Eleven parking lot at 6120 Lincolnia Road, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. Police said Mnat parked facing the street and struck a police cruiser as APD approached his car to make an arrest.

Police tracked Mnat to an apartment complex less than a mile away near the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Southland Avenue. He was reportedly pursued by APD investigators and the K9 unit.

“Mr. Mnat parked the vehicle and fled on foot, (and) while running your affiant could observe Mr. Mnat manipulating his hands around his waistband,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.

The following was recovered from the suspect’s “flight path”:

• A loaded Glock handgun
• 11.8 grams of suspected fentanyl, which field-tested positive
• 5.8 grams of suspected cocaine
• 1.5 pills of Oxycodone

Mnat is suspected in a Jan. 4 shooting incident in the 6100 block of Lincolnia Road. He was charged with discharging a firearm in a public place, resisting arrest, disregarding police commands to stop, assault on law enforcement, hit and run (property damage), possession of Schedule I/II drugs with a firearm, and possession to distribute Schedule I/II drugs.

Mnat goes to court on April 26.

Notification:: There is a moderate police presence in the 6100 block of Lincolnia Road. This is in response to a shots fired call for service, no injuries were reported in connection with the incident. APD is on the scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/jSQl6tsUUz

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) January 5, 2023

Image via Google Maps

Virginia State Police did not pursue a vehicle into Maryland after an early morning high-speed chase through Alexandria.

No one was injured or vehicles struck in the chase, which began at around 1:30 a.m. near exit 173 (Van Dorn Street) on westbound Interstate 495, according to VSP.

The suspect drove a four-door black Mercedes and was being pursued for speeding. The Mercedes turned off the Glebe Road exit 7 on I-95, then drove up S. Glebe Road toward Potomac Yard, and went south on Richmond Highway (Route 1) through Old Town.

The Mercedes, which drove with a flat front left tire, drove between 115 and 130 miles per hour on Glebe Road and Richmond Highway, VSP and Alexandria Police Department dispatchers reported. APD did not assist in the pursuit.

The chase ended after the suspect got back onto the highway and crossed the Woodrow Wilson Bridge into Maryland.

“The trooper terminated the pursuit once the vehicle left Virginia,” VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller told ALXnow. “Maryland and Washington, DC authorities were alerted of the suspect vehicle. There were no crashes resulting from the pursuit.”

A 32-year-old D.C. man is being held without bond after an armed carjacking in the West End.

The incident occurred at around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 16, when the male victim was walking to a construction job in the 400 block of S. Van Dorn Street. The victim parked his Toyota Tundra and walked a short distance when the suspect approached him from behind and pointed a handgun at him and demanded his property, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

The victim told police that the suspect stole his car, keys, phone, a chain necklace and a box cutter. Police tried chasing the stolen Tundra, but it eluded them.

“The vehicle refused to stop for numerous law enforcement officers,” police said in the search warrant affidavit. “In the process, the vehicle struck one vehicle that was stopped at an intersection.”

Donte Tavon Thomas was arrested near the abandoned Tundra under the Van Dorn Street Bridge, which is in the Carlyle area. Police also found a handgun with an extended magazine on the ground within “arms reach” of Thomas, according to the search warrant affidavit.

Thomas was charged with armed robbery, receiving a stolen firearm, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, providing a false identity to law enforcement, eluding police, and property damage hit-and-run.

A 23-year-old Loudoun County man is being held without bond after allegedly eluding police, crashing into a semi-truck on Interstate 95 and ditching a stolen gun, weed and a safe into a nearby ravine.

The incident occurred on the rainy evening of Thursday, October 6, after police received an emergency call from an apartment in the 2400 block of Mandeville Lane in the city’s Carlyle neighborhood, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Police responded to a domestic incident inside the apartment. The victim said they were afraid for their safety during an altercation, and that the suspect had a gun. As the suspect walked out of the apartment, the argument went into the hallway and the victim was seen tugging on the suspect’s shorts and a black handgun was observed falling from the suspect’s waist and onto the floor, police said in the search warrant affidavit.

The suspect was also allegedly carrying a two-foot-square black safe, and was seen by police fleeing the area in a gray Honda Accord. Police followed him, and said that he drove erratically, and that he fled after they tried to initiate a traffic stop.

“The above-described vehicle ended up crashing into another vehicle on I-95 South at Exit Ramp 174,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.

After the crash, the suspect got out of the Accord, and was seen throwing the safe into a ravine near the exit ramp. Police searched the area and found the closed safe, an ounce of marijuana in a plastic bag, a handgun and bullets — not yet sunken in the mud and within throwing distance. What was found inside the safe has not yet been made public.

The suspect was arrested shortly thereafter, and was found carrying $5,700 in cash. Police found that the gun was reported stolen by the Fairfax County Police Department, and that the suspect has been charged numerous times with felony possession with intent to distribute marijuana since 2017.

The suspect was charged with weapon possession by a convicted felon, domestic assault and battery, receipt of a stolen firearm, reckless driving, eluding police, and failing to use his headlights with his windshield wipers.

The suspect goes to court on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Via Google Maps

A 23-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond for statutory burglary after being turned in to police by his mother.

The suspect was arrested on July 5 — two weeks after the incident.

Police initially responded to the 300 block of Manor Road for a report of a burglary at around 10 p.m. on June 19. Police found the suspect pushing a cart with stolen property, and the suspect “immediately ran” from police and left the property behind, according to a search warrant affidavit.

The suspect successfully eluded police.

The next day, June 20, the person who called 911 and told police that the suspect just walked out of the same apartment complex and got into a car, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Police interviewed the suspect’s mother, who was shown surveillance video and positively identified her son as the suspect fleeing from police. She then gave police her son’s phone number, and said that he’d called her with that number within a day of the incident.

The suspect goes to court on July 29.

Via Google Maps

A 34-year-old Maryland man is being held without bond after allegedly smashing his car into two others and then fleeing from police on foot across Interstate 95.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, June 21, at around 3:45 p.m. Police were called to the area of Duke Street and Early Street for a report of an injury resulting from a hit-and-run, and were told that the suspect’s Nissan Altima had rear end damage, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Police located the suspect, Allen Johnson, nearby and trying to fix the damage to his car.

“Johnson entered the vehicle and drove east along Duke Street, exiting onto Telegraph (Road) and then (Interstate) 95,” police said in the search warrant affidavit. “The driver ignored (the officer’s) emergency lights and sirens and refused to stop, swerving between lanes, nd randomly applying brakes before fleeing at a high rate of speed.”

Another officer then found the vehicle on the southbound local lanes of I-95 — after hitting another vehicle. As the officer arrived on scene, Johnson allegedly fled on foot.

“Your affiant observed Johnson walking sourhbound on the highway in the southbound thru lanes,” police said in the search warrant affidavit. “He then hopped the jersey wall, crossed a grassy median, then hopped another jersey wall and continued southbound in the northbound thru lanes. Your affiant took him into custody in the middle lane.”

Police said Johnson was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and had marijuana shake in one of his pockets.

“When asked if he drank or took drugs today, he replied, ‘You’ll find out,'” police said in the search warrant affidavit.

Johnson was charged with two counts of hit-and-run resulting in injury and driving while intoxicated. He goes to court for the offenses on August 2.

Via Google Maps

A 26-year-old Maryland woman faces serious charges after allegedly fleeing from a police investigation of a shoplifting offense at the Target store in the Potomac Yard shopping center.

“During the course of investigating this incident, one of the suspects resisted arrest and jumped into a vehicle,” police reported in a search warrant affidavit.

Sharifa Shuler was arrested on September 27 in Bowie, Maryland, after allegedly eluding police in a silver BMW on September 18.

“Shuler drove the vehicle into (the investigating officer’s) police cruiser striking the passenger side rear tire,” police said in the warrant.

Shuler allegedly almost struck the officer and a pedestrian in a crosswalk, according to the warrant. Police said that Shuler then allegedly drove on the sidewalk on S. Henry Street.

Several minutes later (police) located the suspect vehicle traveling south along S. Henry Street and observed it traveling on the sidewalk,” police said in the affidavit. “The pursuit was terminated and the vehicle was last seen traveling into Maryland.”

Shuler was booked in the Alexandria Jail on October 21 and released on a $3,000 bond the same day, according to the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office. She was charged with petit larceny (less than $1,000) not from a person, assault on law enforcement, resisting arrest, failure to stop at an accident and reckless driving. She goes to court on December 10.

Two Maryland juveniles have been arrested and face several charges after leading Virginia State Police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash at the I-395 and Seminary Road interchange on Wednesday afternoon (October 27).

According to a release put out by the Virginia State Police, the chase started at around 2:30 p.m. after an Infiniti was clocked doing 89 mph in a 55 mph zone and displaying a fake temporary registration tag.

“The trooper activated his emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop for speeding, but the driver of the Infiniti refused to stop,” the Virginia State Police said. “Instead, it cut across all four lanes of travel in an attempt to elude the trooper. A pursuit was initiated.”

The release said the Infiniti exited Interstate 395 at Duke Street and continued west toward Beauregard Street, then returned to northbound I-395 where it changed lanes while allegedly going at 115 mph. During one lane change at Seminary Road, the drivers lost control of the car and it struck a Honda Civic and a Jersey wall.

The driver of the Honda, a 29-year-old man from Fredericksburg, was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries from the crash. the drivers of the Infiniti were arrested and also taken to a hospital.

“The 17-year-old male driver from Capitol Heights, Maryland and the 17-year-old male passenger from Prince George, Maryland were taken into custody,” the release said. “Two loaded handguns and prescription narcotics were recovered at the scene. Both juveniles were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.”

The driver of the Infiniti has been charged with reckless driving, improper registration, one felony count of eluding police, failure to maintain control, and a series of felony possession charges. The passenger is also facing felony firearm possession charges along with narcotics charges.

Part of the incident was captured on a traffic camera video and shared by public safety watchdog Dave Statter.

NEW: @VSPPIO chase on I-395N from Duke St. ended a few minutes ago in a crash & possible fire at Seminary Rd. Speeds reported to be in excess of 100 mph. @WTOPtraffic @WTOP @ARLnowDOTcom #police #LawEnforcement #traffic #vatraffic pic.twitter.com/SinIbI5fQo

— Dave Statter (@STATter911) October 27, 2021

The incident followed another pursuit a few days earlier where both driver and passenger died in a crash. The pursuit started with speeding and a claim from a dispatcher that the vehicle was stolen, which later turned out to be false. Whether or not Virginia State Police should have broad authorization to engage in pursuits has been an issue of some debate.

Photo via Dave Statter/Twitter

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]