No arrests have been made as Alexandria police continue to investigate the shooting of two men in the Carlyle neighborhood last month.
The incident occurred in the parking lot of a gated apartment complex in the 2600 block of Foundry Way at around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. A witness told police that they heard seven gunshots, looked out a window and saw a newer model white Mercedes Benz four-door sedan with tinted windows speed out the front gate, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
Upon arrival, police found the victim lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the upper right thigh, according to the search warrant affidavit. They also found six shell casings in the parking lot.
The victim told police that he got into an argument while asking with a man with a face tattoo for directions, according to the search warrant affidavit.
“(The victim) and the subject exchanged words in an aggressive tone, at which point the subject pulled out a gun,” police said in the search warrant affidavit. “When (the victim) observed the gun, he started to run. He then heard a gunshot and felt (a) bullet strike his upper leg from behind.”
A possible suspect vehicle with three people was pulled over by police less than a half-mile away in the 2900 block of Eisenhower Avenue. Soon after pulling over the vehicle, a man walked over from the parking lot and told police that he’d been shot in the arm, but offered no details on how it happened. The officer helped the man make a tourniquet.
“While (an investigating officer) was speaking to the driver outside of the vehicle, a male emerged from further east in the parking lot,” police said in the search warrant affidavit. “The male was quickly walking towards the traffic stop, approached the officers and stated that he was shot.”
Police investigated the area from which the second victim walked and found a white Mercedes Benz parked nearby. Inside they saw blood stains on the front seats and saw a tan and green handgun “under the rear of the front passenger seat in plain view,” and the vehicle was seized, according to the search warrant affidavit.
The incident remains under investigation, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
APD officers are investigating an aggravated assault shooting in the 2600 block of Foundry Way. Two adult males sustained gunshot wounds, both were transported. No suspects at this time. Anyone with information should call 703-746-4444. pic.twitter.com/8e54JK8wrw
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) February 17, 2024
A 50-year-old sex offender is being held without bond after allegedly abducting a woman in Old Town and sodomizing her, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
The victim told police from Inova Alexandria Hospital on Feb. 1 that she met the suspect on the evening of Jan. 29 while riding on the King Street Trolley. The victim told police that he told her about his prior military service and that they talked for several minutes before they decided to get coffee at Bob & Edith’s Diner (1743 King Street).
After midnight, the victim and the suspect walked out together, after which she told police that he grabbed her by the hair and told her to kiss him.
The victim said that the suspect tried to pull her pants down and forced her to perform oral sex on him, according to the search warrant affidavit. The victim told police that the suspect stopped her when he began suffering chest pains.
Police identified the suspect after looking at surveillance footage from the restaurant. They also found three days earlier, on Jan. 26, that he was taken to a local hospital “due to chest pain from consuming narcotics,” according to the search warrant affidavit.
Michael Kristopher Sheckles, of Newburg, Maryland, was arrested on Feb. 21. He is being held without bond and goes to court April 3 for abduction with intent to defile and sodomy.
Sheckles is a registered sex offender with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. While serving in the U.S. Air Force, he was convicted of sodomy and indecent assault in 2000 and misdemeanor sexual battery in 2007, according to FDLE.
A 30-year-old man is being held without bond for allegedly stealing juice drinks and assaulting an employee from a West End 7-Eleven.
On Feb. 7, the employee at the store at 6120 Lincolnia Road called 911 to report the incident, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. The victim told police that the suspect walked into the store, took three-to-four juice bottles and then walked out without paying and sat across the street at a bus stop.
“The victim followed the unknown suspect outside the store to the bus stop across from the 7-Eleven,” police said in the search warrant affidavit. “The victim demanded the suspect return the merchandise. The suspect put the bottles down on a nearby parked vehicle. As the victim leaned forward to grab the bottles the suspect punched him several times in the face. The suspect then took the bottles and fled the scene.”
The victim sustained a broken nose, a hematoma on his forehead and lacerations near his left eye and nose, according to the search warrant affidavit.
Churchill Oluwole Hamid was arrested on Feb. 15 for the incident and is being held without bond. He was charged with malicious wounding and petit larceny and goes to court on April 3.
The Alexandria Police Department urged drivers to slow down after saying a driver was issued a ticket earlier this week for going 112 miles per hour in a 55 mph speed zone.
Police said an Alexandria Police Department officer was on his way to work on Wednesday when he issued a citation for the driver going over twice the legal limit at Van Dorn Street and I-495.
The charge was listed as reckless driving for speeds in excess of 85 miles per hour.
Doing 112 in a 55 mph speed limit? Are you serious? True story. Yesterday on his way to work, an APD officer issued this citation to someone at 495 and Van Dorn going TWO times the speed limit. Slow down. There is no need to put your life or someone else's in danger. pic.twitter.com/is5eMLQDcc
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 7, 2024
Alexandria is getting $3.5 million in federal funds to pay for public safety, transit, affordable housing and flooding infrastructure projects, Northern Virginia Congressman Don Beyer (D-8th) announced today.
“Even in the minority amid a divided and chaotic Congress, I am laser focused on helping my constituents and benefitting Northern Virginia,” Beyer said in a statement.
Beyer secured a total of $13 million federal funding in the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which the House of Representatives approved on Wednesday, to pay for 15 projects in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax County. The Senate is expected to approve the legislation next week, Beyer’s office said.
The Alexandria projects are:
$1 million for on-route electric transit bus opportunity chargers. The funding would be used to fund the construction and implementation of up to two on-route opportunity fast chargers within the City of Alexandria, which would support charging requirements of a full 100% Zero Emissions Battery Electric transit bus fleet. The chargers would be constructed in strategic locations throughout the City and the DASH bus network to help ensure that the future fleet of 100+ Zero Emissions transit buses can meet the demand of DASH’s 24/7 service, serving the community of Alexandria
$963,000 for the Virginia Tech “Smart Mobility Lab.” The funding would be used to establish Smart Mobility Lab (SML) operations and invest in initial research and technology development where gaps exist to attract and leverage industry engagement. The SML will be sustained in future years through publicly and privately sponsored research from industry and government partners. Some smart mobility technologies that may be deployed in the SML include: a data exchange system for integrating data from various systems deployed in the SML while providing security and appropriate access for research and development opportunities; smart intersection solutions that identify conflicts and improve vulnerable road users’ safety; adaptive lighting on roadways that adjust with changing weather conditions and traffic; implementation of customizable features (like real-time red light patterns changes) to accommodate traffic flow; and the analysis and creation of mobility hubs to connect multiple modes of transportation and make commuting easier.
$670,000 for a pilot program for crime and violence prevention. This supports funding enhanced technology, including In-Car Cameras, Fixed License Plate Readers (LPRs), and Surveillance Trailers, in the City of Alexandria. This funding will assist Alexandria’s law enforcement agency in its ongoing efforts to reduce incidents of violent crime and gun violence in the Alexandria community. The Alexandria Police Department will use these funds to invest in cutting-edge technology and equipment that will significantly enhance its ability to deter, respond, investigate, and successfully prosecute violent crimes.
$850,000 for the restoration of affordable housing at the 1022 Pendleton Street Boarding House. The project will allow the City of Alexandria to work with property owners to preserve unique, affordable housing in our community while renovating a building with historic, cultural and architectural significance. The boarding house currently includes 8 housing units with deeply affordable rents, as well as shared living space and room for the restoration of retail/commercial space original to the property.
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) A man was arrested this morning after a fight at the Covanta Waste-to-Energy Facility that resulted in a handgun allegedly brandished and man getting pepper-sprayed.
The incident occurred at around 8:15 a.m., according to Alexandria Police Department dispatches. An employee of the facility at 53001 Eisenhower Avenue reported to APD that trash truck drivers were arguing with each other, and that one sprayed the victim with pepper spray and that another suspect brandished a handgun.
Three suspects were located nearby in a trash truck, held at gunpoint and then apprehended, according to dispatch.
APD said that one man, Chaka Cook, was arrested and charged with felony assault with a caustic substance. No weapons charge was made.
The victim refused medical attention, according to dispatch reports.
A 15-year-old Northeast D.C. boy was arrested Friday and charged with felony murder while armed in last year’s shooting death of Nasrat Ahmad Yar, a former interpreter with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan, who fled the Taliban in 2021 with his wife and four children and moved to Alexandria.
Yar was working as a Lyft Driver in D.C. on July 3, 2023, when he was shot and killed just at around midnight in the 400 block of 11th Street NE. Video footage near the scene showed four young people running through an alley after the shooting. One of them said, “You killed him,” and another responded, “He was reaching bro.”
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith announced the arrest on Friday, and said that video of four teens running from the scene was instrumental in making an arrest.
“Thank you for providing information to bring us to this point in respect to the closure in this case,” Smith said.
Assistant Police Chief Leslie Parsons said that police are still looking for several other suspects allegedly involved in the incident.
“There are still several outstanding suspects who were involved in this tragedy, and we encourage anyone with information on those suspects to come forward,” Parsons said. “The reckless actions of these teens cost a man’s life and shattered a family just starting out on their journey in this country.”
A GoFundMe supporting the Yar’s family has so far raised $525,630. Hundreds attended his funeral in Fredericksburg, including Army officers Yar served with, the Washington Post reported.
The Alexandria Police Department said in a release that a handgun was confiscated from a student at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy (530 S St Asaph Street) today.
According to the release:
Today at approximately 11:41 a.m., the Alexandria Police Department was notified by school officials at Lyles-Crouch School that a handgun was discovered in a student’s bookbag. APD officers responded to the school and took possession of the weapon.
Everyone remained safe and secure. The child’s parents were notified and were cooperative with police. At no time was there a threat. The investigation continues at this time.
In an email to staff and families, Principal Laura Burkart said the school is putting supports in place for students and staff to speak to counselors.
We understand that this information may be difficult to process for students, families and staff and we are committed to ensuring that everyone attending or visiting our schools feels safe and supported. To that end, our team at LCTA is working to put supports in place for our students and staff with the ACPS Department of Student Services and Equity and the Department of Human Resources.
News Release: APD officers confiscate handgun in Lyles-Crouch School. Everyone remained safe and secure and the child's parents were notified. pic.twitter.com/twsM1LOz24
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 1, 2024
The Alexandria Police Department (APD) arrested Robert Walker, a 34-year-old D.C. resident, for a carjacking just a few blocks away from APD headquarters and striking a police vehicle.
Police said in a release that Walker was arrested after allegedly carjacking a woman on the 4400 block of Wheeler Avenue at 8:39 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Officers observed the vehicle traveling eastbound on Duke Street where the suspect ran a traffic light at Duke and Quaker,” the release said. “Officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop and the suspect refused to stop. A police pursuit was then initiated.”
APD said Walker traveled past Telegraph Road before crossing the median and traveling westbound on Duke Street.
“The suspect struck the cruiser of an APD officer at the intersection of Janney’s Lane and West Taylor Run Parkway before crashing into a wooded area at the dead end of East Taylor Run Parkway, where the driver fled on foot,” the release said.
Fairfax County K9s were called in to search but Walker surrendered and was taken into custody without incident. APD said the victim was medically evaluated at the scene but declined to be transported to a hospital.
Walker is charged with:
- Felony assault on a law enforcement officer
- Felony eluding
- Felony hit and run
- Carjacking
- Reckless driving
- Disregard traffic light – red
Arrest Made: APD Officers made an arrest and charged a man in the carjacking that occurred last night. See information in attached release. pic.twitter.com/EGdZAbwGHY
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) February 29, 2024
The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office and Alexandria Police Department are investigating an in-custody death at the jail.
Ahntais Lucas, 39, from Fairfax County, was found unresponsive and alone in his cell experiencing a medical emergency. The release said the jail’s medical staff tried to treat Lucas but he was pronounced deceased at 4:42 a.m.
According to a release from the City of Alexandria:
The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office and the Alexandria Police Department are investigating the in-custody death of a local inmate at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center.
This morning, February 26, just before 4 a.m., a deputy found an inmate unresponsive in his cell alone and experiencing an apparent medical emergency. A deputy immediately called for assistance from the jail’s medical staff, and both began life-saving measures. Medics from the Alexandria Fire Department responded and continued treatment, but the patient was pronounced deceased at 4:42 a.m.
The deceased is Ahntais Lucas, 39, of Fairfax County. He had been in custody since August 20, 2023.
Because this is an in-custody death, the Alexandria Police Department is conducting the death investigation. The Sheriff’s Office will conduct a review of the incident to ensure all policies and procedures were followed.