What a busy week in Alexandria.
This week’s top story was all about money, with a $1 million Powerball ticket getting sold in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.
On Monday we reported that an Alexandria resident was charged after a loaded gun was allegedly found in his carry-on bag at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The incident marked the third time last month that a firearm was confiscated from luggage at the airport.
Also Monday, Mayor Justin Wilson said in his monthly newsletter that the March 27 death of the Potomac Yard arena deal would likely mean a period of stagnation for that area of the city. Landowner JBG Smith, however, softened its stance after initially releasing a scathing opinion on the situation, and told the Washington Business Journal on Wednesday that it now envisions Potomac Yard as a tech corridor anchored by the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.
In a Thursday poll, ALXnow asked whether Alexandria is better off without the Potomac Yard arena. The poll got more than 1,300 responses, with 65% voting “Yes,” 26% voting “No” and nearly 10% voting “I don’t know.”
Got a good spot to see the eclipse on Monday? Our second-most-read story this week showcases an eclipse viewing party being hosted by the city in Old Town.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Powerball ticket worth $1 million sold in Mount Vernon (7387 views)
- City of Alexandria hosting eclipse viewing party in Old Town (7375 views)
- Notes: Pizza and cocktail bar opening this week in Old Town (5997 views)
- Sign ordinance update tackling longstanding sign complaints from Alexandria businesses (5400 views)
- In wake of Potomac Yard arena implosion, Alexandria mayor says area will stay the same for ‘quite some time’ (5398 views)
- Alexandria gets federal grant for Duke Street transitway (4171 views)
- No arrest after woman stabbed in neck in Alexandria’s West End (3522 views)
- CIM Group sells apartment complex next to old Landmark Mall property for $225 million (3149 views)
Have a safe weekend!
No arrest has been made since a woman was stabbed in the neck in the West End last Thursday night (March 28).
The victim told police that the suspect stabbed her with a pocket knife in a parking lot of an apartment complex in the 400 block of Mayflower Court at around 7:30 p.m. She suffered a non-life threatening injury and was treated at Inova Fairfax Hospital.
After the stabbing, the victim ran to a nearby hotel in the 200 block of N. Breckinridge Place and the employee at the front desk called 911, according to dispatch reports.
The victim told police that she’d met the suspect only days before, and that he frequented the area.
APD released no suspect information.
“The case is still being investigated,” APD Communications Manager Tracy Walker told ALXnow. “No arrests have been made at this time. The relationship between the suspect and the victim is unclear at this point in the investigation.”
Officers are investigating a felony assault in the 400 block of Mayflower Court. An adult female was stabbed by a man she was familiar with and sustained a non-life threatening injury. She was was transported to the hospital. The man fled the scene. pic.twitter.com/MnoqWV7bWK
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 29, 2024
An Alexandria man was charged with felonious assault after allegedly stabbing an acquaintance inside his West End apartment on Wednesday.
The incident was reported Wednesday morning (Jan. 17) at around 7 a.m. in an apartment in the 300 block of S. Reynolds Street, according to the Alexandria Police Department. Harvey Lewis, Jr., 67, was arrested after allegedly stabbing an acquaintance in the leg. The victim was treated at Inova Alexandria Hospital for a non-life threatening wound.
Lewis was offered $1,000 bond and is currently being held in the Alexandria jail. He goes to court on Feb. 16.
APD is investigating an incident of malicious wounding in the 300 block of S. Reynolds. This occurred between individuals in the same residence. Minor injuries associated and the suspect was apprehended. pic.twitter.com/6IdI4X7Rp0
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) January 17, 2024
A man was taken to the hospital after stumbling into Tiger Market & Bakery (3903 Mount Vernon Avenue) with apparent stab wounds.
Scanner traffic indicated the incident happened around 4:40 p.m. Alexandria Police Department (APD) Communications Manager Tracy Walker told ALXnow a suspect fled the scene in a vehicle after allegedly stabbing a man in Arlandria.
Walker said the wounds appear to be non-life threatening, but the victim was taken to a hospital for medical care.
Walker said there is moderate police presence at the scene as APD investigates the stabbing.
Image via Google Maps. James Cullum and Vernon Miles contributed to this story.
A 35-year-old man was stabbed in an attempted robbery Wednesday night, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
APD was notified at around 11 p.m. that the victim was stabbed in the arm in an attempted robbery in a parking lot in the 5600 block of Derby Court, which is near William Ramsay Elementary School, the William Ramsay Recreation Center and the Jerome “Buddie” Ford Nature Center.
The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital. No suspect information was released to the public. APD sent out a notification at 11:40 p.m. to expect a moderate police presence in the area, and the Alexandria Fire Department dispatcher said that the victim was intoxicated.
Anyone with information on the incident can contact the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
Notification: Moderate police presence in the 5600 block of Derby Court. An adult male has been stabbed and sustained non-life-threatening injuries during an attempted robbery. He is being transported for medical treatment. APD is investigating at this time. pic.twitter.com/9SPswUBW2q
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) November 30, 2023
(Updated at 12 p.m., Nov. 14) A man is being held without bond in connection to the stabbing death of a 38-year-old man inside a Del Ray church.
The Alexandria Police Department confirmed that a suspect is in custody, but released few details on the suspected stabbing death of a 38-year-old man in Del Ray on Sunday afternoon.
APD was notified at around 4:25 p.m. that a person was stabbed inside the One God In Christ Apostolic Church (2707 Dewitt Avenue), and the victim died at the scene, according to the police scanner.
At 4:56 p.m., APD said over the scanner that they had the suspect at gunpoint nearly a mile from where the incident occurred, at the Exxon station at the corner of E. Monroe and Mount Vernon Avenues. Police then identified the suspect as Bisrat Shaga.
Shaga, who has no fixed address, was charged with malicious wounding and is being held without bond, according to court records. Shaga has a public defender as an attorney and has his first court appearance on Dec. 19.
This is the seventh homicide of the year in Alexandria.
APD said that anyone with information regarding this incident please contact Detective Matthew Kramarik via phone at 703-746-6650, email at [email protected], at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
A man was stabbed to death Sunday afternoon in Del Ray, and a suspect is in custody, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
APD was notified at around 4:25 p.m. that a person was stabbed in the 2700 block of Dewitt Avenue near E. Raymond Avenue, according to the police scanner. The suspect was described by police as a Black male with a medium complexion in his mid-30s and wearing a gray pullover sweatshirt and dark pants.
At 4:56 p.m., APD had the suspect at gunpoint nearly a mile from where the incident occurred, at the Exxon station at the corner of E. Monroe and Mount Vernon Avenues. Police said via dispatch, while searching for the suspect, that he is known to frequent Old Town, the Mount Vernon corridor and Potomac Yard.
ALXnow is awaiting more details from APD on the suspect’s identity, as well as the victim’s. More information is expected when the department puts out a press release, an APD spokesman told ALXnow.
This is the seventh homicide of the year in Alexandria.
Notification:: In response to a death investigation, there is a moderate police presence in the vicinity of the 2700
block of Dewitt Avenue. APD is on scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/147aLnjkvq— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) November 12, 2023
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a stabbing that allegedly occurred in Arlandria on Sunday night.
APD was initially dispatched at 10:45 p.m. to the 4000 block of Mount Vernon Avenue for a report of a motor vehicle crash. The incident was recategorized as a stabbing, and police interviewed a man who was allegedly stabbed while riding his bicycle, according to the police scanner. The victim was interviewed by police at the scene.
The 4000 block of Mount Vernon Avenue was briefly swarmed by police cruisers and an ambulance, as well as a K-9 officer.
ALXnow has reached out to APD for details on this incident.
Anyone with details on this incident can contact the APD non-emergency line at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
(Updated at 8:30 p.m.) A 17-year-old former Alexandria City High School student was sentenced Thursday to five years with the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice for the 2022 murder of 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez in the parking lot of the Bradlee Shopping Center, with one of those years already served.
Ryan Vega was 16 when he fatally stabbed Hernandez during a melee with dozens of ACHS students in the parking lot. In a two-day June bench trial, Judge James C. Clark found Vega guilty of second-degree murder and murder by mob, and said that Vega took advantage of his time behind bars at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center by exhibiting good behavior and doing well with school.
“It appears to your credit, Mr. Vega, that you have taken advantage of your time,” Clark said before announcing the sentence. “In making this decision, I cannot ignore the harm of your actions. If I thought a life sentence would bring Luis back, I’d do it.”
Clark sentenced Vega to remain in the juvenile detention center until he is 21, in addition to 10 years suspended with the Virginia Department of Corrections and five years of supervised probation. He’s already been in jail for 17 months, putting the total sentence for the homicide at approximately five years behind bars by the time he is released.
He must also continue behavioral therapy and have no contact with the victim’s family.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney David Lord asked Clark for a 30-year sentence in an adult prison, with 10 years suspended. Lord said Vega was addicted to fentanyl at the time of the incident and was part of a disturbing trend of young people living on the edge.
“Part of justice involves answering that pain by the imposing of justice by this court,” Lord said in his closing argument.
Vega, who wore black sneakers, dark slacks and a gray sweater on top of a blue button-up shirt, kept his head down as he read a statement to the court. He said that the events of May 24, 2022 never stop running through his head and that he wishes he could turn back the clock.
“I am deeply and terribly sorry for the pain and loss I have caused your family,” Vega said, after being admitted to address the victim’s family. “Please know I will always pray for your family and Luis until my final breath.”
Vega said in another statement to the court that he spent sleepless nights staring at the ceiling of the juvenile detention center and that he was “remorseful beyond comprehension.” His attorneys Sebastian Norton and Sean Sherlock said that he wrote letters to Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson asking for more books in the detention center, and that he has distinguished himself as a leader behind bars.
Osmin Mejia Romero, the victim’s father, was upset by the sentence.
“This sentence is nothing,” Mejia Romero said. “It’s not a good situation. I wanted him in jail for 30 years, and I waited more than a year for this. His apology means nothing. He’s a liar.”
Mayor Wilson said he never saw a letter from Vega and that the Commonwealth’s requested sentence seemed appropriate.
“I did not review the evidence or sit through the trial, but based on my knowledge of the case, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s requested sentence certainly seemed a lot more appropriate to me.”
The stabbing occurred during a brawl between two rival gangs of Alexandria City High School teenagers on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 — a week before graduation on a half-day while students took their Virginia Standards of Learning tests. The fight was over within one minute, and Mejia Hernandez was fatally stabbed in the heart. An autopsy showed that he also had abrasions to his neck, chin, the back of his hands, abdomen and knees, according to court records. The cause of death was a 7/8-inch stab wound to the chest.
Hernandez was given a posthumous diploma at graduation a week later.
Clark said that Vega was likely experiencing opioid withdrawal at the time of the incident.
“I just can’t help observe the defendant’s decision to start using drugs,” he said. “It likely was a significant factor in forming his judgment to be at Bradlee.”
The murder was one of several incidents that resulted in a number of new policies and security enhancements in and around Alexandria City High School, including a metal detector program, increased police patrols in the area, as well as a rule prohibiting kids from frequenting the shopping center during school hours.
Sherlock said that he is thankful for Clark’s “wise” decision.
“We are incredibly remorseful to the family of Luis Hernandez,” Sherlock said. “We’re very thankful for the wisdom of the court and Judge Clark in imposing this sentence, fully taking into account the seriousness of what happened on May 24, while balancing that appropriately with the goals of sentencing and the capabilities of rehabilitation for juveniles.”
(Updated 12:17 p.m.) A man reported that he was stabbed in the leg in Arlandria early this morning, but reportedly refused medical attention after calling 911, according to the police scanner.
The victim called 911 at around 1:45 a.m. and told a dispatcher that he was stabbed in the leg in the 3900 block of Old Dominion Boulevard, near the intersection with Four Mile Road.
The victim waited for first responders outside an apartment complex, but did not cooperate with police by providing a suspect description. He also refused medical treatment, according to the scanner.
Anyone with information on the incident can call the Alexandria Police Department non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
