Vienna Police: Fights break out at hypothermia shelter, driver nearly hits dog walker

Tempers ran hot at a hypothermia prevention shelter in Vienna on Friday, Feb. 3.

Police were called to the Church of the Holy Comforter (543 Beulah Road) — which was hosting the seasonal shelter — three separate times that evening to handle fights between residents, according to the Vienna Police Department’s highlights for Feb. 3-9.

By the end of the night, two people were arrested and taken to jail.

Suspicious Event 23-001081
Church of the Holy Comforter
FACETS Hypothermia Prevention Shelter
543 Beulah Road, NE
February 3 between 7:00 p.m. and 7:17 p.m.

Officers responded to the report of a fight between two individuals staying at the shelter. Neither party wished to pursue charges.

Arrest – Drunk In Public 23-001082
Church of the Holy Comforter
FACETS Hypothermia Prevention Shelter
543 Beulah Road, NE
February 3 10:25 p.m.

Officers responded to the report of a fight at the shelter. The staff advised an individual was acting disorderly and antagonizing the others in the shelter. Upon the officer’s interaction with the man, they detected signs of impairment.

Ofc. Reed arrested the 55-year-old man with no fixed address. He was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with Drunk In Public.

Arrest – Assault 23-001083
Church of the Holy Comforter
FACETS Hypothermia Prevention Shelter
543 Beulah Road, NE
February 3 11:11 p.m.

Officers responded to the report of a fight at the shelter. The staff reported one of the residents was provoking another resident, began throwing chairs, and yelling profanities, resulting in a fight when the other resident tried to defend himself.

Ofc. Rodriguez arrested the 28-year-old man with no fixed address. He was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with Simple Assault.

The fights mostly involved different people, though one individual was mentioned in two of the three incidents, according to VPD spokesperson Juan Vasquez.

The hypothermia shelter is operated by the nonprofit FACETS, which partners with faith communities to give people experiencing homelessness a place to spend the night each winter. It runs from the Sunday after Thanksgiving to April 1, changing locations weekly.

A road rage-induced assault and underage drinking

A roadside argument over an alleged traffic violation took an alarming turn for a woman and her dog as they were walking near Talahi Road and Ninovan Road SE between 7 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. on Feb. 6.

“A woman was walking her dog when she got into a verbal altercation with a driver who committed a traffic offense,” the VPD said. “After the altercation, the woman continued walking her dog when she heard the screeching tires and the horn of the vehicle as it began approaching her, stopping just before hitting her and striking her dog’s tail.”

The driver, a 59-year-old Vienna resident, was charged with misdemeanor assault and released from custody on his signature.

Also in its weekly crime report, the police department says its officers broke up a party “where multiple juveniles were drinking and smoking” in the 100 block of Elmar Drive SW at 10:06 p.m. on Feb. 4.

An 18-year-old who said he was hosting the party — apparently without the knowledge of his mom, who returned to the house while police were there — was issued a summons charging him with “contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”

Five of the teens believed to be at the party then made their way to a construction site area in the 200 block of Tapawingo Road SE. Police responded at 10:33 p.m. after receiving a noise complaint.

“Four of the juveniles had consumed alcohol,” the report says. “The juveniles were transported to the police station where their parents were notified to pick them up and they were verbally counseled.”

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