One of the two individuals arrested at Tysons Corner Center on Sunday (Dec. 18) will face several charges, mostly related to possession of a gun that police say was reported stolen in Prince William County.

The Fairfax County Police Department said Monday that a 16-year-old from Centreville has been charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a person underage, possession of a concealed weapon, possession of a stolen firearm and obstruction of justice.

The teen is one of three people sought by police in connection to a robbery in Arlington County. A second person taken into custody on Sunday — a man — has been released, according to the FCPD.

“Officers continue to work with Arlington County Police to positively identify the third suspect and determine if additional charges will be sought,” the department said.

UPDATE: Tysons Urban Team officers charged a 16-year-old teen from Centreville after yesterday’s arrest at the Tysons Corner Center. Officers continue to work with @ArlingtonVaPD & assist with their investigation. pic.twitter.com/CPei0BvFKm

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 19, 2022

According to the FCPD, an off-duty Arlington County police officer notified its Tysons Urban Team (TUT) at 7:54 p.m. on Sunday that they saw three people “believed to possibly be involved” in a robbery in that neighboring county.

“TUT officers waited for the three men to exit the mall and attempted to take them into custody,” the FCPD said. “The men ran back into the mall. Two of the men were taken into custody.”

No shots were fired, but social media reports of people running in the mall led to unfounded rumors of an active shooter. Police later said there were no gunshots or evacuation, though a gun was recovered in the arrest.

An Arlington County Police Department spokesperson said last night that a person had been robbed, but no further details about the robbery investigation could be shared due to a need “to ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”

“The investigation into the Arlington County robbery is ongoing and no charges have been sought at this time,” APD spokesperson Ashley Savage said.

(Updated at 10:25 a.m. on 12/20/2022) Contrary to some reports on Twitter, there were no gunshots at Tysons Corner Center last night, Fairfax County police confirmed.

Officers with the Tysons Urban Team did take two people into custody at the mall as part of an investigation into a robbery in Arlington County, the department said.

The FCPD said that it was working with the Arlington Police Department on the case and had located three suspects at Tysons Corner Center. Two of the suspects were taken into custody, and a firearm was recovered, but no shots were fired.

“The investigation continues. One suspect outstanding. No outstanding threat to the mall or community,” police said.

A handful of tweets from around 8 p.m. yesterday say that “everyone” in the mall started running, mentioning a possible active shooter and stores going into lockdown.

According to the Washington Post, the robbery suspects ran when officers arrived, which may have triggered a fire alarm, but no evacuation was ordered. Neither of the suspects was holding a gun when they were detained.

The FCPD didn’t immediately respond to FFXnow’s inquiry seeking to confirm the Post’s reporting.

Gun-related anxieties have been high at Tysons Corner Center since three shots were fired on June 18, triggered a panicked evacuation. The suspect in that incident was indicted in September.

The mall was also evacuated on Aug. 7 after the sound of a light fixture shattering was mistaken for gunfire.

“At Tysons Corner Center we put the safety of our retailers and shoppers at the center of everything we do,” Jesse Benites, the mall’s general manager said in a statement. “Through our robust security program, we work closely with our partners in law enforcement and are continually evaluating and adjusting our plans to address specific issues. We know Tysons Corner Center is the heart of the community and we want all who work here and visit to enjoy their experience.”

Tonight, our TUT officers located three suspects involved in a robbery in Arlington. No shots were fired. Two suspects taken into custody and a firearm was recovered. The investigation continues. One suspect outstanding. No outstanding threat to the mall or community.

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 19, 2022

was inside Tysons Corner and saw a crowd running towards the exit, so told my husband that we should just leave. as we exit the garage, they announced to evacuate the mall immediately. we saw this outside Macy’s. don’t know what’s happening but stay safe! pic.twitter.com/t4ZKdZGTGg

— marj (@marjanneco) December 19, 2022

A 27-year-old man was arrested in West Falls Church last night after fleeing from and shooting at police officers and troopers in both Fairfax and Arlington counties.

Identified as Ricardo Singleton, the man fired “several rounds” at Fairfax and Arlington officers and Virginia State Police troopers who converged on the Bestway Supermarket shopping center at the intersection of Arlington Blvd and Graham Road, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a joint media briefing.

The center was still busy when the shooting occurred around 8:30 p.m., but no injuries were reported to police, bystanders, or the suspect, according to Davis. One officer with the Fairfax County Police Department fired their gun.

“There’s restaurants here, there’s gas stations here. We’re early enough in the night that there’s pedestrians. There’s folks walking around,” Davis said. “It’s an absolute miracle that no one was struck and injured or killed, and we’re very, very grateful for that.”

Arlington law enforcement first encountered Singleton around 9 a.m. yesterday when he motioned over Arlington sheriff’s deputies to his vehicle, which was parked in front of the Arlington County Courthouse, FFXnow’s sister site ARLnow reported.

“When the deputies came over to the vehicle, they noticed that the person had a firearm in his possession, and shortly after that the gentleman drove off,” Arlington County Police Chief Penn said.

Suspect in custody. Officers are in the area of Arlington Blvd/Graham Rd after a man fled a traffic stop from @ArlingtonVaPD. Suspect reported to have fired shots at police. No injuries reported to officers or to suspect. #FCPD took man into custody. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/37QWnON5VR

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 7, 2022

The deputies came across the vehicle again in a nearby garage. The driver “mentioned something about needing help,” but after the deputies approached and saw the firearm, the man again drove off, this time crashing into a parked vehicle, police say.

According to Penn, ACPD identified Singleton as the suspect and obtained warrants for eluding, brandishing, and hit-and-run. Read More

The Fairfax County Police Department is conducting an administrative review of a traffic stop on Richmond Highway this past weekend, video from which was posted on social media.

The woman who posted the viral video to Instagram on Saturday (Oct. 1) said she was on her way to Walmart to pick up food for her kids, who were in the car, when a police cruiser hit her vehicle “head on going 60 to 70 mph.”

“I’m sitting at the light, and he comes and hits me from the front, claiming that I was in a high-speed chase,” the woman said in the video. “I’ve been in the hospital, having my…baby.”

The car that the woman was driving had been reported in connection to a felony in Arlington, according to a FCPD statement posted Sunday night, and the occupants were listed as potentially “armed and dangerous.”

In her post, the woman says the officers pointed a gun at her and told her to put her hands outside the car window, “screaming that I could become a threat if I moved.” She and the kids were put in the back of a police vehicle, while police searched the car and verified her account.

The video shows the woman telling police that they “have the wrong person” and should call Inova Alexandria Hospital to verify that she was recently there. After an officer opens the back door of a police cruiser to let the kids out, the woman walks to a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue ambulance and says she’s going to sue.

“Excuse my mouth, but stuff got me out of character today,” she said, acknowledging the profanity used throughout the encounter.

FCPD said Sunday that patrol officers had stopped a vehicle in the Mount Vernon area around 3:30 p.m. the previous day, but police say the officer who hit the woman’s car was traveling under 10 mph at the time of the collision.

The video shows a dimple on the car’s front bumper and a dent on the driver’s door. An FCPD spokesperson told FFXnow that the dent “was not from us,” according to a police supervisor, noting that the police cruiser had no damage.

Officers stopped the car because it matched a silver Nissan Altima that Arlington County had entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, according to FCPD.

“Officers verified the alert as a felony vehicle with occupants listed as armed and dangerous, traveling in the area of Richmond Hwy and South Kings Hwy,” the FCPD said.

According to the Arlington County Police Department, the vehicle had been entered into the NCIC after someone driving it fled from an attempted traffic stop near Crystal City for an expired registration.

From ACPD:

At the intersection of Richmond Highway and 33rd Street S., the officer attempted a traffic stop by activating their emergency equipment. The driver of the vehicle fled, ran two red lights, and exited Arlington County. The officer entered the vehicle into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for felony eluding with a request that the occupants be identified if the vehicle was stopped by law enforcement. The registered owner of the vehicle was determined to have multiple weapons offenses and was listed as possibly armed and dangerous. The investigation into the eluding is ongoing.

The FCPD spokesperson said that an officer pulled up in front of the car to box it in, and police instructed the driver to get out of the car while at gunpoint, describing that as standard procedure for a “felony traffic stop.”

Police confirmed that the woman had been in the hospital at the time of the crime and none of the passengers, including another woman and two children, had been involved in the Arlington incident. However, they also found that the woman didn’t own the car, so it was towed, the spokesperson said.

“Somebody else had access to that car while she was in the hospital, so she wasn’t involved with any of this,” police said. “But the car was listed as a felony vehicle with dangerous people inside, so our officers stopped the car, as they should, and made sure that the dangerous people weren’t inside the car.”

FFXnow contacted the woman but was unable to get comment by publication time. She told NBC 4 that it was a “very traumatic situation” and she wants an apology from FCPD, asking why police didn’t use their lights and sirens to simply pull her over.

(Updated at 6:15 p.m.) — Bailey’s Crossroads, including Route 7 and Crossroads Place, has reopened and shelter-in-place orders have been lifted after reported gunshots prompted a massive police response to the area.

The Fairfax County Police Department continues to investigate the shooting, which reportedly damaged two cars in the 3500 block of Jefferson Street but didn’t result in any injuries.

Initial reports suggested the shots came from a “high-powered rifle” in a nearby high-rise, but police now say detectives have determined that they were fired by a handgun at ground level, according to a press conference broadcast live by NBC4.

“Detectives determined the gunfire was not from an elevated position or from a high caliber weapon,” the FCPD said. “Detectives continue to investigate & remain in the area.”

Throughout this afternoon (Friday), Bailey’s Crossroads residents and visitors were directed to shelter in place after police received a “shots fired” call at 11:15 a.m.

According to scanner traffic, a driver reported hearing a loud noise, and the rear window of their car shattered. Officers at the scene determined that two to three vehicles parked at the Crossroads Place shopping center had been damaged by gunfire.

Two people had been standing in the proximity of both vehicles at the time of the shooting, but neither of them were hit. Police currently believe that the shooting was random, and there is no indication that the people whose cars were hit knew each other, FCPD Lt. Dan Spital told media.

“We have no reason to believe that any specific individual was targeted in the shooting,” he said at the briefing.

Around 12:30 p.m., police told FFXnow that it wasn’t considered an active shooter situation, meaning there was no ongoing gunfire.

However, Crossroads Place was completely blocked off, and Leesburg Pike shut down in both directions. Fairfax County Public Schools also issued “secure the building” alerts at Bailey’s and Glen Forest elementary schools.

“[That] means no outside activities are occurring right now, everyone has been brought inside, doors are locked and the learning continues,” an FCPS spokesperson said around 2 p.m.

Arlington took similar actions at Wakefield High School and Claremont Elementary School.

“Wakefield has been notified of an incident involving police activity near the school,” Arlington Public Schools said. “As a precaution, we have placed the school in Secure-the-Building* status. This means that all doors are locked and no one can leave or enter the building as a precaution.”

FCPD had helicopter, special operations, and patrol officers involved in the search. Arlington first responder units were also dispatched to assist.

While no additional shots were reported after the initial call, Spital said the large emergency response was appropriate, since “we’re always going to err on the side of caution.” Police have not identified any suspects, but the investigation is ongoing, and community members are advised to remain “cognizant.”

“We’re not aware if [the shots] came from a vehicle or a person walking by, but we do have some active leads. We’re combing through a lot of evidence,” Spital said.

Arts agencies from Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria are forming a supergroup.

Unveiled Monday (Aug. 8), the newly created Northern Virginia Local Arts Agencies (NVLAA) consists of ArtsFairfax, the Alexandria Office of the Arts, and the Arlington Cultural Affairs Office. Its initial ambitions are modest, centered mostly on professional development, but the pooled resources could be a boon for the local arts community.

“The more opportunities that are available and cross-promotion that we can provide, getting the word out and reaching artists and organizations that can use this type of support, it benefits everyone,” ArtsFairfax Senior Director of Grants & Services Lisa Mariam said, noting that many artists do work across the three jurisdictions.

The collective can trace its origins back to the pre-pandemic days of early 2020, when the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts approached all three agencies to see if they were interested in collaborating on workshops for artists, Mariam told FFXnow.

Formed in 1983, WALA is a nonprofit of volunteering lawyers who provide education, advocacy, and legal services to artists and cultural organizations in the D.C. area, according to its website.

The groups started planning a series of workshops that Mariam says was always intended to be virtual, since it would serve participants from across the region. That decision proved fortuitous, though, after COVID-19 shut down in-person gatherings and events in the spring of 2020.

The desire to collaborate reemerged last year when ArtsFairfax invited its Arlington and Alexandria counterparts to an “Art of Mass Gatherings” symposium aimed at helping festivals prepare for emergencies. Though based in McLean, the event drew participants from all three localities over two days in October.

After that experience, staff at the different agencies started discussing other ways to collaborate, especially for professional development, as local arts groups were trying to find their footing during the pandemic.

“It’s been really great for us, because we each have limited resources for this type of programming,” Mariam said. “Sharing the costs as well as the logistical support involved in pulling off these programs and promoting them works really well with a collaborative like this.”

ArtsFairfax received nearly $1.4 million from Fairfax County for the current fiscal year, which started on July 1. That included a $250,000 increase over the previous year to bolster the agency’s grants program. The organization also gets funding from state, federal, nonprofit and private sources.

NVLAA will officially launch this fall with four online workshops: Read More