A man was arrested in Maryland earlier this week for allegedly following a woman, assaulting her and trying to break into her house in Bailey’s Crossroads.
Fairfax County police officers and detectives were called to the home in the 5700 block of Poplar Lane near Bailey’s Crossroads at 12:31 a.m. on Dec. 8 for an assault and burglary, according to a news release.
Police say the victim first encountered Antiero Ebai Menyoli, 29, in the parking lot of MGM National Harbor Hotel and Casino in Oxon Hill, Maryland, earlier that evening.
“They talked briefly [and] then the victim got in her vehicle and drove home,” the Fairfax County Police Department said. “While driving, the victim noticed a vehicle was following her due to one headlight being brighter than the other.”
Suspecting the other driver was the man she’d talked to in the parking lot, the woman “attempted to lose the vehicle prior to arriving home,” police said. However, Menyoli allegedly approached her as she was walking to the house and assaulted her.
“She was able to break free and run inside her house,” the FCPD said. “Menyoli followed her and broke a glass panel in the victim’s door to gain access to the house. He was unsuccessful and then fled the scene.”
The FCPD says detectives identified Menyoli based on a review of surveillance footage.
He was arrested on Tuesday (Dec. 12) in Prince George’s County and charged with burglary, assault, and property destruction. He is awaiting extradition to Fairfax County, according to the police department.
Police also made an arrest on Tuesday in a string of five burglaries that started on Monday (Dec. 11). The incidents started with a home burglary and the theft of a Nissan Altima in Oakton around 8 p.m. and ended after 9:10 a.m. in Fairfax Station when a 93-year-old woman reported a break-in at her house to 911.
A man who kicked off this week with a 21-hour standoff with police in Bailey’s Crossroads is facing assault and abduction charges.
Additional charges are possible against Brian Ramos, 21, for his killing of a cat during the barricade, which began shortly before 4 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 10) and concluded after 1 p.m. yesterday (Monday), the Fairfax County Police Department said.
As previously reported, police were called to the 6000 block of Bellview Drive in Culmore’s Olde Salem Village apartment complex at 3:52 p.m. for a report of a person being assaulted with a baseball bat.
“Two victims were abducted by a roommate [and] then one victim was assaulted with a baseball bat,” the FCPD said in a news release. “The victims were able to escape the apartment and call the police.”
When officers arrived, Ramos had barricaded himself alone in the apartment with his cat and a knife, which he threatened to use, according to police.
The situation remained unchanged until around 12:20 a.m., when officers saw Ramos start a fire inside the apartment, the FCPD said. He then “fatally harmed the cat and proceeded to exit his apartment and climb to the roof.”
It’s unclear exactly how the standoff was resolved, but the FCPD says Ramos eventually climbed off the roof using a ladder provided by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. Police announced at 1:11 p.m. yesterday that he had been taken into custody.
The person who got assaulted with a baseball bat — identified by police as a roommate of Ramos — was treated for minor injuries.
After getting taken to a hospital for evaluation, Ramos was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he remains without bond.
Ramos has been charged with two counts each of assault and abduction. In addition to the possible charges for the cat’s death, the FCPD says a potential arson charge is pending.
“Officers from our Crisis Negotiation Team & our Special [Operations] Division worked throughout a very cold two days to safely take this man into custody,” FCPD communications director Katherine Hayek said in a tweet. “Some incredible work, taking advantage of time & space, and great tactics, brought this scary situation to a peaceful end.”
Officers from our Crisis Negotiation Team & our Special Ops Division worked throughout a very cold two days 🥶 to safely take this man into custody.
Some incredible work, taking advantage of time & space, and great tactics, brought this scary situation to a peaceful end. 🙌 https://t.co/YWrGgGceza
— Katherine Hayek (@KatieHayekComms) December 12, 2023
Photo via FCPD/Twitter
Updated at 1:20 p.m. — The man who barricaded himself inside a Bailey’s Crossroads apartment is now in custody, Fairfax County police announced at 1:11 p.m.
Earlier: A man has barricaded himself inside a Bailey’s Crossroads apartment for more than 16 hours now after reportedly attacking a roommate with a bat.
Fairfax County police were called to the scene in the 6000 block of Bellview Drive at 3:52 p.m. yesterday (Sunday) by someone who reported that their son hit a neighbor with a bat, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
Several people were evacuated from that unit and other apartment buildings in Olde Salem Village. The man barricaded himself inside a closet with a knife, per the scanner.
“The victim sustained minor injuries,” the Fairfax County Police Department said. “Please avoid the area as officers attempt to negotiate.”
Police confirmed that the man is not related to the victim.
“It was determined they are only roommates,” the FCPD told FFXnow.
The police department said in an update at 10:31 a.m. today (Monday) that its officers and crisis negotiators “continue their efforts to take the man into custody.”
Crisis negotiators continue to speak with the man. Please avoid the area as officers work through the situation.
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 10, 2023
Image via Google Maps
The Food Star site in Bailey’s Crossroads is officially open for redevelopment.
At a meeting on Nov. 21, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan amendment to allow a mix of commercial and residential units on the 12.7-acre site at the southeast intersection of Leesburg Pike and Carlin Springs Road.
The plan — which was sought by property owner George Hong — calls for building heights ranging from four to 14 stories and a mix of between 900 to 1,300 new apartments, along with 65,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Hong has said that Food Star, a grocery store at 5521 Leesburg Pike, will be incorporated into the future development, according to Annandale Today.
Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross noted that the original proposal was much more intense than what ultimately came to the board.
“The original concept envisioned more units and much smaller ones,” Gross said. “The language of the plan amendment will accommodate an intensity of units that I think could be successful.”
The board authorized consideration of a plan amendment for the area in May 2022.
The Carousel Court Apartments — a set of 90 affordable residential units on the south side of Seminary Road — will not be impacted by the redevelopment plan.
Three high-rise multi-family buildings between seven and 14 stories tall with ground-floor retail are planned at the corner of Leesburg Pike and Carlin Springs Road. Another mid-rise multi-family building would be placed on the site of the property on Seminar Road, according to the proposal.
County staff said in their report on the proposed amendment that it was considered in light of the county’s existing vision of the area as a “‘village scale’ mixed-use development.”
Mixed-use centers such as the Baileys Crossroads [Community Business Center] are envisioned to become pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use environments with a more urban character that will complement adjacent residential areas and promote transit usage. The overall land use approach for the Baileys Crossroads CBC envisions a transformation from a predominantly retail environment to one that balances retail, office, residential, civic, and open spaces.
Gross noted that there are other opportunities to redevelop neighboring areas, particularly those “sandwiched” between newer and older development.
“We really think the properties to the east would be well served to be part of a future development because then…it wouldn’t be chopping up so much,” she said.
(Updated at 8:45 p.m.) An explosion occurred while Fairfax County firefighters were addressing “a utility emergency” at Build America Plaza in Bailey’s Crossroads earlier this evening (Monday).
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department personnel, including an investigator, were dispatched to the shopping center at 3819 South George Mason Drive around 4:30 p.m., according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
At 4:33 p.m., a firefighter in the electrical room reported “smoke coming from the sidewalk” but no active fire, per the scanner.
A firefighter said at 4:39 p.m. that a “power explosion” occurred in an exterior structure that’s attached to the building. Scanner traffic indicates that gas to the building was shut off.
At 4:51 p.m., a battalion commander reported that “we just had some sort of explosion underground over here,” adding that power will also need to be shut off. A video shared later by the FCFRD shows a firefighter tugging open a door, releasing smoke, followed by a ball of fire.
This evening #FCFRD responded to a utility emergency in the 3800 blk of S George Mason Dr. An explosion occurred while crews were working. Thankfully, our firefighter is okay. FCFRD FFs put their lives on the line everyday to protect the lives & property of @fairfaxcounty. pic.twitter.com/Odp5tBGz9C
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) November 8, 2023
The firefighter is “thankfully” okay, the department said in a tweet shortly after 8:30 p.m. No injuries have been reported from the incident, though the exact nature of the utility issue remains unclear.
“The utility companies will determine what the issue is,” Ashley Hildebrandt, a fire department spokesperson, told FFXnow.
Businesses in the affected two-story building include a 7-Eleven, Stone Hot Pizza and several Ethiopian establishments, including restaurants, markets and a butcher shop.
#FCFRD units are on scene of a utility emergency at a shopping center in the 3800 blk of South George Mason Drive in the Bailey’s Crossroads area. Utility companies are en route. The building has been evacuated. No reported civilian or firefighter injuries. pic.twitter.com/9SDeEja8yy
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) November 7, 2023
An upcoming cafe is bringing coffee from its historical birthplace to the Town of Vienna.
Qamaria Coffee, a Michigan-based company, will open its first cafe on the East Coast next year at 124 Maple Avenue West in Vienna Shopping Center, filling a 1,900-square-foot space that has been vacant since Viva Sol Juice Company closed on Dec. 31, 2021.
Vienna isn’t short on cafes, welcoming Café de Vienna to Church Street just over a month ago, but Qamaria promises to stand out with its focus on coffee sourced exclusively from Yemen, which is believed to be where coffee beans were first brewed into a beverage.
“Historians trace the origin of coffee to this region, which gives it an incredibly rich history and unique flavor profile to these rare beans,” a Qamaria spokesperson told FFXnow. “The café will also be offering a warm and inviting gathering space to enjoy coffee and tea into the evening, prepared using the espresso extraction methods as well as traditional brewing methods that have been used for thousands of years.”
Though this will be the company’s first brick-and-mortar location, it’s no stranger to the D.C. area: Qamaria launched a coffee truck in July that’s primarily based in Bailey’s Crossroads at 3400 Payne Street but gets booked for events throughout the region.
The spokesperson says the new Vienna cafe isn’t intended to replace the truck, which was seen as “an opportunity to begin serving our fans a limited menu.” The mobile operation will continue into “the foreseeable future.”
“The brand has gained incredible traction over the last several years, and this was a meaningful way to introduce this unique experience to the DMV market as we launch our first brick-and-mortar operation,” the spokesperson said.
Founded by entrepreneurs Munif Maweri and Hatem Al-Eidaroos, Qamaria began as a supplier dedicated to “building a supply chain to source Yemeni coffee beans,” according to its website. It opened its first cafe in early 2021 in Dearborn, Michigan, just outside Detroit out of a desire to bring coffee directly to customers.
The company now has 12 franchises across Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Texas and California. It also runs a roastery in Dearborn and continues to sell coffee online and wholesale, claiming to having the largest inventory of Yemeni coffee beans in the U.S.
In addition to coffee, the Vienna cafe will serve pastries and sweets.
“Given where we are in the process, we can say that we expect to launch in the first half of 2024,” Qamaria said. “We are thrilled to be situated in the heart of Vienna, a town with a diverse population and accessibility to Fairfax County at large.”
With Halloween less than a week away, time is running out to assemble a costume and housing decorations ghoulish enough to impress neighborhood trick-or-treaters.
Fortunately for those making last-minute preparations, the seasonal pop-up Spirit Halloween has taken possession of several vacant retail stores across Fairfax County.
That includes a return to the former Lord & Taylor store at Tysons Corner Center, which first got converted last year after previously hosting a mass COVID-19 vaccination site. Long-term plans to redevelop the building at 7950 Tysons Corner Center got approved last month by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
Accessible from the Plaza, the store is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, except for Sundays, when doors close at 7 p.m.
Other locations include:
- Fairfax Towne Center in the former Bed Bath & Beyond (12100 Fairfax Towne Center)
- Crossroads Center in Bailey’s Crossroads, also a former Bed Bath & Beyond (5810 Crossroads Center Way)
- Springfield Commons in the former Party City (6721B Frontier Drive)
- Rose Hill Plaza in a former Tuesday Morning (6140 Rose Hill Drive)
- Village Center in Centreville, another former Tuesday Morning (5619 Stone Road)
The company’s website also lists a store as “coming soon” to the former Office Depot (3536 South Jefferson Street) at Crossroads Center in Bailey’s Crossroads. Spirit Halloween didn’t respond to FFXnow by press time when asked if that location is still coming.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Spirit Halloween announced before this season began that it would be its “biggest” one yet, with more than 1,500 locations around North America.
“We’ve seen Halloween grow from a single day of excitement into a season-long celebration, with so many enthusiasts showcasing their love for Halloween all year long,” Spirit Halloween CEO Steven Silverstein said in a press release. “…However you celebrate this season, we have everything Halloween fans need, from the classics to the hottest new trends.”
In addition to opening physical pop-up stores every fall, the business sells Halloween costumes, decor and animatronics year-round online.
Fairfax County police are on the lookout for an individual who apparently shot a man in Bailey’s Crossroads with a crossbow.
A caller told 911 shortly after midnight on Sunday (Oct. 15) that he was walking down Carlin Springs Road at Columbia Pike when something struck his back, like “he was shot with something,” but he couldn’t tell what it was, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
Officers and emergency medical services were dispatched to the 3400 block of Carlin Springs Road for the reported assault around 12:05 a.m.
Based on a preliminary investigation, police believe the adult man was shot with an arrow fired from a crossbow.
“The man was walking on the sidewalk when his backpack was struck by the arrow which continued into his back,” the Fairfax County Police Department said today (Tuesday) in a news release. “He was transported to the hospital due to injuries that were deemed non-life-threatening, and after receiving treatment, he was released.”
According to the scanner, the incident occurred near the 7-Eleven at 3420 Carlin Springs Road. The victim “didn’t see anything,” so no description of the suspect was obtained, an officer told the dispatcher.
Detectives with the Mason District station are continuing to investigate the incident. The FCPD asks anyone with information to contact the district’s criminal investigations division at 703-256-8035.
This isn’t Fairfax County’s first violent incident involving arrows.
On Jan. 4, 2022, a Chantilly man drew a compound bow on officers who had been called to help him get mental health treatment. One officer shot the man, who was hospitalized and later charged with felony assault and aggravated attempted murder against a law enforcement officer. Earlier this year, Fairfax County’s independent police auditor affirmed the FCPD’s determination that the use of force “was lawful and complied with departmental policy.”
A Bailey’s Crossroads resident has been arrested after allegedly threatening violence at a church in Haymarket.
Rui Jiang, 35, posted multiple “threatening” messages to his Instagram account on Sunday (Sept. 24), including ones where he pointed a gun at pictures of churches, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The messages led a community member to alert the Anne Arundel County Police Department, whose officers determined that Jiang lives in Fairfax County. The FCPD says it was asked to conduct a welfare check at 9:22 a.m.
“Mason Patrol officers responded to his home in the 5600 block of Seminary Road,” the FCPD said in a news release. “They determined Jiang was not home. Based on the messages shared on Instagram, officers believed Jiang was at the Park Valley Church in Haymarket.”
Fairfax County officers then contacted the Prince William County Police Department at 10 a.m., suggesting that it check Park Valley Church to see if Jiang was there.
Police said church staff had been “monitoring a suspicious person on the premises” at the same time that an off-duty Prince William County officer handling traffic outside found Jiang’s car in the parking lot, Inside NoVA reported.
Jiang arrived at the church at 10:12 a.m. and was promptly taken into custody by Prince William police, according to the FCPD.
“The accused apparently entered the building through a separate door and had been inside the location prior to being stopped,” the Prince William County Police Department said in a news release. “Church services were going on at the time, no injuries were reported. The accused was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun, an additional magazine, a folding knife, and a folding ‘credit card’ style knife.”
Jiang has a concealed weapon permit, and the firearm was not reported stolen, according to the PWCPD.
Jiang has been charged in Prince William with threats of bodily harm and carrying a dangerous weapon to a place of worship. He’s being held at the county’s jail without bond.
The FCPD says its new threat assessment managment unit, which launched earlier this month, has been assisting with the investigation.
“TAM detectives assisted with the execution of a search warrant at Jiang’s home,” Fairfax County police said. “Evidence supporting Jiang’s intent to cause harm was recovered from the scene. Detectives will work with our multidisciplinary team to determine the appropriate resources for threat mitigation and management of the case.”
Photo via Google Maps
Fairfax County is considering renaming its community center in Bailey’s Crossroads after a mid-20th-century pillar of the Black community.
At a Board of Supervisors meeting yesterday (Tuesday), its first since July, retiring Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross proposed looking into renaming the decades-old Bailey’s Community Center after Minnie Peyton.
Peyton was the well-known matriarch of Springdale, a historically Black community in Bailey’s Crossroads that originated as a home to freedmen after the Civil War.
Peyton founded several local churches and donated land to the county, specifically for an elementary school for Black students. When the school was completed in 1956, per county tax records, Fairfax County was still segregating Black and white students.
Today, the land once occupied by the school is the site of Bailey’s Community Center and Higher Horizons Head Start Program, an early education facility founded in 1963.
Naming the community center after Peyton would be a fitting acknowledgment of her role in the area’s history, Gross said in a board matter.
The Springdale community in Bailey’s Crossroads had its beginnings as home to freedmen following the Civil War, and has nurtured hundreds, perhaps thousands, of families in the last century-and-a-half. As with many traditional Black communities, the residents erected a church and built a small elementary school to educate their children, but the neighborhood received few local services – no paved roads, no sidewalks, no public drinking water or wastewater infrastructure. There is a growing desire in the community to re-name the community center to honor Minnie Peyton and reflect its historic roots.
While advocating for the change, Gross acknowledged that “more research needs to be done” and requested that the Fairfax County History Commission “verify available documentation” before the switch.
Gross gave the commission a deadline of next summer to report its findings.
The Board of Supervisors approved the request unanimously, though no date or timeline was given on when the community center’s name might actually change.
This isn’t the only county community center to undergo a name change recently. In July, the Board officially approved renaming the Providence Community Center as the Jim Scott Community Center.
Scott was a former supervisor and represented the county in the Virginia House of Delegates for over two decades. He was most known for advocating for the state’s “motor voter” law, which allowed people to register to vote at DMVs, employment centers, and welfare offices. He died in 2017.
A renaming ceremony for the community center in Oakton will be held on Sept. 30.
