(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) A rock fight disrupted a warm Saturday afternoon for two Vienna households last week, though who exactly was throwing the rocks is a matter of some dispute.

A resident in the 100 block of Patrick Street SE reported to police on May 20 that, around 5 p.m., a man threw rocks at his juvenile son, who was playing outside, according to the Vienna Police Department’s weekly recap for May 19-25.

“An officer spoke to the man who advised he was sitting on his balcony when a group of juveniles began throwing rocks at him, cursing, and calling him racial slurs,” the VPD said in its report.

The man denied throwing any rocks, telling the officer that “he took the rocks and placed them on a toy in front of the apartment the juveniles ran to.”

No injuries were reported, but the police explained the warrant process to both parties in case they decide to pursue charges.

In a separate incident, police arrested a 21-year-old man from Woodbridge who backed into an officer’s cruiser when he was pulled over for reckless driving at the intersection of Maple Avenue and East Street SE on May 21.

According to the recap, the officer initiated the traffic stop at 2:52 a.m. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and hit the police cruiser when he started to back up.

“Upon the officer’s interaction with the man, he detected signs of impairment,” police said. “The driver failed to complete a series of field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest.”

The man was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and charged with driving while intoxicated.

Other “highlights” from the past week include a report of Cedar Lane School student harassing a classmate and hitting a school bus driver, along with an apparent road rage incident:

Assault 23-004593
Cedar Lane School
101 Cedar Lane, SW
May 23 7:45 a.m.

On May 24, the school administration reported a juvenile assaulted their school bus driver on May 23. The juvenile began harassing another student and, when the bus driver tried to intercede, the juvenile began striking him.

Arrest – Destruction of Property 23-004600
Lawyers Road and Malcolm Road, NW
May 24 3:10 p.m.

A citizen was traveling northbound on Lawyers Road when he observed another vehicle driving erratically. When the citizen honked his horn at the other driver, the man cut his vehicle off. As they reached the stop sign at Lawyers and Malcolm, the other driver got out of his vehicle with a baseball bat and proceeded to hit the citizen’s side-view mirror, breaking it off. The man then fled the area.

Police identified the driver as a 23-year-old man and served a summons charging him with property destruction at his home on Laurel Ridge Road.

A dog attacked a cat and a rabid raccoon in Vienna earlier this month, an encounter that left the raccoon dead, police say.

The dog got loose in the 700 block of MacArthur Avenue NE and attacked the two other animals on May 12, according to the Vienna Police Department’s recap for the week of May 12-18.

The incident was reported on May 15 by a neighbor of the dog’s owner. The neighbor also told police that his own dog was bitten while he and the owner were both walking their pets at noon on May 8. The bite left “a puncture wound.”

“The Animal Control Officer in Fairfax County investigated these incidents and placed the dog under a 10-day quarantine,” the VPD said. “ACO Barker had a conversation with the dog’s owner, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the dog does not pose a threat to other people or animals in the future.”

The Fairfax County Health Department reported to police on May 16 that the slain raccoon had been tested for rabies and was confirmed to be positive.

“The owner of the dog was promptly notified, and the quarantine period was extended to the required 45 days,” Vienna police said, noting that both that dog and the dog of the resident who reported the incidents were up-to-date on their vaccinations.

About half of the 40 to 60 rabies cases recorded in Fairfax County each year involve raccoons, the county’s rabies program manager previously told FFXnow. The virus typically spreads through a bite or scratch and nearly always proves fatal.

Other notable incidents in last week’s crime round-up include three domestic assaults and a May 12 crash at the intersection of Locust Street and Branch Road where “the driver lost control, went over the curb, and struck a utility pole.”

The driver, a 69-year-old man from Vienna, was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Alcohol also figured into a trespassing incident at Yeonas Park around 3:30 p.m. on May 13:

Officers responded to the report of a man who was refusing to leave the ballpark. The Vienna Little League President advised he saw the man drinking alcohol and when he requested he leave the park, the man threatened him. The man was trespassed from the park by the Little League President and he left the area.

In addition, officers responded to three times to people playing pickleball at Glyndon Park outside of the town’s approved hours. The complaints came in at 7:36 p.m. and 9:07 p.m. on Wednesday (May 17), and at 9:02 p.m. on Thursday (May 18).

Separately, the VPD announced last week that a man had been arrested on Thursday for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl at a Vienna park.

Vienna police have identified the alleged reckless driver who was arrested last week after leading officers on a wild vehicle and foot chase.

John Thomas Prince IV of Haymarket has been charged with three felonies and four misdemeanors, for reckless driving, property destruction, eluding police, attempted unlawful entry and driving on a revoked license — and that’s just in Vienna.

Prince has also been served six outstanding warrants for petit larceny and concealing merchandise charges filed by Fairfax County and Prince William County police, as the Vienna Police Department noted in its weekly crime recap on Friday (April 21).

In a news release identifying Prince, the VPD shared today that he nearly hit “several citizens” with his vehicle while fleeing from police, who received a report of a reckless driver in the 300 block of Maple Avenue on April 18.

“At approximately 2:28 pm, an officer located a vehicle matching a lookout for a reckless driver,” the police department said. “The driver, later identified as John Thomas Prince IV, saw police and drove at a high rate of speed through a shopping center parking lot, almost striking several citizens.”

A VPD spokesperson confirmed that the parking lot was for the Maple Avenue Shopping Center anchored by Giant Food, CVS and Michaels.

According to police, a second officer joined the chase after seeing Prince’s vehicle in the Locust Street and Park Street SE traffic circle:

The second officer followed him onto Park Street SE and alerted nearby motor officers to stop the vehicle. The suspect vehicle eluded the motor officers and made a right turn onto Moore Ave S.E. An officer behind the suspect activated his emergency equipment and attempted to conduct a traffic stop with the suspect vehicle. The Officer followed until Mr. Prince jumped from the moving vehicle, leaving it running with a female passenger inside. The vehicle eventually stopped when it crashed into an unoccupied parked vehicle.

Witnesses advised a male subject jumped several fences of different residences and attempted to enter these residences. An additional officer responding to the scene saw Mr. Prince running through the front yard of a nearby home. The Officer ordered him to stop and was ignored. Mr. Prince attempted to enter the locked residence but was detained by officers.

Prince is being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

“The Vienna Police Department would like to thank all the witnesses who remained on the scene to give statements, provide video evidence, and assist with this investigation,” the VPD said.

Going forward, all Fairfax County Public Schools workers will be required to undergo regular background checks and notify the school system of any arrests while they’re employed.

The expanded background check policies will be implemented after an investigation last year found “systemic gaps” in the hiring process, FCPS announced yesterday (Tuesday).

The independent investigation was prompted by the discovery that former Glasgow Middle School counselor Darren Thornton had remained employed for months after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in Chesterfield County.

Effective since March 12, the new regulation is part of a “continuing effort to provide safe schools and workplaces for all students and staff,” FCPS said.

All employees, including temporary, hourly and substitute staff, will be reviewed through the National Sex Offender Registry, starting this month. This summer, anyone hired before August 2006 will also need to make an appointment where their fingerprints can be scanned for review by the Virginia State Police and FBI.

Employees hired between Aug. 1, 2006 and July 1, 2022 already have digital fingerprint scans on file, so those will be automatically resubmitted, FCPS says.

All employees are now required to disclose to the FCPS Office of Equity and Employee Relations (EER) any arrests for felonies, misdemeanors or other “acts that impact a person’s ability to work” that occurred after they were hired.

FCPS says its Department of Human Resources will start submitting all employees for criminal record background checks “periodically to monitor for unreported criminal record activity.”

“Additional types of background checks may also be used for periodic monitoring,” FCPS said. “Not every arrest would lead to action; however, a barrier crime, felony or a crime that impacts a person’s ability to work may have cause for dismissal.”

FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid told families on Aug. 18 that Thornton had been fired after officials were notified of his March 11 conviction and sentencing, which called for supervised probation in place of a suspended five-year jail sentence.

Thornton was originally arrested in November 2020, but Chesterfield police later said their emails alerting FCPS to the sex crime charge bounced back. The 50-year-old Mechanicsville resident was arrested for a second time in a separate sting operation on June 9, 2022.

After he was terminated by FCPS, Virginia State Police arrested Thornton for failing to provide complete and accurate information to the state’s sex offender registry.

In addition to indicating that it will require regular background checks, the Fairfax County School Board said following the independent investigation in September that it will make changes to its processes for verifying licensure, documenting employee leave and dismissing workers convicted of certain crimes.

David Walrod, president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, expressed support for the new background check policies, stating that the Thornton case showed the limits of relying solely on law enforcement for notification of crimes by employees.

“Ensuring that employees have a clean criminal record at the start their career is important but ensuring that employees maintain clean criminal records is an important part of ensuring the safety of our students and staff,” Walrod said in a statement. “I commend the district for taking this step, and I am glad to see that Dr. Reid has taken decisive steps to ensure this happens.”

Spurred by the Thornton case, the General Assembly passed a law last month requiring all public school divisions in Virginia to designate a contact for law enforcement and courts who will manage reports related to any school employee arrests or convictions for felonies. Sponsored by state Sen. Scott Surovell, the measure will take effect on July 1.

A 33-year-old man from Haymarket was charged with reckless driving and felony property destruction last week following a vehicle and foot chase with Vienna police.

The Vienna Police Department received a report around 2:28 p.m. last Tuesday (April 18) that a reckless driver was “harassing people” in the 300 block of Maple Avenue East, according to the department’s recap of the week of April 14-20.

Officers sent to the scene spotted the vehicle leaving the area and moved to make a traffic stop.

“The driver fled, crashed into a parked car, and ran away, damaging some fences while trying to elude the officers,” the report said. “The suspect also attempted to enter homes, with officers closing in on him.”

Officers and detectives who “saturated the area” were soon able to arrest the man in the 700 block of Cottage Street SW, police said.

Vienna police charged the man with reckless driving, two counts of felony destruction of property, two misdemeanor counts of unlawful entry, a felony for eluding a law enforcement officer, and driving on a license revoked for driving under the influence.

According to VPD, the man also faced outstanding warrants in Fairfax and Prince William counties for petit larceny and concealing merchandise. He was held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

Other notable public safety incidents from the past week include a fight in the Pazzo Pomodoro parking lot (118 Branch Road SE) on April 14 that was triggered either by an “inappropriate gesture” or shouted “obscenities,” depending on who’s asked.

An employee reported a fight in the parking lot of Pazzo Pomodoro involving a resident and a couple. According to the resident, the man made an inappropriate gesture toward him, leading to a physical altercation. However, the couple claimed that the resident drove past them, yelling obscenities and started the fight. The woman ran into the restaurant to get help, and a customer also became involved. Police could not identify a primary aggressor, and all parties were informed about the warrant process if they wanted to press charges.

The resident was transported to receive medical treatment for injuries considered non-life-threatening, police said.

On April 15, the VPD responded to an argument at a baby shower on Kingsley Road that escalated to shoving and an apparent road rage incident at Nutley Street and Princeton Terrace SW.

“A driver reported he was traveling southbound on Nutley Street when he was cut off by another driver, causing him to stop on the roadway,” the police summary says. “The other driver proceeded to throw a half-filled can of fluid, striking his vehicle before leaving the area at a high rate of speed.”

Police also responded to Glyndon Park at 5:46 p.m. on April 16 for a report of four people playing pickleball, which is no longer allowed on Sundays due to noise complaints.

(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) A shooting in a parking lot near Isaac Newtown Square and Wiehle Avenue in Reston left one individual hospitalized with life-threatening injures last night (Tuesday).

Police believe the individual was shot in an act that does not appear to be random, authorities wrote in a social media post.

“The victim remains hospitalized and there are no apparent threats to the community,” police said.

Though it wasn’t publicized until nearly 2 a.m. today, officers were called to the 1900 block of Isaac Newton Square for the shooting at 11:42 p.m. yesterday, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release.

Police believe the shooting occurred inside the victim’s vehicle, according to the release.

That shooting took place just minutes before officers were summoned to a different shooting in the 6300 block of South Kings Highway in Groveton, the FCPD said.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers found an adult man who had been shot in the lower body, according to police. The man was taken to a local hospital, where he remains, as of this afternoon.

“Detectives believe the shooting occurred after a verbal argument and continue to investigate to identify a suspect involved,” the FCPD said.

Police said they continue to investigate both incidents.

Officers are in a parking lot near Isaac Newton Sq & Wiehle Ave, Reston for a victim who was shot by unk suspects. Vic was taken to a nearby hospital for injuries considered to be life threatening. Prelim, this does not appear to be a random act. Avoid area as ofcs investigate. pic.twitter.com/EDL1TiWmyJ

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) April 5, 2023

Officers are in the area of South Kings Hwy/Furman Ln in Groveton for an adult man who was shot by an unknown suspect. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for injuries considered to be life-threatening. Avoid area as officers investigate. pic.twitter.com/KLvB2apcAk

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) April 5, 2023

The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) is expanding the use of automated license plate reader technology across the county, despite concerns from civil rights groups.

The department will install 25 automated license plate readers (ALPRs) around Fairfax County by the spring, FCPD spokesperson Sergeant Hudson Bull confirmed to FFXnow.

This expansion of the program comes after an eight-week “test period,” where the camera system was placed in two locations and assisted in “over 35 cases which have led to over 60 arrest charges,” Bull said.

Based on that data, the trial period has now been extended an additional 10 months to Oct. 31, 2023.

Over the next nine months, cameras will watch more than two dozen “high-crime” areas in the county.

“The camera placement is based on data showing where most stolen vehicles are recovered and where most crime occurs that we believe these cameras could assist us in solving,” Bull said.

The camera system comes from Flock Safety, which has installed ALPRs in more than 2,000 localities across the country.

The ALPR cameras capture license plates, vehicle color, make and model, and send a “real-time alert” to law enforcement when a stolen car or a vehicle used in a crime is detected within a database.

During the initial trial period in November and December, FCPD says the system helped it recover six stolen cars worth an estimated $350,000. In one car, fentanyl and methamphetamines were found, and another had more than five pounds of marijuana, police say.

The system also helped police locate two missing persons when the cameras detected vehicles associated with those cases.

“Two persons were quickly located by officers and safely returned home after alerts were sent,” Bull wrote. “The officers can also search the cameras in cases when a person has been missing for several hours but there is a delay in reporting.”

While Flock Safety and FCPD tout ALPRs as crime prevention and solving tools, local civil rights groups have a number of ethical and privacy concerns about the county expanding the program.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia (ACLU-VA) said it wasn’t aware of the program’s expansion prior to being contacted by FFXnow.

“The ACLU is always concerned about the efforts to expand mass surveillance,” ACLU-VA senior staff attorney Matt Callahan told FFXnow. “We consider the privacy of individuals and their freedom of movement to be a core value of society.”

He noted that the organization believes decisions to use ALPRs and other tracking or surveillance technology should be “in the public’s hands” and not solely left to law enforcement or individual vendors like Flock. Read More

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. Read More

Police from three different jurisdictions are on the lookout for suspects in an armed carjacking reported in Vienna Saturday night (Jan. 28).

An individual told the Town of Vienna Police Department around 10:30 p.m. that their vehicle was rear-ended about half an hour earlier near the intersection of Park Street and Moore Avenue SE, according to a news release published yesterday (Sunday).

The citizen exited their vehicle to make contact with the striking vehicle. The occupants of the striking vehicle exited their vehicle, presented a firearm and demanded the citizen give over control of their vehicle. One suspect entered the victim’s vehicle; the second suspect got back into what was described as a black Dodge Challenger and fled the area. The victim’s cell phone was left in their vehicle, preventing them from calling 911.

No injuries were reported, and the firearms weren’t discharged, according to police.

The Vienna police department says it alerted other jurisdictions to the stolen vehicle, which was ultimately found abandoned in Baltimore. The Baltimore Police Department provided assistance in locating the vehicle.

VPD’s criminal investigations section is now working with D.C. and Baltimore police to try to identify the suspects.

“Vienna Police Department asks for the public’s assistance to locate any eyewitnesses or video of the incident,” the department said. “Please call 703-255-6366 and ask for MPO Juan Vazquez to provide information.”

Photo via Vienna Police Department/Facebook

A Town of Vienna employee returned to work after the holiday weekend for Martin Luther King Jr. Day to find a pungent surprise in his vehicle.

“An employee reported someone entered his unlocked work truck and put dog feces on the steering wheel,” the Vienna Police Department said in its crime report for the week of Jan. 13-19.

Published today (Friday), the report says that the incident — which has been classified as vehicle tampering — occurred at Vienna Town Hall (127 Center Street South) sometime between 5 p.m. on Jan. 13 and 10 a.m. Tuesday (Jan. 17).

Other notable incidents from the report include a Cedar Lane School student in distress running into traffic:

Emotionally Disturbed Person 23-000333
Cedar Lane School
101 Cedar Lane, SE
January 12 8:46 a.m.
School administration reported a juvenile was in their office acting disorderly. When officers arrived, the juvenile fled from the office and ran out onto Cedar Lane where she continued to act disorderly, obstructing traffic and causing a hazard to herself and the officers. MPO Tremont arrested the juvenile on an Emergency Care Order and transported her to a mental health facility for evaluation and treatment.

In addition, Vienna police responded to the 200 block of Locust Street SE at 7:39 a.m. last Friday (Jan. 13) after “a resident reported he received an email in 2020 he believed might be threatening.”

Photo via Vienna Police Department/Facebook