(Updated at 10:55 a.m.) Virginia State Police are seeking witnesses in a possible shooting incident that occurred this morning (Thursday) near the I-495 and Dulles Toll Road interchange in Tysons.
Troopers responded at 6:08 a.m. to a driver stopped in the shoulder along the Capital Beltway’s northbound lanes near the exit to the toll road’s westbound lanes, according to the VSP and scanner traffic on Open MHz.
The driver wasn’t injured, but he reported that his vehicle “had a bullet hole in its passenger side,” state police said.
Starting around 10:30 a.m., the VSP closed all northbound lanes on the Beltway at Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) to the toll road as it investigates the shooting.
“State police has requested the closure so we can search for any possible evidence connected to the vehicle that was shot,” a VSP spokesperson said.
The closure was expected to last 30 to 45 minutes.
State police are seeking potential witnesses, asking anyone who saw “suspicious activity in this area between 5:50 a.m. and 6:05 a.m.” to reach out by phone at 804-750-8798 or by email at questions@vsp.virginia.gov.
Update #Tysons: the time for this closure has been moved to 10:30 am.#VaTraffic #DMVTraffic https://t.co/9QrUFhLk2S
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) January 4, 2024
(Updated at 10:45 a.m.) Fairfax County police have arrested two men who allegedly broke into a house in the McLean area earlier this week and robbed and assaulted its residents at gunpoint.
Officers were called to the 1300 block of Spring Hill Road — just north of Tysons and the Dulles Toll Road — at 5:45 a.m. on Monday (Nov. 27) when a 911 caller reported that at least one stranger was in her house “screaming about money,” according to the dispatch on Open MHz.
An investigation found that three people “forcibly entered” the residence and “demanded money” while brandishing a gun, the Fairfax County Police Department said today (Friday).
“The men assaulted two victims inside the home then ran from the residence,” the police department said in a news release. “One victim was taken to the hospital for injuries considered not life-threatening.”
Officers located one of the suspects — identified as 32-year-old Lorton resident Jaquan Ross — that day with help from a helicopter and K9 unit. Ross was spotted by the chopper “attempting to conceal himself by laying on the ground,” according to the FCPD.
Ross has been charged with three counts each of abduction and robbery, burglary, malicious wounding, and use of a firearm while committing a felony.
The subsequent investigation led detectives to identify Elijah Thomas, 24, of Dumfries as one of the other men involved in the robbery, the FCPD says. He was arrested yesterday (Thursday) and faces the same charges as Ross, with the addition of one count of being a felon in possession of a gun.
Police say the third person involved in the incident was also a man, but they’re still working to identify him.
Though the 911 caller described the intruders as strangers, the FCPD says detectives don’t believe the robbery was committed at random.
“During the investigation, certain facts and circumstances led investigators to believe this was not a random act,” the police department said in a statement to FFXnow. “The case is still currently under investigation and detectives are actively following leads.”
Ross and Thomas are both in custody without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. After an arraignment on Tuesday (Nov. 28), Ross will get a preliminary hearing on Feb. 28, 2024, while Thomas was arraigned today and scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 4, according to court records.
(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Kilmer Middle School in Tysons has stepped up the presence of its security team today (Friday) in response to an alleged threat of gun violence heard during a fight.
In a message sent to parents at 3:10 p.m. yesterday (Thursday), principal Steven McFarlane said the school had been “made aware of an alleged threat of gun violence that was overheard by students during a fight” that afternoon.
The incident prompted an investigation by the school’s Office of Safety and Security and the Fairfax County Police Department, which jointly determined that there was “no direct threat” at the time.
“Out of an abundance of caution, tomorrow we’ll have extra Safety and Security presence to ensure our students feel safe,” McFarlane said in the email.
According to the FCPD, its school resource officer at Kilmer began an investigation after someone reported overhearing one of two students involved in “an altercation” say that they “may bring a gun to school.”
The police department initially told FFXnow that it was determined “no threat to bring a gun to school was made,” but a spokesperson later clarified that the investigation is still ongoing.
“The students involved have been identified,” the FCPD told FFXnow by email. “There is no active threat to the school at this time. FCPS will conduct their own risk assessment with the student(s) as a follow-up.”
FCPS didn’t return a request for additional comment.
According to McFarlane, the investigation included a risk assessment. Fairfax County Public Schools requires a team of school staff to conduct an assessment “when a student makes an explicit or implicit threat or demonstrates concerning behaviors that may pose a danger to the safety of school staff or students.”
McFarlane’s full message is below:
November 30, 2023
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We have been made aware of an alleged threat of gun violence that was overheard by students during a fight this afternoon. Fairfax County Police and our Office of Safety and Security are involved in the investigation, which includes a risk assessment. It has been determined that there is no direct threat to the school at this time. Out of an abundance of caution, tomorrow we’ll have extra Safety and Security presence to ensure our students feel safe.
The safety of our students is our primary concern, and we will always investigate these incidents as soon as we are made aware. The first step that you should take if your child shares a safety concern with you is to contact authorities. If your safety concern is an emergency, please call 911. FCPS Office of Safety and Security also has a safety tip line that you can access anonymously online, by text or by phone.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
Image via Google Maps
Gunshots were reportedly fired near Snakden Branch Trail in the Glade area of Reston shortly after midnight.
Police responded to the 2300 block of Middle Creek Lane around 12:22 a.m. after several callers reported hearing the sound of multiple gunshots in the area, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
A dispatcher told responding officers that at least one caller confirmed they saw a person firing the gun. An area resident said they saw “a muzzle flash about a hundred feet behind his house,” an officer reported at 12:28 a.m.
A spokesperson for the Fairfax County Police Department said evidence was recovered from the scene, but no injured persons were located.
“Detectives from our criminal investigation division are assuming the investigation,” FCPD wrote in a statement.
A Tysons man who got arrested for allegedly possessing illegal guns is now also facing child pornography charges.
The Fairfax County Police Department announced yesterday (Tuesday) that its detectives have obtained warrants charging 31-year-old Craig Strasbourger with three counts of possessing child sexual abuse material, one count of soliciting a minor, and one count of possessing animal sexual abuse material.
Police say they started investigating Strasbourger after getting a tip in September from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about “sexual communication with an underage individual from Kentucky.”
The communications came from an internet provider address that was traced to Strasbourger’s home on Robin Way Court, according to the FCPD.
Strasbourger was first arrested on Nov. 16 after police found four rifles that had been “unlawfully modified” while searching his residence. He was charged with four counts of unlawful possession of the firearms, which were described as “illegal machine guns” in the FCPD’s initial news release.
During the search, detectives also found “various computer devices” that were evaluated, leading to the new porn charges, according to police.
After the gun charges, Strasbourger was released on a $4,000 secured bond, but he was arrested again on Monday (Nov. 27) and is now in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. A preliminary court hearing on all charges has been scheduled for Feb. 20, 2024.
Fairfax County police confiscated multiple machine guns last week from a Tysons man who was suspected of sending sexual messages to a juvenile.
Detectives began investigating Craig Strasbourger, 31, after receiving a tip in September from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, which gets reports of child sexual exploitation incidents, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The tip indicated that Strasbourger “was suspected to be engaging in sexual communication with a juvenile from Kentucky,” the FCPD said in a news release on Friday (Nov. 17).
Detectives and the department’s SWAT team executed a search warrant for Strasbourger’s house on Robin Way Court on Thursday (Nov. 16), leading to his arrest.
“During the operation, detectives confiscated four illegal machine guns and various electronic devices from the premises,” the FCPD said.
Strasbourger has been charged with four counts of unlawful possession of a machine gun. He was initially held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center but later got released on a $4,000 secured bond, according to police.
Additional charges could be filed in connection with the electronic devices, which are being reviewed by detectives, the police department said.
Machine guns are allowed in Virginia, but they must be registered with the Virginia State Police. Under the Uniform Machine Gun Act, possession for an “offensive or aggressive purpose” is a Class 4 felony, which carries potential sentences of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
The FCPD didn’t immediately elaborate on what made the machine guns found at Strasbourger’s house illegal, but the state law says an aggressive or offensive purpose is presumed if:
- The gun isn’t registered
- Shells are found in its “immediate vicinity”
- The person has been convicted of a violent crime
- Or the person doesn’t own or rent the property where the gun was found
Per Fairfax County General District Court records, Strasbourger is scheduled to appear for an arraignment at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 27 and a preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2024.
Two teens were arrested yesterday (Tuesday) for allegedly firing a gun inside the bathroom of a McDonald’s near Edison High School.
Fairfax County police responded to the fast-food restaurant at 5600 Franconia Road in Rose Hill for a “suspicious noise” heard around noon, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz. A caller reported that a gun had been fired in the men’s bathroom, and someone “ran out” and got into a black sedan, a dispatcher said.
“No one was injured and several juveniles were seen leaving the business after the sound of the gunshot,” the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release. “A witness provided a description of a vehicle seen leaving the scene.”
An officer reported that a hole was found in the bathroom, per the police scanner.
According to the FCPD, officers were able to “quickly” locate the vehicle and take multiple individuals into custody. An officer said on the scanner that two people and at least one weapon were found in the car.
Some of the individuals involved were identified as students at Edison High School, where another teen returned after the gunshot incident, police said. The teen was located with help from a school resource officer and Fairfax County Public Schools security.
Officers immediately coordinated with the SRO, quickly located the involved juvenile, and took him into custody at 2:11 p.m. Officers worked with FCPS security to review surveillance footage. During this review, the juvenile was seen entering a bathroom. A search of this bathroom discovered a firearm concealed above a ceiling tile.
The teen who allegedly hid the gun has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a firearm on school property. One of the other teens faces chargees of reckless discharge of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and brandishing, the FCPD announced.
Police described the ongoing investigation as “fluid.”
“Detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances of the discharge in the McDonalds bathroom,” the police department said.
Photo via Google Maps
Fairfax County police are investigating potential connections between some recent ATM break-ins and armed robberies in the Lincolnia area.
Officers responded to the TD Bank in Pinecrest Plaza at 6566 Little River Turnpike around 3:08 a.m. yesterday (Tuesday) after getting a call that three people were attempting to “forcibly access” the ATM, according to a news release from the Fairfax County Police Department.
The individuals were reportedly unsuccessful, as officers found that the ATM was damaged but no money had been stolen, police said.
However, just minutes later at 3:13 a.m., police were called to the 7-Eleven at 4818 N. Beauregard Street — just outside the Plaza at Landmark shopping mall — for an armed robbery, according to the FCPD.
Officers are on scene of a robbery at the 7-Eleven at 4818 Beauregard St in Lincolnia. Multiple suspects entered the store, implied a gun, and stole the ATM. No injuries were reported. Suspects fled in a grey BMW w/ VA tags TNV1895. Call 911 w/ info. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/C1UTkhErgZ
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) November 7, 2023
“The suspects entered the store, implied they had a firearm and threatened the employee,” police said. “The suspects gained access to two separate ATMs at the business and left with an undisclosed amount of money.”
The FCPD believes the incidents were related, and detectives are investigating whether they might also be connected to a pair of ATM thefts, one of them involving a firearm, that occurred in Kingstowne last Thursday (Nov. 2).
On November 2 at 3:42 a.m., three suspects entered the 7-Eleven at 6147 Franconia Road in Kingstowne. The suspects displayed a firearm and stole money from the ATM. That morning, an employee reported someone attempted to steal money from the ATM at the Burke and Herbert Bank at 5519 Franconia Road. Detectives are investigating to determine if these cases are connected to the overnight incidents.
Alexandria police also responded to two robberies on Nov. 2 where the suspects reportedly took ATMs. In one case, they showed a handgun in the process.
The FCPD told FFXnow that “as of now,” it doesn’t have any information on the Alexandria incidents, but it is “diligently pursuing all leads to ensure the safety of our community.”
“Our dedicated detectives are collaborating closely with our regional law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate any potential connections,” the FCPD said.
A Herndon man was arrested Tuesday (Oct. 10) in connection with shooting into three homes in Hattontown.
Sangram Singh Grewal, 26, was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted malicious wounding, three counts of maliciously discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling and three counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm, the Fairfax County Police Department announced yesterday (Wednesday).
Officers arrived at the 13000 block of Ashnut Lane shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday. Homeowners said their houses were damaged by the gunfire.
All three homes were occupied when the incidents occured, but no one was injured, according to police.
The FCPD says SWAT officers were able to track Grewal after finding multiple cartridge cases on the rear deck of a home. Detectives recovered firearms, magazines and ammunition.
Grewal is in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
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
