A Maryland man who fled police in a reportedly stolen vehicle is facing multiple charges of assault against Virginia state troopers.
According to the Virginia State Police, troopers received an alert around 3:41 a.m. yesterday (Sunday) that a gray sedan reported to have been stolen might be traveling on Richmond Highway (Route 1) in the Huntington area.
The vehicle was spotted by a trooper who turned on his lights and siren for a traffic stop, but the driver instead “sped away and initiated a pursuit,” police said.
As the chase moved onto the Capital Beltway (I-495) and then onto southbound I-95, the driver rammed a state police patrol vehicle four different times, according to the VSP:
As the pursuit approached Route 1 and Interstate 495, the suspect vehicle twice rammed a State Police patrol vehicle. The pursuit then continued onto Interstate 495 westbound, where the suspect struck the same trooper’s vehicle a third time, and then onto Interstate 95 southbound, where the trooper’s vehicle was struck a fourth time.
Police ultimately used a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver to turn and halt the vehicle on I-95 near the Backlick Road exit, the VSP said.
“The driver then fled the vehicle on foot, but was taken into custody a few minutes later without further incident,” police said.
The driver — described as a 24-year-old man from College Park, Maryland — faces four charges each of assault on law enforcement, felony hit-and-run, misdemeanor hit-and-run and destruction of state property. He has also been charged with eluding law enforcement, grand larceny, driving without a license, not wearing a seatbelt and “being a pedestrian on the interstate.”
The last charge stems from the brief foot pursuit, a VSP spokesperson confirmed.
Police also arrested two adults who were passengers in the sedan on outstanding warrants.
The Fairfax County Police Department said in its year-end crime report for 2023 that it saw an uptick in assaults against police officers compared to 2022.
Image via Google Maps
The Fairfax County Police Department touted the county’s status as the safest jurisdiction of its size following the release of its year-end crime report.
The report — which is based on violent crime rates among participating agencies evaluated by the Major Cities Chief Association — shows that Fairfax County’s rate is the lowest among jurisdictions of comparable size. Homicide offenses, sex offenses, burglaries, and robberies all declined between 2022 and 2023, according to the report.
“The central message conveyed in this report is clear — Fairfax County stands as the safest large jurisdiction in America. Through data-informed enforcement strategies, FCPD played a pivotal role in reducing violent crime rates,” FCPD wrote in a press release.
At a safety and security committee meeting before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 12, Police Chief Kevin Davis said that all 17 murders last year were solved. Homicides were down 23% over the previous year.
FCPD also stepped up the number of traffic summonses, issuing nearly 40% more in 2023 than in 2022 for violations like speeding, reckless driving, and hands-free violations.
Theft of motor vehicle parts was a major focus this year. The number of thefts decreased from 1,516 in 2022 to 875 in 2023, a trend observed in the FCPD’s mid-year crime report.
But the decrease in the theft of motor vehicle parts was offset by an increase in shoplifting, which rose from 5,799 incidents in 2022 to 8,156 last year. Additionally, 126 more vehicles were stolen in 2023 than in 2022.
Most cars that were stolen were either Kias and Hyundais, particularly in the Mount Vernon District, according to FCPD. They were often later recovered in D.C. or Prince George’s County.
Officers increased their presence in malls during the winter holiday season. Springfield’s Christmas anti-theft team recovered more than $100,000 of stolen merchandise last year compared to $30,000 in 2022, according to the FCPD.
Davis noted that organized groups appear to be targeted high-end merchandise in large quantities, later reselling the items on Facebook Marketplace.
“Everyone is jumping up and down about what we need to do to prevent, mitigate, and hold these really organized groups better accountable,” Davis said, adding that the problem appears to be region-wide.
A one-day symposium is planned in April for regional authorities to explore “innovative” solutions, Davis said.
The department also reported 472 assaults against its officers this year — an increase from 378 in 2022. Davis said 5% of all assault crimes were against law enforcement officers.
“It has our attention and we’re taking steps to mitigate it,” Davis said.
Overall, there were 1,161 assaults between 2022 and 2023, according to the report, although most offenses were not aggravated. Most assaults are “domestic in nature or involve parties known to each other,” the police department says.
“FCPD worked hard to combat this issue by placing over 34,000 criminal charges on over 23,000 individuals responsible for crimes in Fairfax County last year,” the FCPD said in a news release.
While pedestrian fatalities decreased in 2023, which had nine deaths, FCPD has launched a collaborative effort with local transportation officials and other community partners to review pedestrian fatalities and significant injuries. Between 2019 and 2022, 77 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes.
Most incidents happened at night, Davis said.
(Updated at 12:50 p.m. on 3/12/2024) Fairfax County was the site of three different fatal pedestrian crashes yesterday (Sunday), two of them occurring just minutes apart in the same proximity on the Capital Beltway (I-495).
According to the Virginia State Police, troopers responded first at 3:39 a.m. to a crash on the westbound I-495 shoulder, east of the exit to Telegraph Road at the Alexandria border.
“At this stage of the investigation, it appears an individual was on the shoulder changing a tire on a vehicle when the individual was struck by a truck,” the VSP said.
The person changing their tire died at the scene, while the truck driver was taken to a hospital for treatment. Charges in the crash “are pending,” police said in an update just before 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Then, at 3:53 a.m., police came across a woman lying in the eastbound lanes of I-495 near the Telegraph Road exit. Calls to police indicated that the woman got hit by two vehicles, according to scanner traffic on OpenMHz.
“A 2005 Honda Accord, heading eastbound in the right center lane on I-495, was unable to avoid striking a female pedestrian who had stepped into traffic,” the VSP said in an update on Tuesday (March 12). “The Accord was then struck by a 2021 Acura RDX, and the Accord then struck the jersey wall. A 2023 Nissan Rogue then struck the RDX.”
The woman, Vanessa Schwartz, 35, of Alexandria, died at the scene of the crash, which remains under investigation. A spokesperson emphasized that the two crashes “are not related.”
Police seek driver in fatal hit-and-run
Separately, Fairfax County police detectives are investigating a fatal pedestrian crash in Mount Vernon that allegedly involved the driver of a stolen vehicle.
Around 12:17 a.m., officers spotted a black 2015 Hyundai Sonata on Buckman Road near Russell Road that had been reported stolen overnight on Saturday (March 9) from the 7900 block of Sausalito Place, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“The driver of a stolen Sonata sped away at the sight of the police. Officers did not pursue,” the FCPD said.
An officer saw the sedan “traveling at a high rate of speed” north on Janna Lee Avenue about 15 minutes later.
“The driver sideswiped an occupied vehicle near Tamarind Street,” police said. “Officers followed the direction the driver was traveling and located the stolen vehicle crashed into a dumpster and unoccupied.”
A man later identified as James Johnson, 63, of Hybla Valley was found in the grass nearby after he had apparently been hit by a vehicle. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
According to the FCPD, its Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives believe the driver of the stolen Hyundai hit Johnson while he was walking on Janna Lee Avenue before crashing into the dumpster. The driver wasn’t located, and the police department doesn’t have a description “at this time.”
The crash remains under investigation.
There have now been five pedestrian deaths in Fairfax County this year, including two fatal crashes on Richmond Highway in February.
Image via Google Maps
A man who allegedly stole a medical transport vehicle from Inova Fairfax Hospital last week has been located and arrested, Fairfax County police announced over the weekend.
Rickey Lowe, 32, of Manassas was arrested on Friday (Feb. 23) by Fugitive Tracking and Apprehension Unit detectives who found him “near a hotel in Manassas,” the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release on Saturday (Feb. 24).
According to police, Lowe was a passenger in a 2015 Toyota Corolla that was reported stolen from Prince William County on Feb. 14. When officers spotted the sedan near Fair Oaks Mall at around 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 19, the driver took off, reportedly speeding out of the mall parking lot and onto eastbound Route 50.
“The driver quickly changed directions and drove towards the westbound I-66 ramp,” the FCPD said in an earlier news release. “The driver lost control of the Corolla, entered the embankment, and struck a small hill sending it airborne. The vehicle landed against a concrete wall on the exit ramp of westbound I-66 toward Route 50 eastbound.”
All five occupants of the Corolla were hospitalized with injuries, but while receiving treatment, Lowe allegedly left the emergency room at Inova Fairfax Hospital “in his medical gown with an IV still in his arm and then stole an ‘MMT’ Medical Transport vehicle,” police said.
The vehicle was later found in the 4200 block of Annandale Road in Annandale, but officers didn’t locate Lowe.
Upon his arrest on Friday, Lowe was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he was held on a $2,000 bond. He has been charged with grand larceny.
The driver of the Corolla — identified by police as Xxeavius Romoance Marlow, 29, of Manassas — has also been charged with grand larceny. After getting treated for injuries from the crash, he was taken to the county jail, where he’s currently in custody without bond.
Fairfax County General District Court records indicate that Lowe remains in custody after an arraignment this morning. He faces a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 29, while Marlow’s preliminary hearing will be held on June 12.
(Updated at 8:15 p.m.) Fairfax County police combed Annandale last night for a man who reportedly stole an ambulance while getting treated at Inova Fairfax Hospital after a vehicle crash off I-66 near Fair Oaks.
The crash occurred at the eastbound Route 50 ramp to westbound I-66 around 12:30 p.m. yesterday (Monday) when officers attempted to stop a 2015 Toyota Corolla that was identified as stolen from another jurisdiction, according to the Fairfax County Police Department and scanner traffic on Open MHz.
The officers saw the driver pulling out of a Fair Oaks Mall parking lot when he spotted them and “accelerated at a high rate of speed,” the FCPD said in an update.
“The driver quickly changed directions and drove towards the westbound I-66 ramp,” the police department said. “The driver lost control of the Corolla, entered the embankment, and struck a small hill sending it airborne. The vehicle landed against a concrete wall on the exit ramp of westbound I-66 toward Route 50 eastbound.”
The crash was captured on traffic camera video shared by public safety watcher Dave Statter.
NEW: According to police, the person who stole the ambulance at Inova Fairfax is one of the five people injured in this crash of a stolen car today at Route 50 and I-66 in Fair Oaks. @FairfaxCountyPD handling. More to come. Video of the crash from @safetyvid. @ffxnow… pic.twitter.com/F3RuaZYT5v
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) February 20, 2024
According to the FCPD, all five of the vehicle’s occupants received first aid, and four of them were taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, one with injuries initially considered life-threatening.
However, while getting treated at the hospital, one of the passengers left and took off in a private ambulance.
“While not yet discharged, he walked away from treatment with an IV in arm, jumped in a private transport ambulance and stole it,” the FCPD said in a tweet at 10:29 p.m.
The ambulance was located in the 4200 block of Annandale Road in Annandale that evening, but the man who allegedly stole it still hasn’t been found, despite “an extensive search” by Fairfax and Prince William County police officers, according to the FCPD.
Identified by police as Rickey Lowe, 32, of Manassas, the man is now wanted for grand larceny in connection to the ambulance’s theft.
The FCPD says that two guns, a bag of “unknown white powder” and drug paraphernalia were found in the Corolla that crashed at the I-66 and Route 50 interchange. The driver remains hospitalized and has been charged with grand larceny.
Preliminarily, the vehicle returned as stolen from another jurisdiction & a firearm has been recovered. Rt. 50 eastbound and Rt. 50 westbound ramps to I66 are closed as the investigation continues. Please use an alternate route. (2/2) #FCPD
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) February 19, 2024
Suspect was a passenger in the crash earlier on I66 and receiving treatment at Fairfax Hospital. While not yet discharged, he walked away from treatment with an IV in arm, jumped in a private transport ambulance and stole it. (1/2)
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) February 20, 2024
In an attempt to stem what Democratic lawmakers say is an epidemic of guns being stolen from vehicles, the Virginia Senate passed legislation Thursday that would create a $500 civil penalty for firearm owners who leave handguns on a car seat or other areas visible to passersby.
The legislation, one of the first gun control measures put to a full vote in either chamber this year, still needs to pass the House of Delegates and is likely at risk of being vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin after the session ends. Still, the issue highlights the two parties’ diverging views on how to address gun crime, with Democrats trying to reduce the number of guns flowing onto the streets and Republicans calling for tougher enforcement of existing laws.
Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax, said the bill he’s sponsoring uses a “light touch” to try to limit the supply of guns available to people who shouldn’t have them.
“We cannot have our vehicles here in the commonwealth act as vending machines for firearms,” Marsden said.
If authorities spot a vehicle with a visible handgun inside, the bill would allow them to have the vehicle towed. The law would apply to any “unattended motor vehicle” left on a public highway or public property where neither the driver nor a passenger can see it.
To illustrate the extent of the problem they’re attempting to solve, Democratic lawmakers pointed to recent statistics presented by the Richmond Police Department showing a major uptick in the number of guns stolen from vehicles in Virginia’s capital. There were 225 such thefts in 2017, according to city police, and 637 in 2022.
All 19 Republicans in the Senate voted against the bill, with the chamber’s 21 Democrats voting to pass it.
Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, said the fundamental problem is people breaking into cars to begin with, adding that thieves could steal money or anything else of value left in a car and use the proceeds to buy a gun.
“We have to stop it at the beginning,” Peake said. “And that is by stopping people who are breaking into cars.”
Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Rockingham, argued the bill would have no impact because he’s doubtful many gun owners are so careless as to leave a handgun in plain sight for would-be thieves. The state should instead focus on different kinds of incentives for safe storage, Obenshain said, such as a bill passed in 2023 that created a $300 tax credit to help Virginians buy gun safes and lockboxes.
“We ought not be punishing victims of crimes,” Obenshain said.
Democratic senators said the law’s passage alone would send a message to Virginia gun owners to be more thoughtful about how they store firearms in vehicles.
“Responsible gun owners ought to get in the habit of putting their gun in the glovebox,” said Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax. “Put it in the glovebox every time they get out of their car. Just make it a habit.”
Photo via Tom Def on Unsplash. This article was reported and written by the Virginia Mercury, and has been reprinted under a Creative Commons license.
A man allegedly responsible for a series of thefts and larcenies in Bailey’s Crossroads was arrested this morning (Wednesday) after trying to flee from police on a bicycle.
Fairfax County police officers responded to the 5200 block of Leesburg Pike around 7:40 a.m. after a woman reported to 911 that a man on a bicycle had “attempted to snatch her purse twice” about 10 minutes earlier near the Crossroads Place shopping center, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
“Caller is advising he attempted it once, followed her to this location and attempted again,” the dispatcher said.
Upon investigating, an officer determined that the “purse snatching” may be connected to a series of at least four larcenies and robberies in the area, per the police scanner.
A chase began after an officer spotted a man matching the provided suspect description in front of Dick’s Sporting Goods on Columbia Pike. She said on the scanner that she told the man to stop, but he continued bicycling “fast” toward Spring Lane.
A traffic camera video shared by local public safety watcher Dave Statter shows that at least seven Fairfax County Police Department vehicles were involved in the pursuit. They get held up at a stop light in the eastbound lanes on Columbia Pike at the Arlington County border while a bicyclist passes by, headed in the wrong direction in the westbound lanes.
The man was ultimately caught at the Columbia Pike and S. Greenbrier Street intersection in Arlington, according to the police scanner.
“The cyclist matching the description fled from our officers but was detained by our cops with 4 wheels,” the Fairfax County Police Department said in a 10:33 a.m. tweet. “Officers [are] on scene continuing to investigate.”
Not something you see every morning commute!
Officers searching for a man who attempted to steal a purse. The cyclist matching the description fled from our officers but was detained by our cops with 4 wheels. Officers on scene continuing to investigate. https://t.co/juCSnMP4TK— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) January 24, 2024
Police have identified two teens as suspects in a spree of postal box thefts that began half a year ago with a mail carrier getting robbed and pepper-sprayed in Vienna.
A 19-year-old man and a younger teen were arrested Friday (Jan. 5) in the 3000 block of Borge Street in Oakton, announced the Vienna Police Department, whose detectives coordinated the search with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Fairfax County SWAT officers.
The teens have been charged with robbery, assault with a caustic substance and identity theft, though the VPD didn’t specify which charges applied to each individual.
According to police, a postal worker reported around 11:50 a.m. on June 2 that a person with a knife had demanded their U.S. Postal Service mailbox keys and assaulted them with pepper spray before fleeing. The encounter occurred in the 500 block of Church Street NE, along the carrier’s assigned route.
“Subsequent to the initial incident, a series of thefts occurred, targeting blue collection boxes in the Vienna, Fairfax, and Oakton areas,” Vienna police said. “In response, Vienna PD initiated a collaborative investigation with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.”
The Postal Inspection Service provides support to the U.S. Post Office by investigating all mail-related crimes.
Even after the arrests, which were made without incident, the investigation into the thefts is ongoing, police said.
The Vienna Police Department expressed thanks to the Postal Inspection Service, Fairfax County Police Department and “citizens who came forward and provided information that helped bring the case to a successful conclusion.”
A man who claimed he was stabbed by two masked strangers outside Dulles Town Center in November now faces charges of filing a false report and embezzlement from the mall’s Sports Nation store where he worked.
On Nov. 10, Fawad Fafa, 44, filed a report with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office claiming to have been a victim of a stabbing in the parking lot of the Dulles Town Center Mall in Sterling.
“Fafa reported that he left the mall and as he got into his vehicle, two males wearing masks approached his vehicle and stabbed him before fleeing in a dark-colored four-door sedan,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Detectives determined the report was fabricated and that Fafa had injured himself, the sheriff’s office said.
On Nov. 8, an employee of the Sports Nation store where Fafa worked reported that during the overnight hours the store had been entered and money was taken. Detectives soon determined that Fafa had taken the money, according to the release.
Fafa was arrested Dec. 15 and charged with two counts of filing a false police report and embezzlement, the release said.
He was released from the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center the next day on a $1,500 bond.
On Dec. 19, at approximately 9:15 p.m., detectives allege Fafa again entered the Sports Nation store and forcibly removed money from the cash register, the release said.
Additional charges were obtained for burglary and embezzlement, and Fafa was arrested by the Fairfax County Police Department. He is being held at the Fairfax County jail.
Image via Google Maps. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
The man behind Divan in McLean has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for failing to pay taxes and stealing COVID-19 relief funds — including money used to establish the Persian restaurant.
Gholam “Tony” Kowkabi, 63, of Vienna was sentenced by a federal judge on Monday (Dec. 18) to 57 months in prison after pleading guilty on Aug. 14, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of D.C. announced.
His wife Karen Kowkabi, 64, also pleaded guilty to tax evasion and has been sentenced to 24 months of probation.
The pair has also agreed to pay the $1.35 million that they owe the IRS, and Gholam Kowkabi must pay $738,657 to the Small Business Administration as restitution for the relief funds that he got to support his Georgetown restaurant, Ristorante Piccolo, during the COVID-19 pandemic but spent instead on personal expenses.
“As part of his guilty plea, Mr. Kowkabi acknowledged having spent money intended to help his business on a waterfront condo in Ocean City, Md., as well as personal investments, vacations for his family, and college tuition for his adult children,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
After serving the prison term, Gholam Kowkabi will be on supervised release for three years.
According to prosecutors, the couple avoided paying federal income and employment taxes from 1998 to 2018 “by concealing assets and obscuring…large sums of money” through property purchases, false entries in their business records and the use of business bank accounts to hide personal purchases.
During that time frame, the Kowkabis owned and operated Ristorante Piccolo, which opened in 1986, as well as the restaurants Catch 15 and Tuscana West, which were also located in D.C. Tuscana West, an Italian eatery, closed after 20 years in 2014, while Catch 15 closed in 2018, not long after filing for bankruptcy protection.
According to the press release, Gholam Kowkabi received over $1.6 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds — including Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Restaurant Revitalization Funds — between May 13, 2020 and July 27, 2021.
Instead of using all the money to cover Ristorante Piccolo’s expenses as intended, he spent more than $500,000 to buy a waterfront condo in Ocean City, over $250,000 to build homes in Great Falls, and over $78,500 to establish Divan, which opened at 1313 Old Chain Bridge Road in December 2021.
Funds were also used to on mortgage payments, vacations, personal legal expenses, home improvements and college tuition payments, according to prosecutors.
Gholam Kowkabi was previously sentenced to 18 months in prison for evading $2 million in D.C. sales taxes.
While Divan is still operating, Ristorante Piccolo has been closed since June after suffering damage from a two-alarm fire, including the collapse of its roof.
