A 27-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at the Tysons West shopping mall earlier this month, the Fairfax County Police Department announced today (Tuesday).
According to the police report, the assault occurred around 4 p.m. on March 3 and was reported to the police on March 4 when officers were called to the 1500 block of Cornerside Boulevard in Tysons.
The FCPD says that the woman was sitting on a bench near the shopping center when “an unknown man approached her, engaged her in conversation then sexually assaulted her.”
“The woman screamed and was able to leave,” the police report says. “As she walked away, the man continued to follow her. A bystander saw the man following her and escorted her inside a business.”
The man was spotted in the area again on March 12, and responding officers took him into custody. Police have identified the individual as Mohamed Souidi and says he has no fixed address.
Souidi has been charged with object sexual penetration and abduction. He is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
The FCPD says detectives with its major crimes bureau are continuing to investigate the case and are looking for potential witnesses.
“Considering the time and location of the assault, detectives believe there may have been people in the area who unknowingly witnessed this crime,” the department said.
Information can be shared with the investigating detectives by calling 703-246-7800, option 3, or submitting an anonymous tip through the FCPD’s Crime Solvers phone line (1-866-411-TIPS), app, and website.
An employee of a Best Buy in Tysons was repeatedly stabbed during an argument on Wednesday (Feb. 3), Fairfax County police said today (Friday).
According to the police report, the worker was involved in a dispute with a man who stabbed them “multiple times before running away.” The encounter took place at 12:15 p.m. in the Best Buy located at 8449 Leesburg Pike.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers reportedly “located” a 25-year-old Maryland resident named Jose Reyes who was taken into custody and charged with malicious wounding.
“The victim was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life threatening,” the Fairfax County Police Department said.
Photo via Google Maps
Potentially Icy Sidewalks and Roads Pose Hazards — “Temps near or below freezing combined with recent rain may cause ICY spots on roads and sidewalks this morning…Motorists and pedestrians should use caution this morning!” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/Twitter]
Fairfax County Seeks Input on Fairfax Connector Future — “The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) is beginning outreach on the 10-year Transit Strategic Plan (TSP) and is seeking input from county residents…The TSP incorporates outreach results from short-term, sub-area studies that are being conducted in Herndon/Reston, Franconia-Springfield, Centreville/Chantilly/Vienna/Tysons and Huntington.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]
McLean District Police Recover Car Reported Stolen — “Officers stopped a 2016 Acura RDX which had been reported stolen. The driver, Chesterfield Stewart, 21, of Maryland, was taken into custody. A gun with an altered serial number was located inside the SUV. Stewart was charged with receiving stolen goods and alteration of a weapon serial number.” [Fairfax County Police Department]
Fairfax County Prosecutor Makes Major Sentencing Reforms — “Prosecutors in [Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve] Descano’s office will stop using mandatory minimum sentences in plea deals, and charging people who commit minor offenses with felonies. And that’s just the start.” [WTOP]
How the Vienna Foodies Grew Into a Movement for Good — “Over a year ago, Vienna VA Foodies was started as a Facebook group celebrating Vienna’s restaurants. Today, it has become a community effort to help restaurants, thank first responders and assist people in need.” [Patch]
Staff Photo by Jay Westcott
Fairfax County police say a man accidentally discharged a gun while inside the Embassy Suites along Leesburg Pike in Tysons.
The incident happened around 11 a.m. on Sunday (Jan. 19).
“The bullet was located inside of a wall and nobody was injured,” according to the report.
Police said the 50-year-old man from Great Falls was charged with reckless handling of a firearm, discharge a firearm within a building and drunk in public, police said.
Image via Google Maps
A Maryland man picked up drug and weapon charges at a CVS Pharmacy in McLean, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Police say the man was arrested for obtaining drugs by fraud, along with other charges, after calling in a fraudulent prescription.
According to the police report, the incident occurred at the McLean CVS (1452 Chain Bridge Road) on Sunday (May 19) morning:
A pharmacist received a fraudulent prescription and notified our officers. The man arrived to pick up his medicine and was arrested. A loaded handgun with an extended magazine was found concealed in his backpack. [The man] was charged with obtaining drugs by fraud, carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a loaded firearm in certain specified localities and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.
Photo via Google Maps
After the franchise owner for the Huntington Learning Centers in Tysons and Springfield was arrested yesterday for sexual abuse of children, the company announced the locations will close.
Jeffrey Cummins, a local music teacher, was arrested at Dulles International Airport yesterday and faces eight felony counts of indecent liberties by a custodian against children.
The Tysons facility operates in the Centennial Plaza shopping center at 8290 Old Courthouse Road. According to the company’s website, the facility has been open for 23 years.
The Huntington Learning Center was quick to note that the abuse did not occur inside the centers, but will close the facilities regardless. According to a statement from CEO Eileen Huntington:
“Today we were made aware of allegations of abuse that occurred inside the home of one of our franchise owners in the Washington, DC area. We are shocked and appalled by this alleged behavior and are actively cooperating with police and investigators to the fullest extent possible. Our mission has always been to provide a safe and supportive environment for students, and although the alleged abuse did not occur inside one of our centers, we have nevertheless made the decision to close these two centers until further notice.”
Police say the nearly year-long investigation started when a juvenile disclosed that he had been inappropriately touched by Cummins over several years. A second victim came forward in January and said he too had been abused, police said in a press release.
When the locations will close and how many students will be affected by the closure remains unknown.
Photo via Fairfax County Police Department
Fairfax County police have arrested Jeffrey Cummins, owner of the Huntington Learning Centers franchises in Tysons and Springfield, on charges of sexually abusing two former students.
Cummins is a music teacher who gives lessons in his Annandale home and, in addition to the Huntington Learning Centers, is the founder and artistic director of Virginia Music Adventures — a music group for school-age children — according to a police report.
Police say Cummins, 56, was arrested on arrival at Dulles airport from international travel and is facing eight felony counts of indecent liberties by a custodian against children. Per a FCPD press release:
Detectives began their investigation in May 2018 when a juvenile disclosed that he had been inappropriately touched by Cummins over a period of several years. In January of this year, another victim came forward and disclosed he had also been abused for several years by Cummins. The investigation showed that the sexual abuse occurred both during music lessons and at other times when the juveniles were at his home.
Police say anyone who is concerned their child may have had inappropriate contact with Cummins should contact the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800.
Photo via Fairfax County Police Department
Police say a Vienna resident broke into Oakton High School early this morning (Tuesday) and was seen riding a scooter around the hallways while trying to get into classrooms.
Around 1:41 a.m., security at the school reported that they saw someone riding a scooter inside of the school trying to open classroom doors, according to a police report.
The report says police found the man in the parking lot and placed him under arrest for unlawful entry and trespassing.
Photo via Google Maps
Three men were arrested in the Tysons Corner Center mall’s Apple Store last Friday (April 5) and charged with credit card fraud and theft, according to police.
The arrest took place around 1:45 p.m. after staff at the store alerted police officers to a man in the store believed to be a suspect in previous credit card fraud cases, according to a recap from the Fairfax County Police Department.
According to the police report:
Officers determined there were two other men working with the man inside the store. They were using fraudulent identification along with stolen credit cards to make purchases. Officers arrested all three men and found devices in their car used to manufacture fraudulent identification documents and credit cards. Also inside the car was approximately $50,000 worth of property. Madalin Florea, 43, of Connecticut, was charged with three counts of credit card theft, three counts of credit card fraud, three counts of larceny with intent to sell and possession of a fictitious driver’s license. Coja Ion, 60, of no fixed address, was charged with credit card theft, credit card fraud, larceny with intent to sell and possession of a fictitious driver’s license. Gabriel Balam, 29, no fixed address, was charged with credit card theft, credit card fraud, larceny with intent to sell and three counts of possession of a fictitious driver’s license.
Photo via FCPD
A man trying to steal from Macy’s led officers on a foot chase at Tysons Corner Center mall, according to Fairfax County Police.
The chase happened Monday around 5:30 p.m. FCPD says a man who was concealing items “left the store without paying for the merchandise and ran away.”
A 24-year-old D.C. man “was arrested after a foot pursuit for grand larceny, possession of burglarious tools and possession of marijuana,” police said in a crime report.
