The number of stolen tires reported in the Tysons area has now reached two dozen this year.
Tysons Reporter has been keeping an eye on where wheels have been reported stolen — dubbing the thief(s) the “Tysons Tire Bandit(s).”
The 24 reports span from Merrifield and the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station area up to Tysons, according to the Fairfax County Police Department’s daily crime recaps. (Fairfax County’s weekday police recaps are not comprehensive lists of every incident and the addresses are approximate.)
Some of the areas had multiple reports, including:
- four reports in the 1500 block of Westbranch Drive
- three reports in the 7900 block of Jones Branch Drive
- two reports in the 9400 block of Lee Hwy
- two reports in the 1500 block of Lincoln Way
A few of the incidents also include stolen rims.
The robberies have mostly occurred in the residential areas of rapidly urbanizing Tysons and Merrifield.
FCPD recaps noted between one to five stolen tire reports per month this year. The most recent incident was noted in the Monday (Sept. 23) recap.
The Vienna Police Department is looking for the three women who reportedly stole merchandise from a cosmetics store along Maple Avenue.
An employee at Sally Beauty (329 E. Maple Avenue) reported to the police that three women concealed multiple items of merchandise before fleeing the store, according to a police report.
The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. last Tuesday (Sept. 10).
In a separate incident, a Vienna resident in the 900 block of Frederick Street SW reported to the police that “someone intentionally damaged a tree she recently planted” between Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7, police said.
The police department also received nine recent reports from people who said their cars had been rummaged through.
Photo via Facebook
The Town of Vienna Police Department is seeking the public’s help to identify a suspect linked to dirt bike theft along Maple Avenue.
Police tweeted that they are looking for the “subject seen at the Shell gas station (545 W. Maple Avenue) attempting to put a stolen dirt bike into a possible silver 2002 Mercedes CLK320.”
The incident happened around 4 a.m. Wednesday (Sept. 11). Police said the dirt bike was reported stolen from Paris Court SW.
“The subject is a black male, mid 30s, 6’2, slender, short cut beard, bald,” police said. “He was last seen wearing a tan cap, light grey or white shirt and black jeans.”
Image via Google Maps
Fairfax County police arrested two D.C. men in a parking garage near Tysons Corner Center for alleged larceny on Labor Day (Monday).
While police were investigating several car break-ins in a parking garage in the 1900 block of Chain Bridge Road, they said they saw a man crouched behind a car.
“He was arrested and officers then found another man sitting in a white van that contained stolen property from the earlier thefts,” according to the police report.
The two men were charged with seven counts of larceny from a motor vehicle, destruction of property, possession of burglarious tools and possession of stolen property. They were held without bond.
Last Saturday (Aug. 31), police arrested a 24-year-old Fairfax man in connection with a stolen auto from the Tysons Galleria parking garage.
“Officers used garage surveillance footage to locate the suspect in the mall,” police said.
Police arrested and charged the man with auto theft, possession of burglarious tools, possession of forged banknotes, possession of marijuana and displaying altered/fictitious registration. He was held without bond.
Image via Google Maps
Plants have been reported stolen around the Tysons area three times this month, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
The first report showed up in the Aug. 1 daily crime recap. Police said a cellphone and plant were stolen from a Falls Church home in the 2800 block of Bolling Road.
Several weeks passed and then the Tuesday (Aug. 27) recap said that plants were swiped from a Merrifield residence in the 8100 block of Lee Hwy.
The Wednesday (Aug. 28) recap said plants were taken from a McLean business in the 6800 block of Elm Street.
File photo
After two bench thefts, the Vienna Arts Society is determined to keep the remaining 40 benches painted by local artists available for public enjoyment.
When the first bench disappeared, Ken Britz, a Vienna Arts Society spokesperson, said that the art group was disappointed, but knew theft was a possibility.
When the second bench was snatched, though, the Vienna Arts Society decided it was time to work with local law enforcement to institute security measures.
The remaining benches will now be either padlocked or chained down. “It won’t stand in the way of a determined thief, but it will be a deterrent,” Britz said.
On top of the locks, Deputy Chief of Police Dan Janickey said at the Vienna Town Council meeting last week that law enforcement officers will keep a closer eye on the remaining benches.
The Vienna Police Department is still looking for a culprit and doesn’t have any leads yet, Janickey said.
The art group said keeping the benches aesthetically appealing for visitors is their main concern when it comes to adding security measures.
“We don’t wanna make it unsightly or emphasize the thefts,” he said.
Joann Meginley is the owner of Grass Roots Fitness in Vienna and the sponsor of the first missing bench. In coordination with the studio and the arts society, the artist of the bench agreed to recommission a new bench for the location.
Meginley said that it should be completed by Labor Day and will be placed in the missing bench’s original location, outside Meginley’s fitness studio.
The second stolen bench will not be recommissioned, because the artist is on vacation and will not have time when they return, Britz said.
The benches are available for public viewing throughout the town until they go to auction on Nov. 2.
Photos in the last image via Susan Scanlon and the Vienna Arts Society/Facebook
The Fairfax County Police Department is seeking the public’s help to identify two men allegedly involved in theft and fraud in Falls Church.
“Officers are asking for the public’s help identifying two men suspected of stealing purses from parked cars in cemeteries in the Falls Church area of the county while victims attended burial services and visited grave sites,” according to a press release from FCPD today (Thursday).
Police said the suspects used credit cards from the purses at Target and Walmart multiple times.
People with information or who recognize the suspects can contact Officer P. King at the McLean District Police Station at 703-556-7750 or submit an anonymous tip.
Photos via FCPD
A boy reported to Vienna Police that another kid smeared berries on his bicycle.
The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. Friday, June 7, in the 500 block of S. Center Street, according to the police report.
Other local crimes include stolen and recovered beer from the Giant Food (359 E. Maple Avenue) that same Friday.
Shortly after 11 a.m., an employee reported to the police that five kids took a case of beer and ran out of the store, according to the police report.
“The employee was able to recover the beer,” the police report said. “However, the juveniles fled the area.”
Later that day, between 7-8 p.m., police said two kids attempted to steal a 30-pack of beer, but a loss prevention officer confronted the kids.
“The juveniles ran away from the officer leaving behind the beer,” the report said.
Photo via Facebook
An Arlington resident was arrested yesterday (Thursday) for allegedly stealing a Porsche and leading Fairfax County police on a chase through Tysons.
A police recap said that FCPD was notified about a stolen Porsche from Arlington County.
Officers in the Tysons Urban Team spotted the car and tried to stop it, but the driver sped off, leading police in a pursuit.
According to the police recap:
The car was found nearby, abandoned. With the help of our helicopter and K9 team, officers found the driver, Michael Louk, 45, of Arlington, hiding in the wood line. Louk was arrested and charged with grand larceny, driving on a revoked license and disregard police signal to stop.
The man had previously been arrested for allegedly stealing a car in Tysons mid-pizza delivery.
Photo courtesy Fairfax County Police Department
The notorious Tysons Tire Bandits have struck once again, bringing the total number of thefts in the area since February up to nine.
A Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) recap from yesterday (April 29) said tires were stolen from a vehicle from The Fountains neighborhood at the 1500 block of Lincoln Way.
This isn’t the first time the small residential community just north of Tysons Galleria has been hit by tire thieves. On March 7, an FCPD report said another vehicle in the community had its tires stolen.
At the time, a Redditor claiming to be the victim of the larceny shared a warning to others about the incident on the Northern Virginia subreddit. According to the Reddit post:
Hey all, just a quick warning. I just had the wheels stolen off of my 2018 Charger on Sunday night from the parking garage in my apartment complex. I filed a police report and the officer with whom I spoke said that this is becoming a much more prevalent problem in the area, with thieves targeting vehicles even in open parking lots.
My car had wheel locks, but unfortunately they really don’t do anything except slow the thieves down by a few seconds, as most of the perpetrators in this area are professionals, and are in and out within minutes. Just a caution for everyone, perhaps consider installing tilt sensors or dash cameras in your vehicles to prevent something like this from happening to you. Definitely the first purchase I’ll make once my car is back up and running.
When we last reported on the spate of thefts on April 9, the total was seven. Since then, the April 11 FCPD recap also reported that tires were stolen from a vehicle on the 1500 block of Westbranch Drive.
This is the fourth time tire thieves have hit the 1500 block of Westbranch Drive. Police said the location is an offsite garage for a local dealership, which made it a target for the thieves.
While the investigation is ongoing, police said the thefts are likely related.
File photo
