A woman allegedly walked into American Bird Company (7219 Lee Highway) in Falls Church and walked out with stolen baby birds — twice.

Police say on March 30 the theft of a young green Indian ring-neck — a type of parakeet — was reported at the store. The bird had an estimated value of over $700.

Then, two days later on April 1, an employee at the store said the woman they suspected had stolen the first bird was seen returning to the store. When a manager confronted her, the employee said she ran out of the store holding two birds.

The employee said the manager chased the woman down the street. An older bird was able to get free and was captured, but the employee said she managed to hold onto a young grey cockatoo. Police said the estimated value of the bird was $250.

A video showed the woman in the store, but police said it had no identifying information. The store employee said a bird had only been stolen from the store — which has been in business since 1989 — once before.

“It’s a terrible thing,” the employee said. “They’re young and she probably doesn’t know how to care for them.”

Photo of a baby cockatoo via Flickr/Rob and Stephanie Levy

Tysons’ tire bandits have struck again.

Less than one week after the crew stole all of the wheels from a vehicle at the 1500 block of West Branch Drive, a Fairfax County police recap shows that another vehicle at the 7900 block of Jones Branch also had its tires stolen.

The new theft brings the total number of tire larcenies in the area since February up to seven. This is also the third time the thieves have struck at the 7900 block of Jones Branch Drive, which earlier reports indicated was the Highgate at the Mile mixed-use development.

All but one of the thefts has taken place within the Mile, 40-acre stretch of buildings northeast of Tysons Galleria currently under consideration for redevelopment.

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

The thieves behind a series of wheel larcenies seem to have struck again.

According to a police recap from yesterday (Tuesday), the tires and rims were stolen from a vehicle parked at the 1500 block of West Branch Drive.

This is the sixth car to have its wheels stolen in Tysons since February. It’s the third vehicle hit in the 1500 block of West Branch Drive.

All but one of the robberies has taken place within the Mile, 40-acre stretch of buildings northeast of Tysons Galleria currently under consideration for redevelopment.

The recap also notes that a bird was stolen from a business on the 7200 block of Lee Highway, but despite repeated phone calls to confused business owners, Tysons Reporter has been unable to find more details.

Police are investigating a series of wheel thefts in the Tysons area.

Over the last two months, five cars have had their wheels stolen around Tysons, including two vehicles at different locations earlier this week, according to a Fairfax County Police Department recap from Tuesday.

One larceny took place in the 1500 block of Lincoln Way in The Fountains at McLean neighborhood. The other was at the 1500 block of Westbranch Drive, northeast of Tysons Galleria.

Fairfax County Police Sgt. James Curry said thieves typically remove the entire wheel, including the rims and the tires, leaving the vehicle propped up on cinder blocks.

Three other thefts have been reported in the area by FCPD since the beginning of February:

• The 7900 block of Jones Branch Drive
• The 1500 block of Westbranch Drive
• The 7900 block of Jones Branch Drive again

The Highgate at the Mile is a mixed-use development at 7900 block of Jones Branch Drive. One resident of the building told Tysons Reporter that the building’s garage requires a clicker to enter. Building management sent an email to residents warning of “vandalism” in the parking garage after the theft.

Curry said residents of buildings with parking garages should be vigilant about “piggybacking” — people entering the facility on someone else’s pass. Sometimes car thieves also arrive in vehicles that slip in behind a car that legitimately accesses the building, Curry said.

If the garage door to a complex is not functioning, Curry advised alerting the leasing agency or a homeowner’s association

A Redditor claiming to be the victim of the larceny at Fountains at McLean took to the Northern Virginia subreddit to warn others about the incident. 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.

File photo

A supermarket in Vienna has been the victim of a theft of shrimp twice in as many weeks.

Both thefts happened between 10-11 a.m. on a weekday and involved a man walking off with pilfered shrimp from the Giant store at 359 Maple Avenue E., according to the latest Vienna Police Department crime report.

The first theft happened on Monday, Feb. 25, when “a man left the store without paying for several platters of shrimp.” The second theft happened on Friday, March 8 when “a man left the store without paying for several bags of shrimp.”

A description of the suspect or suspects was not provided in the crime report.

Photo via Facebook

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.

A wallet was stolen in Reston — and several of the cards inside wound up in Vienna the next day.

The discovery was made Saturday morning at the intersection of Lawyers Road and Windover Avenue NW.

“A citizen was walking their dog when they found a driver’s license and a store card on the road and brought them to the police station,” said this week’s Vienna Police Department crime report. “When an officer notified the owner, they were advised the cards were in their wallet which had been reported as stolen in Reston, Virginia the previous day.”

The wallet, its other contents and the person who took it remain at large.

Map via Google Maps

Police Looking for Missing Local Man — Fairfax County Police are asking for the public’s help finding a missing, endangered 21-year-old man who was last seen January 31 on the 3100 block of Monticello Drive in Falls Church. [Twitter]

Part of Development Project Offered for Sale — “A piece of the planned 2.5-million-square-foot Arbor Row mixed-use development in Tysons is being offered for sale as its owners seek to capitalize on the momentum growing through other recently completed or planned projects in the area.” [Washington Business Journal, Bisnow]

West Falls Church Development Modified — The Falls Church City Council is set to vote on a series of five modifications to a plan for the private development of a 10.3 acre city-owned property near the West Falls Church Metro station. Among the changes are “an increase in residential density allowing an additional 50,000 square feet in senior housing and an additional 100,000 square feet in residential density of either condominiums or studio and one bedroom apartments.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Pair Arrested for Mall Theft, Assault on Officer — Two women from Laurel, Maryland were arrested last week and charged with stealing items from the Superdry store at Tysons Corner Center. One of the women is charged with assault on law enforcement after allegedly trying to fight the arresting officers. [FCPD]

Gannett Rejects Takeover Offer — Tysons-based newspaper chain Gannett has rejected an unsolicited takeover proposal, made by a hedge fund-owned company best known for slashing costs and jobs. [USA Today, BusinessWire]

Free Soup at Barnes and Noble — The Tysons Corner Center Barnes and Noble store is offering free soup with the purchase of a sandwich this month. [Instagram]

Car Keys Stolen from Hotel Room — “8125 Gatehouse Road (Residence Inn), 01/22/2019, 10:36 a.m. A guest left their room unlocked and someone entered the room and took keys to a car belonging to the guest. When the guest went to look for their car, they noticed it was missing. The car is a black 2014 Honda Accord.” [FCPD]

Va. Minimum Wage Bill Defeated — “A local legislator’s efforts to give Virginia’s 133 cities and counties the power to set their own minimum wage has gone down, probably predictably, to defeat in Richmond.” [InsideNova]

Hedgehogs Now Legal in Fairfax County — “Despite strong opposition to hedgehogs as suitable pets, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved adding them to the list of commonly accepted pets, along with chinchillas and hermit crabs.” [Reston Now]

New Local Bank Launching in Tysons — “VisionBank aims to be Greater Washington’s next community bank — and it’s gathered a group of longtime bankers with plans to launch in Tysons later this year.” [Washington Business Journal]