A Woodbridge man was killed today while traveling on Purcell Road near Dale City.
A Prince William police press release states:
Fatal Crash Investigation – On December 16 at 10:42AM, investigators with the Crash Investigation Unit responded to the area of Purcell Rd and Fair Hill Ln in Manassas (20112) to investigate a single vehicle crash.
The investigation revealed that the driver, and sole occupant, of a 2005 Toyota Highlander, was traveling west on Purcell Rd approaching Fair Hill Ln when the vehicle lost control and ran off the roadway.
The vehicle struck a mailbox before continuing into a ditch and across Fair Hill Ln where the vehicle struck a culvert and overturned in the travel lanes of Purcell Rd. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and was taken to an area hospital where he died as a result of his injuries from the crash on December 28.
At this time, speed and alcohol or drug use do not appear to be factors in the crash.
Identified:
The driver of the 2005 Toyota Highlander was identified as Jong LEE, 73, of Woodbridge
8:3o p.m. | Prince William police updated us with more information about the arrest of the two men wanted in connection to the murder at a Denny’s restaurant on Sudley Road. A press release states:
Murder Investigation *ADDITIONAL ARREST – On December 29, members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force apprehended Ryan Thomas WALKER, who was sought in connection to the murder of Yusuf OZGUR and the malicious wounding of a second man that occurred at the Denny’s located at 8201 Sudley Rd in Manassas (20109) on December 26.
This suspect resides in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County and was located at the home of an acquaintance in Chesapeake Beach, MD where he was arrested without incident.
The first suspect, Jordan ANDERSON, was located by members of the Prince William County Special Investigations Bureau and ATF following a vehicle stop in the Newington section of Fairfax County.
A search warrant was subsequently conducted on ANDERSON’s vehicle and his residence in Manassas where additional evidence was recovered.
The Prince William County Police Department would like to acknowledge and thank those who submitted tips in this case which helped confirm the identity of the suspects involved. This investigation was tirelessly worked with assistance from the Virginia State Police and our Federal partners from the FBI and ATF who offered resources including technical and forensic support and the U.S. Marshals who located and apprehended the WALKER suspect.
Detectives and our law enforcement partners are appreciative of the overwhelming support from our community in this case which enabled us to identify and arrest the suspects responsible for the murder of Yusuf OZGUR and the malicious wounding of another victim who is recovering from his injuries sustained during the incident.
Arrested on December 29:Â [No photo available]
Ryan Thomas WALKER, 22, of 43491 Interval St in Chantilly
Charged with 1 count of murder, 1 count of malicious wounding, and 1 count of robbery
Court Date:Â February 6, 2020Â | Status:Â Awaiting Extradition
4 p.m. | We’re still waiting for a press release from Prince William police, but here is what we gather from the department’s Twitter account:
*UPDATE: Ryan Thomas WALKER, who was wanted in connection to the Denny’s homicide, has been APPREHENDED by the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Maryland. Additional information to follow.
1 p.m. | More than 100 tips given to police by residents led to the arrest as the man they say is the shooter — 22-year-old Jordan Anderson, of 11165 Stagestone Way in the Coverstone area of Prince William County, near Manassas.
Police have also identified the man they say was with Anderson on the morning of the shooting as Ryan Thomas Walker, 22, of Chesapeake Beach, Md. He’s still on the run and is considered to be armed and dangerous.
More from Prince William police:
Murder Investigation *ARREST | WANTED SUSPECT – On December 28, detectives with the Homicide Unit identified the two men responsible for the murder of Yusuf OZGUR and the malicious wounding of a second man that occurred at the Denny’s located at 8201 Sudley Rd in Manassas (20109) on December 26.
Since the investigation began, police received over 100 tips and information into the case. Based on forensic evidence collected at the scene, detectives identified the shooter in the case as Jordan ANDERSON who was located in Fairfax County on December 29 and charged.
The second suspect was identified as Ryan Thomas WALKER and is actively being sought in connection to the investigation. The investigation into the additional cases believed to be connected to these two men is ongoing.
Anyone with information on WALKER’s whereabouts is asked to contact Prince William County police at 703-792-6500 or your local police department.
Arrested on December 29:
Jordan ANDERSON, 22, of 11165 Stagestone Way in Manassas, charged with 1 count of murder, 1 count of malicious wounding, and 2 counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony
Court Date:Â February 6, 2020Â | Bond:Â Held WITHOUT Bond
Wanted:Â [Photo from August 2019]
Ryan Thomas WALKER, 22, of the 6500 block of a 10th St, Chesapeake Beach, MD
Described as a white male, 5’11”, 165lbs with brown hair and brown eyes
Wanted for 1 count of murder, 1 count of malicious wounding, and 1 count of robbery
SUSPECT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS
Newly elected Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey told us who will be working in her office, helping her to manage constituent issues. A press release states:
Santana
Edwin Santana will serve as the Chief-of-Staff. Edwin joins our team from Whitney, Bradley, and Brown Inc. where he served as an Operational Logistics Analyst.
Prior to that, Edwin served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. It was because of his strong sense of duty and concern that also lead him to run for Congress in VA-01 in 2018. Edwin is also a 2012 graduate of Maine Maritime Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Power Engineering.
Smith
Will Smith will serve as the Deputy Chief-of-Staff. Will most recently served as the Campaign Manager for Ann Wheeler’s successful run for Chair of the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors. Before that, he was the Deputy Campaign Manager for Dick Saslaw’s successful primary victory for the Virginia State Senate. Will is also 2018 graduate of Virginia State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.
The Potomac District [formerly the Dumfries District] encompasses southeastern Prince William County and the Town of Dumfries. Supervisor’s Office is located inside the Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo Building, at 15941 Donald Curtis Drive in Woodbridge.
Bailey replaces the retiring Maureen Caddigan, who has served as the Potomac District Supervisor since 1992.
A woman told police that man walked up to her inside of a Haymarket liquor store, told her that he was a cop, and then rubbed her back. A Prince William police press release states:
Impersonating a Law Enforcement Officer [LEO] | Assault – On December 24 at 5:00PM, officers responded to investigate a police impersonator that was reported to have occurred at the ABC Store located at 5331 Merchants View Sq. in Haymarket (20169) earlier that morning at approximately 11:00AM.
The victim, a 27-year-old woman, reported to police that she was approached by an unknown man while inside of the business. During the encounter, the man asked the victim for her identification and told her he was on patrol. The victim believed the man was a law enforcement officer and began to retrieve her identification. At that time, the man stated he was joking and began to rub her back.
After the assault, the man left the business on foot. The victim returned to her home and contacted the police.
No injuries were reported.
Suspect Description:
A white male, about 5’11”, medium build, short brown hair, brown eyes wearing an olive green jacket and blue jeans.
(VDOT Press Release) Interstate 95 southbound traffic exiting to Courthouse Road in Stafford County has begun using a new off-ramp.
Today, crews finished construction on the final piece of the diverging diamond interchange at Exit 140.
Three of the new I-95 interchange ramps at Exit 140 opened to traffic on Dec. 7, but traffic continued to use the I-95 southbound exit ramp in a detour pattern for three weeks.
Since Dec. 7, crews worked 24 hours a day at times to deposit approximately 8,000 cubic yards of material at the ramp to build the foundation, and then grade the surface, pave the ramp and add pavement markings. The elevation of the new ramp had to be raised substantially to match the height of the new interchange and overpass bridges.
New Traffic Pattern at Wyche Road, Old Courthouse Road
As the new ramp opened, the traffic pattern at the intersection of Old Courthouse Road and Wyche Road was changed. Now, traffic on Old Courthouse Road will have the right of way, with a stop sign for Wyche Road traffic.
A temporary traffic signal installed for construction has been deactivated and will be removed.
The signal was installed on a temporary basis to accommodate heavier traffic volumes traveling through the intersection before all I-95 ramps had opened leading to the new Courthouse Road.
Coming Up in 2020
Construction on the $195 million project to reconstruct the Exit 140 interchange and widen Courthouse Road to four lanes began in July 2017. All work will be finished by July 31, 2020.
Last week, traffic began traveling in the widened section of Courthouse Road west of I-95. Two eastbound and westbound lanes are now open from Austin Ridge Drive to Ramoth Church Road and Widening Creek Road.
Construction crews will focus on finishing the following project elements in 2020:
Expanded Park & Ride commuter parking at Exit 140: New Park & Ride lots are under construction north and south of the future Old Courthouse Road. Together, the lots will offer around 1,100 parking spaces. The southern lot will have a dedicated pickup and dropoff area for buses, carpools, and vanpools.
New sidewalk:Â Crews will continue building new sidewalk from the Park & Ride lots east along Old Courthouse Road to the Stafford County Government Center.
Courthouse Road carries an average of 16,000 vehicles a day and around 136,000 vehicles a day travel on I-95 near Exit 140.
(Press Release) The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy today released results of a Mason-Dixon poll showing that the glowing benefits of a proposed Transportation and Climate Initiative are supported by a majority of Virginians.
But that Virginians equally oppose the measure when voters learn it will mean a major new carbon tax on gasoline and diesel sold here.
The drop in support was clear in two back-to-back questions included in a mid-December poll of Virginia voters by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy. The two questions were added at the request of the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy to a more general poll on political and legislative topics.
The first question outlining the many benefits claimed by the Transportation and Climate Initiative received the support of 61 percent of poll respondents. Benefits mentioned included improved transportation, developing the clean energy economy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles.
When the second question asked for voter attitudes if the program included an 18 cents per gallon tax on fuel and would result in less money for road repairs and construction, support dropped to 34 percent, and opposition rose to 58 percent. The erosion was noted in all regions of the state, including in Northern Virginia where voters then split on the idea 44 to 44 percent.
Here’s the full report from Mason-Dixon. and a summary of key findings is below. All figures represent the percentage of voters expressing support:
Q1: Mentioning the claimed TCI benefits but not the cost. Q2: Mentioning a related 18-cents per gallon carbon tax.
Statewide Support
Q1: 61%
Q2: 34%
Northern Virginia
Q1: 76%
Q2: 44%
Richmond Metro
Q1: 61%
Q2: 33%
Democrats
Q1: 89%
Q2: 53%
Republicans
Q1: 19%
Q2: 9%
Independents
Q1: 63%
Q2: 31%
The poll was a live interview conducted on December 16-19 and surveyed 625 Virginia voters by landline and cell phone.
If fully implemented, TCI will be a regional compact following a similar Atlantic coast footprint to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, with Virginia the southernmost state participating. It seeks to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted by motor vehicles by capping the amount of gasoline and diesel over-the-road available for sale in the member jurisdictions and then gradually reducing the amount available. Fuel wholesalers would need to buy carbon allowances in order to continue selling the products.
The intended rate of decline has not been announced, but organizers released modeling on December 17 based on a goal of a 25 percent reduction between 2022 and 2032. It projected that the program would result in allowance costs equivalent to 17 cents per gallon, very close to the estimate used in the poll question. The billions of dollars raised by the sale of allowances are not intended to go to the tradition uses of the gasoline tax, including highway maintenance and construction.
A new 1,400-space parking garage will be built between Wegmans and Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center.
The $37 million, seven-floor garage in Woodbridge will help alleviate overcrowding at commuter lots at Route 234 near Dumfries. It also comes after Potomac Mills mall in 2011 reduced the number of commuter parking spaces it allowed residents to use by 75 percent, allowing for more parking at what would be new restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory, Bobby’s Burger Palace, and Matchbox.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors chose the site behind Wegmans at Potomac Town Center due to its proximity to an entrance to Interstate 95, and a newly planned $50 million entrance to the E-ZPass toll lanes from Opitz Boulevard, making it easy for drivers that use the parking garage, and OmniRide buses that will serve the garage to enter the express lanes.
The garage was originally planned as part of a new Potomac Nationals baseball stadium that was also to be built on the site. However, the baseball team couldn’t reach a deal with county leaders in 2017 and then opted to move the team to Fredericksburg.
After the team decided to move, Prince William County studied the site, as well as other sites surrounding area, examining soil quality, as well as looking at sites’ accessibility to the region’s transit network, in hopes to choose the best location for the new garage. Sites behind the Potomac Festival shopping center, home to an Outback restaurant, as well as a piece of property on Dale Boulevard next to I-95 that now houses an At Home store (formerly K-mart store) were also considered.
Construction on the new parking garage is expected to begin in Spring 2021 and is expected to be completed two years later.
The Prince William County Department of Transportation has posted information and a link to a video of what the new garage will look like on its website. You’ll need to scroll down to “Neabsco/Potomac Commuter Parking Garage” to see it.
(Press Release) Settle the Debt’s first major fundraising campaign as a nonprofit netted over $40,000 to pay lunch debt bills at 23 Prince William County Schools.
A total of 18 elementary schools and two schools serving kindergarten through 8th-grade students (called “Traditional” schools) had their lunch debts paid in full.
Three high schools in the county had a large portion of their lunch debt wiped clean, alleviating the lunch debt for many Prince William families. As a result of donations from local businesses and community members, the organization’s first-ever holiday fundraising campaign raised $40,600 to help Prince William County schoolchildren.
A check for $39,600 was delivered to Prince William County Public Schools on Friday, Dec. 20.
The remaining funds will be used to pay off school lunch debts at Pennington Traditional School, and the additional to ensure all 20 elementary/traditional schools are fully paid.
Settle the Debt started in April 2017 by Adelle Settle as a campaign to pay off the lunch debt of schools in Prince William County, VA. To date, Settle the Debt has paid off approximately $90,000 of lunch debt for county schools and worked with Delegate Danica Roem (HD-13) to introduce legislation to eliminate lunch shaming in Virginia schools. As a non-profit organization, Settle the Debt hopes to pay off more lunch debt and ultimately eliminate lunch shaming in Virginia schools.
Police have released the names of the two victims in this morning’s double shooting at a Denny’s restaurant near Manassas. A press release states:
Homicide Investigation *VICTIM IDENTIFIED – Detectives with the Homicide Unit have identified the victim killed in the early morning robbery that occurred at the Denny’s on Sudley Rd in Manassas. The deceased was identified as Yusuf OZGUR, 56, of Manassas. The second victim shot was identified as a 34-year-old man of Rixeyville who remains hospitalized. The victims were not known to one another or the suspects. More information will be released when available. The investigation continues.
One of the two people shot early this morning at a Denny’s restaurant on Sudley Road has died. A press release from Prince William police states:
Homicide Investigation *CASE RECLASSIFIED – Detectives have confirmed one of the victims shot during the early morning robbery at the Denny’s on Sudley Rd in Manassas has died. Homicide detectives are actively investigating the incident at this time. The other victim shot during the incident remains hospitalized. More information will be released when available. The investigation continues.
Shooting | Armed Robbery Investigation – On December 26 at 2:25AM, officers responded to the Denny’s located at 8201 Sudley Road in Manassas (20109) to investigate an armed robbery. The preliminary investigation revealed that two armed men entered the business and began demanding property from customers and employees. During the encounter, two adult male customers were shot before the suspects fled. Officers arrived and located the gunshot wound victims and provided first-aid until rescue personnel arrived. Both victims were transported to an area hospital. Conditions of the victims is not being released at this time. A police K-9 searched for the suspects who were not located. More information will be released when available. The investigation continues.
Suspect Descriptions:
Two black males, late teens-early 20s, 5’10”-6’0”, 180lbs
Last seen wearing all black or dark colored clothing
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Prince William County Police Department tipline at 703.792.7000 or submit a webtip to: www.pwcgov.org/policetip.
Armed robbers also hit businesses further west off Sudley Road on December 21 and 23.
