A woman was carjacked at gunpoint in Dale City Lake Ridge early Saturday morning and driven to a city nearly 200 miles away, and then left on the curb.
Police say:
Abduction | Carjacking – On August 7 at 4:09AM, officers responded to investigate an abduction and carjacking that was reported to have occurred at the
Dale Forest Apartments locatedin the 12300 block of Midsummer Ln in Woodbridge (22192) earlier that morning. The investigation revealed that the victim, identified as an 18-year-old woman, arrived at her apartment, and was removing items out of her vehicle when she was approached by an unknown man armed with a handgun.The man ordered the victim into the passenger seat before he got into the driver’s seat. The man drove the vehicle southbound on I-95, stopping once to get gas at an unknown location before continuing to south to the Chesapeake, VA area where he dropped the victim off at restaurant before driving off in the victim’s vehicle, described as a 2011 red Nissan Sentra with Virginia license plates UBD-3429. The victim was not injured or threatened during the encounter.
The victim eventually contacted police in Chesapeake to report the incident. The investigation continues.
Suspect Description:
Black male, unknown age, 5’9” with a thin build, light complexion, and curly brown hair
Last seen wearing a black shirt, black pants, white shoes, and orange mask
*This story has been corrected.
Police confirm to PLN it questioned a resident who wrote a letter criticizing the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
The letter sent via email by a county resident on August 3, and obtained by PLN, calls into question two Board members, Chair At-large Ann Wheeler and Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey.
The email had a subject line of "Government Target" and criticizes Bailey for a hot-mic-moment for Bailey on July 20, who returned to the meeting after a brief break, learned over to Wheeler, and whispered, "what are you going to do about Alan Gloss?
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An innocent bystander was shot in the leg while at Marumsco Plaza in Woodbridge.
The shooting took place at 3:30 a.m. Sunday, August 8 following a fight that broke out between a 21-year-old man and two others.
Prince William police report:
Shooting Investigation – On August 8 at 3:30AM, officers responded to investigate a shooting that was reported to have occurred in the parking lot of the Marumsco Plz located in the 13900 block of Jefferson Davis Hwy in Woodbridge (22191) earlier that evening. The investigation revealed that the victim, identified as a 21-year-old man, and two other acquaintances were at The Palace located in the above area when they observed a fight in the parking lot at approximately 2:30AM. During the fight, shots were fired, and the victim was struck in the leg. The victim’s acquaintances drove him to an area hospital where police were contacted. Officers checked the parking lot and located a shell casing near the entrance to the lot. Security at the establishment reported that gunshots were heard around closing. Police were not contacted at that time. The victim was reportedly not involved in the altercation. No suspect descriptions were provided to police of those involved in the fight.
Police linked a man who was shot and killed outside a Dale City home last month to five robberies.
A gun on the robber, identified as 20-year-0ld Azhar Laurent Smart, of Triangle, was linked to a recent armed robbery at the 7-Eleven located on Dale Blvd in Woodbridge on July 16. Detectives worked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to make the determination.
A woman shot and killed Smart outside her home in the 4100 block of Hoffman Drive on July 22. Smart was armed and was trespassing and approached the woman, according to police. The woman suffered injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.
There is no connection between the robberies and why Smart was outside of the woman’s home, police said.
During the robbery, the lone suspect fired a round after forcing taking money from the business. No injuries were reported. The shell casing collected at the scene was compared to the weapon recovered at the July 22 homicide scene and was determined to be a match.
Detectives have been investigating the robbery in connection to four additional robberies that have occurred at other 7-Eleven locations in the Woodbridge and Dumfries areas since late June as involving the same suspect based on the description, clothing worn at the time, and modus operandi (MO) observed in the incidents.
During the robbery, the lone suspect fired a round after forcing taking money from the business. No injuries were reported. The shell casing collected at the scene was compared to the weapon recovered at the July 22 homicide scene and was determined to be a match.
Detectives have been investigating the robbery in connection to four additional robberies that have occurred at other 7-Eleven locations in the Woodbridge and Dumfries areas since late June as involving the same suspect based on the description, clothing worn at the time, and modus operandi (MO) observed in the incidents.
The other robberies occurred at 7-Eleven locations on Fraley Blvd in Dumfries on July 5, where a shot was also fired, and locations on Cloverdale Rd on July 3, Darbydale Ave on June 29, and Minnieville Rd on June 28. Detectives became increasingly concerned over the robberies escalating after the suspect was found to have discharged a handgun during the two more recent incidents.
Forensic examination of the shell casing recovered on July 5 is ongoing. Detectives have confirmed the shell casing is the caliber and from the same manufacturer as the previous robbery on July 16. At the time of the July 22 homicide, the deceased was wearing clothing that was also observed in the reported robberies. Following the investigations into this robbery series, all known evidence indicates the deceased was responsible for all five incidents.
Due to the suspect being deceased, these cases will be cleared by an exemption, death of the offender.
Crime in Prince William County is down, according to the county police department's just-relaxed annual report for 2020.
Across key metrics in crimes against people such as murder, kidnapping, rape, aggravated assault, and human trafficking, the numbers are lower than in 2019.
County police investigated eight murders last year, tied to seven incidents. The number is down from 14 years the year before. It is half the number of murders cataloged in 2016 when the county its the highest number of reported homicide cases in the past 14 years.
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A woman walking out of her Dale City home pulled out a gun and shot and killed an armed attacker.
It’s the second case in less than a month of an armed resident in Prince William County defending their Dale City home.
Police were called at 12:25 a.m. to a home in the 4100 block of Hoffman Drive in Dale City to investigate a shooting.
The victim, identified as a 44-year-old woman, told police that she walked out of her home when she saw an unknown, masked man armed with a handgun approached. The victim, who was also armed, shot the man as he approached her home.
Officers found the man near the doorway suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers also found a loaded handgun on the man, said Prince William police spokesman 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok. Officers performed CPR on the man until rescue crews arrived.
The man was taken to an area hospital where he later died. The victim was not injured.
Detectives are investigating the incident to determine why the man was at home. They want to speak to anyone who may have been present around the time of the incident.
After consultation with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the shooting was ruled to be justified based on self-defense, and therefore no charges will be placed against the victim, said Perok. At this time, this incident does not appear to be random.
The deceased was identified as Azhar Laurent SMART, 20, of Triangle.
On July 7, a man who lives on Glendale Road in Dale City, about three miles from today’s shooting, heard a commotion outside his window. He grabbed a gun and shot a would-be intruder.
The shooting victim suffered injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.
A North Carolina man was struck and killed in a grocery store parking lot in Stafford County.
At 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, a 911 call reported the victim had been struck outside of a Lidl, at 1175 Warrenton Road, near a Walmart. Deputies found the male victim, Daniel Junco, 49, of Fayetteville, N.C., and pronounced him dead at the scene.
The driver of the striking vehicle, a white 2019 Chevrolet Silverado towing a tandem axle trailer, was located nearby within an hour of the sheriff's office receiving the 911 call, said Stafford sheriff's spokeswoman Sarah Moroney.
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Stafford County authorities recovered a vehicle stolen from Prince William County and arrested two suspects in the process.
On Monday, July 19 at 3 p.m.,  a Stafford County Sheriff's Deputy was called to Widewater Road in the northeastern section of the county for a report of a reckless driver. The caller provided a photo of the vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, with the vehicle’s license plate number.
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Prince William County
Armed Robbery
On July 19 at 4:30PM, officers responded to the 4200 block of James Madison Hwy. in Haymarket (20169) to investigate an assault. The investigation revealed that while in a parking lot near Liberia Ave. and Mathis Ave. in Manassas, the victim, a 20-year-old man, was approached by an unknown man, who asked for a ride.
The victim agreed and drove to the Haymarket area where the man exited the car and returned a short time later with a firearm. The suspect then demanded the victim’s property before dragging the victim out of the vehicle. At some point, a white sedan approached and the four occupants along with the suspect began assaulting the victim.
During the altercation, the suspect struck the victim with the firearm before the victim fled on foot. While running, the victim heard two gunshots before locating a community member who contacted the police. The victim was transported to an area hospital with significant injuries. No additional injuries or property damage were reported.
Suspect Descriptions:
A Hispanic male, approximately 5’10”, 170 lbs., with short black hair, a tattoo on his right arm and wearing a cross necklace and carrying a firearm
A Hispanic male, approximately 5’11”, 190 lbs., with short black hair
Three Hispanic males with black hair
Stafford County
ASSAULT
Maple Hill Lane, 7/19, 8:26 p.m. Deputy J.F. Edwards responded for a report of an assault. The victim reported the suspect, Harold Hoggard, 52, of Stafford, attempted to grab him off of his riding lawnmower. Hoggard then struck an iron fence with his vehicle as he left the scene. Hoggard was arrested for assault and destruction of property. He was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond.
HIT AND RUN
1500 block of Jefferson Davis Highway, 7/19, 4:05 p.m. The investigation revealed the victim was stopped in traffic on southbound Jefferson Davis Highway when he was rear-ended by the suspect vehicle. The impact caused the victim’s vehicle to strike the vehicle in front of it. The suspect then fled the scene. The suspect vehicle is a full-size white pickup truck with heavy front-end damage.
LARCENY
1443 Warrenton Road, Burton’s Automotive, 7/19, 11:44 a.m. The catalytic converters were stolen off of a Kia Sportage and a Chevrolet Express van parked at the business. The thefts are believed to have occurred sometime between July 16 and July 18.
A new Public Safety Facility currently being built in Manassas is currently on schedule by its completion date of September 2022.
A video posted on Twitter by Manassas City Police Chief Douglass Keen updated the new $49.1 million facilities located at 9608 Grant Avenue. In the short video, Keen is standing on what will become the facility's fourth floor while describing what will be the new home of the city's police department.Â
The new 68,000 square foot facility will be the new home of the Manassas police and consolidate all of the city's public safety departments. This would include the 911 and Emergency Operations Center, the Fire and Rescue Administration offices, and its Information Technology Department.
