Armed robbery in Bailey’s Crossroads

One of the crimes listed in the Fairfax County Police Department’s weekend crime recap is an armed robbery in the Culmore area Jan. 1, at about 11:34 p.m.

A man was walking from his car to his apartment on the 6000 block of Knollwood Drive when he was approached by a man who threatened him with a knife and took an undisclosed amount of cash.

The victim was not injured. The suspect was described as black, with a slim build. He wearing a dark-colored, hooded sweatshirt.

At the Mason Police District’s community engagement meeting Jan. 3, Lt. Chantel Cochrane acknowledged there’s recently been a “slight uptick” in robberies. Most of these incidents occur late at night, and the suspects tend to target people who are drunk and carrying a lot of cash. The station is putting together an operations team to deal with these crimes.

The police have not yet arrested anyone in connection with the shooting of a man in Falls Church on Dec. 23, Cochrane said. The victim was discovered in a car in the parking lot of Providence RECenter with multiple bullet wounds, including one in the chest. He is still in the hospital.

“It’s an isolated event. There is no danger to the community,” she said.

During the holidays, the police were busy dealing with retail thefts, she said, noting that Dyson vacuums are popular among thieves. There were no major incidents on New Year’s Eve in the Mason District; just a couple of bar fights.

The FCPD’s civil disturbance unit will be at the inauguration on Jan. 20 along with other law enforcement departments to help the D.C. police maintain order.