On Jan. 14 at 11:35 p.m. at the 400 block of E. Monroe Avenue, a 43-year-old Alexandria man was in the parking lot of the CVS when a suspect armed with a knife approached him. The suspect robbed the victim of his car, a copper-colored 2000 Nissan Murano SUV, and fled the scene. The victim was not injured. A second vehicle with additional suspects followed. Officers observed the stolen car on North Henry Street and began to follow it but the suspect did not stop. A pursuit began and traveled into Old Town.
At Duke and South Alfred streets, the suspect vehicle collided with a police cruiser and then struck a home in the 800 block of Duke Street. The suspect was apprehended. The officer in the cruiser was taken to Inova Alexandria Hospital but did not suffer serious injuries.
The suspect, Victor Merriman, a 20-year-old male of East Clifford Street in Alexandria, was flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital. He was conscious, his injuries are not life-threatening and he has been released. The suspect was later charged with armed carjacking and felony eluding. There were people inside the home but they were not injured. The home was condemned.
The suspects in the other vehicle were located near the scene of the accident and were taken into custody; a 16-year-old Oxon Hill juvenile male, and Sterling Diggs, a 21-year-old male of Kelly Drive in Fort Washington. Both were charged with robbery/carjacking.