Home-Invasion Robbery Off West Ox
<bt>Fairfax County Police are looking for three men who carried out a home-invasion robbery early Sunday, Sept. 18 at 5 a.m., in Fair Oaks. The incident occurred in the vicinity of Ox Hill Road and West Ox Road. Early the next morning, police responded to a call of gunshots and discovered four bullet holes in the same house.
Police say three men entered the home and demanded money.
"They just came into the house," said police spokesperson Beth Funston. "I don't think there was any forced entry."
She said a small gathering of about four people was taking place at the home when the men entered. "It wasn't a wild party," said Funston.
While the suspects were in the home, one of the victims, a 22-year-old Manassas-area man, was cut with a knife in the upper body. The suspects took cash, personal property and a 1996 Lexus ES300 sedan belonging to another of the guests.
The suspects fled in the gold Lexus with Virginia license plate number 4678US. The victim who was cut was treated at the scene by rescue personnel for non life-threatening injuries.
Preliminary investigation indicates that this residence was targeted, according to police. "We don't know how they found out about the gathering," said Funston. "But it wasn't some random home they went to."
Police didn't give any possible motive for the incident or say specifically where the victim was injured. "We don't know whether the victim and attacker knew each other," said Funston.
Detectives are also investigating a report of gunshots fired in the same area. On Monday, Sept. 19 around 1 a.m., gunshots were heard in the area of Ox Hill Road. Four bullet holes were found in the same home where the robbery took place and in several vehicles parked on Ox Hill Road. Police say these vehicles belonged to residents of the home where the invasion took place. No one was injured in the shooting. Detectives are looking into the possibility that the home invasion robbery and the shooting are connected.
The suspects from the home invasion robbery were described as three black men in their early 20s. The first suspect was approximately 6-feet tall with a slim build. He had a goatee, piercing in his left eyebrow and was wearing a yellow shirt. The second suspect was approximately 5-feet-11-inches tall with a medium build. He had 2-inch braids and was wearing a black fisherman's hat and jeans. The third suspect was approximately 5-feet-2-inches tall with a medium build.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477 or Fairfax County police at 703-691-2131.
<1b>— Bonnie Hobbs
<sh>Sexual Assault in City
<bt>City of Fairfax Police are investigating an abduction and sexual assault on the 3700 block of Jermantown Road. On Saturday, Sept. 24 around 10 p.m., a 26-year-old woman was walking home from the Giant grocery store at Jermantown Road and Main Street, when a man grabbed her from behind, said police spokesperson Lynn Coulter. The suspect carried the woman across the parking lot into a nearby wooded park area behind Oxford Row Townhouses and sexually assaulted her.
The suspect fled the area after being startled by a citizen, according to police reports. The victim, who Coulter said is a Fairfax City resident, called police immediately and was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries and released.
According to police reports, the suspect is described as a black male in his mid-20s to mid-30s, 6-feet tall and of medium to heavy build. He had short hair with a beard and mustache and was wearing a black-colored pullover sweater with a white T-shirt underneath.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Solvers at 703-591-TIPS (8477) or Detective Michael Boone at 703-385-7959.
<sh>Fairfax Man Electrocuted
<bt>A 34-year-old man Fairfax man died after he was electrocuted in the Vienna area, according to Fairfax County Police. On Wednesday, Sept. 21, two men were contracted by a homeowner to remove some overhanging branches from the homeowner's property, located on the 2300 block of Gerken Ave., police said. Around 6:50 p.m., Hector Amaya of the Fairfax area of the county was attempting to lower a large branch to the ground using a rope. As the branch came down, it touched a power line, fatally electrocuting Amaya, police said. Amaya became wedged in the tree, keeping his body from falling to the ground. Rescue workers were unable to reach the man until the power lines were turned off. He was pronounced dead at the scene, said police.
<sh>City Sends Aid to Gulf Coast
<bt>The City of Fairfax has sent 12 members of its Fire and Rescue Department to the Gulf Coast, along with supplies from the city's police department.
Last week, Assistant Chief Tim Butters, Battalion Chief Joel Hendelman, and 10 operational firefighters with the City of Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department traveled to Mississippi and the Gulf Coast as part of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). The team joined fire and rescue personnel from Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties, and from the City of Alexandria.
Fairfax City Police sent used equipment and cars through the Office of the Attorney General in Mississippi last week, said Officer Lynn Coulter of the City of Fairfax Police Department. City police sent three police cruisers, old gun holsters and bulletproof vests, raincoats, traffic vests, computer equipment, and ammunition to the region.
The City of Fairfax Police Association also purchased supplies for the police department in devastated St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana, said Coulter.
"[St. Bernard Parish] was right there where the levee broke, and whole town was completely underwater," she said. "They lost everything."
The City Council approved the donation of $25,000 to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, and has collected $1,800 in donations for Hurricane Katrina relief from local citizens. These funds will go to the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. The city also pledged to match hurricane relief contributions by city employees of up to $50 each to non-profit organizations.