Attempted Carjacking in Vienna?
This email is circulating throughout Vienna the past few days. All names have been removed.
Hi Friends!This email is not meant to alarm anyone, but we thought we would fill you in on what happened to us last night after the XXX/XXX Irish party. XXX and I were driving home, at about 12a, down Branch street back toward our house. We were driving very slowly...probably about 10 miles/hr over one of the speed humps. As XXX was driving, he was talking to me and looking in my direction. The next thing we knew, there was a young man (black teenager or twenty-something in dark clothes) at XXX's car door. He looked as if he were about to open XXX's door to carjack us. He was physically brushing up against the car, but never did quite get the door handle. I screamed since XXX didn't even see the guy. Upon my scream, XXX too saw him and stepped on the gas. Fortunately, we got off safely. As we looked behind us, three other young black men came out from behind parked cars into the middle of the street. We stopped up at the corner far enough ahead to watch them and noticed they hopped into their four-door white car and drove off.
I cannot emphasize clearly enough that we really believe this was a carjacking attempt. So, please be careful driving in Vienna on dark, quiet streets. We will be staying on 123 as much as we can. We did notify the police and they seemed to take the report seriously. They did tell me that there have been a lot of thefts on Branch recently.
Please feel free to send this email to anyone in Vienna that you care to inform. Please be aware and stay safe. We feel very fortunate to be alive today.
Comments
Yeah, yeah...complainers! What kind of oatmeal you people like?
Posted by: Maud | November 12, 2008 10:27 PM
I believe it. We need narcs in this community (High Schools) to point them out. This type of info is driving down the house market. Cedar Lane police reports are also influincing the housing market. We need more neighborhood watches (insomniacs) and a greater police force that anticiaptes rather than reactionary. Vienna nedds to be more progressive rather than reactive to this. No finger pointing......Just we know who commits the crime and where..we need to be on point.
Posted by: BabaBooey | November 12, 2008 10:40 PM
No way - a group of young black men in Vienna? If it's true, someone here will probably remember seeing them. I don't believe it - racist silliness.
Posted by: why | November 13, 2008 10:50 PM
People of all colors commit crimes. Merely reporting the description of the suspects is not racist.
Posted by: racist?! | November 14, 2008 01:12 PM
FYI, Pike 7 Plaza is where Panera/TJ Maxx/Staples are located.
Woman Abducted From Shopping Center
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27690626/
Fairfax County police are looking for the men who abducted a woman at gunpoint from a shopping center in broad daylight. The abduction happened at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 7th at the Pike 7 Plaza Shopping Center on Leesburg Pike in Vienna. The 36-year-old woman told police a man suddenly appeared between her and an open car door as she prepared to leave. She said he had a gun. The gunmen and another man ordered her into a gold-colored sedan with Michigan license plates. She said she was then driven to a Wachovia Bank in the 8100 block of Leesburg Pike. "They made her go in the bank, go into the bank and get out money and hand it over," Fairfax County Police Spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said. The victim said after she withdrew money from the bank, she ran back to the shopping center where she left her car. She said both men wore long black coats and hats and they spoke to each other in a language that was not English. She couldn't identify it. Safety experts suggest shoppers use caution this holiday season. They say the best way to protect yourself is to be aware of your surroundings, shop with a friend and always avoid dark areas.
Posted by: vienna mommy | November 14, 2008 01:37 PM
this is very serious and does indeed sound like an attempted carjacking. everyone should be extra cautious and on hightenend alert, especially during the holiday season as robberies tend to increase around this time. please report any and all suspicious activity to the police. troubling news.
Posted by: LJ | November 14, 2008 03:19 PM