August was a busy month for police as they responded to car thefts at car rental locations in the Crystal City area.
Another such incident — at least the third this month and the fourth this summer — was reported over the weekend. It occurred in the same Avis and Budget parking lot in the 2600 block of Richmond Highway as the armed carjacking on Aug. 1.
This time, “two men entered two unoccupied, running vehicles” and drove off the premises, breaking through a gate that an employee was attempting to close, police said. One of the cars allegedly contained an employee’s personal belongings.
Police said they seized a vehicle in Prince George’s County, Maryland, the next day. At the time of the theft, it was believed to be a Jeep Wagoneer.
For more information, see the Arlington County Police Department’s latest crime report below.
ROBBERY, 2024-08170181, 2600 block of Richmond Highway. On August 17, police were called at approximately 8:36 p.m. to a report of a vehicle theft. Upon arrival, they found two male suspects had entered the business’ parking lot and entered two unoccupied, running vehicles. An employee observed the suspects and attempted to close the gate, at which point one suspect drove out of the parking lot and the other suspect drove through the gate, causing property damage and fleeing the scene. No injuries were reported. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that one of the stolen vehicles contained personal items belonging to an employee. On August 18, one of the stolen vehicles was recovered in Prince George’s County, MD. The stolen vehicle is described as a white Nissan Rogue.
In addition to the incidents in that parking lot, another robbery was reported in the Enterprise parking lot one block away on August 4. In May, a suspected car theft occurred when an employee at a Pentagon City car rental agency attempted to flag down one of six vehicles the thieves were driving out of the parking lot.
Photo via Google Maps
