Alexandria Police Compare Crime Data From 2019 And 2020

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Amid concerns about certain crimes increasing in the city, the Alexandria Police released data on Part I crimes. As determined by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting statistics, Part I crimes are classified as serious and include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and stolen auto.

The comparison looked at crimes from January through September in 2019 and 2020. Police attributed the increase to offenses related to unattended vehicles during the pandemic, as well as enhanced shoplifting efforts by some retail stores. When including those offenses, there has been an 18 percent increase in overall Part I crimes. When leaving those offenses out, there has been a 2 percent decrease so far this year.

Here is a look at the different crimes in January to September, 2019 and 2020.

Homicide

• 2019: 1
• 2020: 2

The city had two homicides so far in 2020, both in the West End. The first homicide happened on July 29 in the 1400 block of South Greenmount Drive. The suspect, Ibrahm Elkahlil Bouaichi, 33, had been accused of rape by the homicide victim who reportedly had been his girlfriend, Karla Elizabeth Dominguez Gonzalez. In April, an Alexandria judge allowed Bouaichi to be released on a $25,000 bond on condition that he only leave home for legal or pretrial services and not contact the victim as reported by ALX Now.

After the homicide, officers with the FBI's regional Violent Crimes Task Force pursued Bouaichi in Maryland on Aug. 5, leading to his vehicle crashing in Prince George's County. Officers found Bouaichi with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital and died on Aug. 8.

The second homicide occurred on Sept. 30 in the 5900 block of Quantrell Avenue. Officers found John Pope, 57, of Alexandria, with an upper body injury. He was taken to the hospital and died of his injuries. On Sunday, Alexandria Police arrested Tavon Marquis Lanier, 19, of Alexandria, in the case.

Rape

• 2019: 17
• 2020: eight

Amid a decline in reported rapes, the police department and the City’s Sexual Assault Center are concerned that some rapes may not have been reported if the victims did not feel comfortable making the reports while having to stay in the homes where the rapes occurred. Victims can find confidential support 24 hours a day by calling the city’s Sexual Assault Hotline at 703-683-7273 or chatting online with The National Sexual Assault Online Hotline. Anyone in immediate danger should call or text 911.

Robbery

• 2019: 65
• 2020: 66
  • Robbery/Bank: 3 in 2019; 0 in 2020
  • Robbery/Commercial: 12 in 2019; 11 in 2020
  • Robbery/Person: 49 in 2019; 48 in 2020
  • Robbery/Carjacking: 1 in 2019; 7 in 2020

Aggravated Assault

• 2019: 154
• 2020: 150
  • Assault/Felonious: 95 in 2019; 109 in 2020
  • Assault/On Police: 14 in 2019; 12 in 2020
  • Assault/Weapon: 45 in 2019; 29 in 2020

Police noted assaults involving weapons are down this year. The recent increase in shots fired incidents largely isn't reflected in Part I crimes since they're typically non-contact offenses or destruction of property incidents.

Police say there has been a significant number of shots fired incidents in recent weeks compared to the same time in 2019. According to police, there were 16 shots fired incidents in August and September. With five occurring in Old Town, the police department increased patrol presence in those areas.

Investigations have ruled out at least seven incidents as being connected to each other. Two of these are incidents involving neighbors, one was a domestic dispute, one was an accidental self-inflicted injury and one was a robbery. The Sept. 30 homicide was also included in the count.

Detectives are investigating whether the other nine are connected. Several involved property damage and one involved a non-life-threatening injury.

"While there is no acceptable level of gun crime, we are especially concerned about recent incidents in which conflicts between people have escalated to the use of firearms," said Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown in a statement. "As we continue to make progress in these cases, we ask for the public’s help in providing any available information."

So far in 2020, there have been 33 shots fired incidents, compared to 37 in all of 2019. Anyone with information about any shots fired incident is asked to call Detective John Brattelli at 703-746-6699.

Burglary

• 2019: 84
• 2020: 91
  • Burglary/Commercial: 30 in 2019; 43 in 2020
  • Burglary/Residential: 51 in 2019; 38 in 2020
  • Burglary/Other: 3 in 2019; 10 in 2020

Police believe the decline in residential burglaries may be related to people present in their homes. These kinds of offenses are typically associated with unoccupied residences. Commercial burglaries are up, typically involving theft from unattended but locked businesses.

Larcenies

• 2019: 1,483
• 2020: 1,769
  • Larceny/Bike: 65 in 2019; 88 in 2020
  • Larceny/Vehicle: 496 in 2019; 688 in 2020
  • Larceny/Building: 275 in 2019; 232 in 2020
  • Larceny/Shoplifting; 331 in 2019; 438 in 2020
  • Larceny/Other: 316 in 2019; 323 in 2020

Stolen Vehicles

• 2019: 177
• 2020: 261
  • Car: 129 in 2019; 217 in 2020
  • Truck: 2 in 2019; 2 in 2020
  • Other: 46 in 2019; 42 in 2020

Police say an increase in larcenies from vehicles as well as stolen cars and bikes is tied to owners leaving them unattended for long times during the pandemic. They typically involve unlocked vehicles and not breaking windows. For this reason, vehicle owners are urged to check their vehicles once a day to ensure they are locked and have valuables out of site. Owners can also move vehicles regularly to reduce the appearance that they are unattended.

As for the increase in shoplifting and concealment offenses, police say there has been a notable increase in private loss prevention efforts starting in January. While stores have identified more shoplifters than before, this may not necessarily represent an increase in shoplifting.