Federal agents swarmed a Dale City home March 27 and arrested 24-year-old Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, charging him with possession of a firearm by a person who is in the country illegally.

The motion to drop the charge did not give a reason why, but The Washington Post reports sources familiar with the matter say it’s so they can fast-track Villatoro Santos’ deportation.

Santos’ newly-appointed public defender is asking the court to delay the dismissal for fourteen days in order to get his client immigration counsel.

He noted the “substantial risks” involved in his client’s transfer to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and recent deportations by the Trump Administration without due process.

Attorney General Pam Bondi described him as “one of the top leaders of MS-13” and “one of the top three for the entire country.” She said he is from El Salvador and will be deported.

News4 and Telemundo 44 spoke to Villatoro Santos’ mother, who shared copies of a federal search warrant affidavit showing agents seized multiple guns, ammunition, a letter from a jail outlining inmate “cliques” and immigration documents.

The front door of Villatoro Santos’ mother’s home was smashed from a battering ram. Her rear sliding glass door was smashed out.

President Donald Trump has blamed violence and gang growth on lax immigration policies. In his first term as president, Trump promised an all-out fight against MS-13, saying he would “dismantle, decimate and eradicate” the gang.

“All suspects are in custody and there is no threat to public safety,” Spotsylvania Sheriff Roger L. Harris said. He didn’t share the names or ages of the suspects but said more information is forthcoming.

Officials did not immediately release the names of those who died.

The public was asked to avoid the area of the shooting.

Spotsylvania County Public Schools and Fredericksburg City Public Schools were set to open two hours late on Wednesday in the wake of the shooting.

Police were first informed about the shooting at about 5:30 p.m. ET, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, when the 911 calls started coming in reporting several gunshots.

Hours later at the scene, windows could be seen shattered and several bullet holes were left behind in a red Mercedes-Benz.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office described the investigation as fluid. Investigators blocked off most of the neighborhood.

Several agencies are lending a hand as detectives spent Tuesday night collecting evidence and searching for the person or people who pulled the trigger. Investigators have not said much yet about what led to the mass shooting or who is responsible.

“My son was actually outside walking the dog, and he said he heard what he thought was a car backfiring, but it was gunfire. And he actually saw one of the suspects running in the street and he got the dog in the house and he told everybody to go to the basement to get out of, you know, trajectory of the bullets because he didn’t know where the gunfire was going …” she said. “The sound that they heard they thought a car was backfiring, but then they heard the rapid gunfire and that’s when they realized they were shooting an automatic rifle or some type of gun.”

“We have nearly all of our detectives out right now looking for the suspects, and we will stay looking for these suspects,” Maj. Elizabeth Scott said earlier. “We have multiple other agencies assisting with us, the city of Fredericksburg, the police department is also assisting as well as Virginia State Police. We will stay out here until the suspects are caught.”

Fredericksburg City and Spotsylvania schools said they opted to open late to prepare to help support their communities.

“This delay will allow us the necessary time to prepare our buildings and staff to welcome students with the care and support they may need during this difficult time,” Fredericksburg City Public Schools said in a statement.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

It was lunchtime on the steps of the Inner Harbor during a field trip to the Maryland Science Center. Science teacher T.J. O’Leary was having lunch with the kids — when something caught his attention.

“I kind of see a seagull running and just see this little kid, like [a] 5- [or] 6-year-old, just jettin’, bolting out over the end. Then I kind of the father maybe eight, nine feet behind him, just ran, jumped in.”

O’Leary quickly realized both father and son were struggling and unable to swim.

“I’m ripping my shoes off, like, didn’t even think about it, just very, very reactionary,” he said. “I jumped in; you know, we got the kid, and then I went out to get the father and he was just kind of in a panic and immediately swamped me. I said, ‘I’m trying to help you! I’m trying to help you!'”

Christine Klauder, a parent attending the field trip as a chaperone, was watching from the edge.

“At that point, the three of them were in the water and I heard someone say, ‘He can’t swim,'” she said.

O’Leary says he was able to get the father in a secure hold, and Klauder, a former lifeguard, waded into the water to help.

“Mr. O’Leary was holding up the boy and pushing the dad, and I was able to pull them up onto the brick,” she said.

First responders arrived quickly and checked out the father and son before taking them to a hospital. O’Leary says the boy was crying, the father too in shock to even speak.

“I’m like, ‘Hey buddy, I’m glad we were able to get you in.’ I said [to the dad], ‘Your son’s a great kid, and I’m glad we were able to help and everyone gets to go home tonight.'”

As for O’Leary and Klauder, they both had go to a hospital once back in Northern Virginia, to get decontaminated from any bacteria in the water.

O’Leary’s strength and size no doubt were a help with the rescue — he’s a former college baseball player. But it was thinking of his own kids that really propelled into the murky water.

“I don’t think of it as [being] a hero,” he said. “I feel like anyone in that situation would have jumped in and done it.”

Klauder’s son watched his mom jump into action.

“He was proud of his mom. He was like, you know, ‘Good job, Mom,'” she said.

Both O’Leary and Klauder are hoping the St. Agnes kids returned home with a valuable lifelong lesson.

“If anything, I hope they look for opportunities to be better citizens and help people when they need it, and not to stand by and think someone else will take care of it. You know, you can be part of the solution.”

Baltimore police tell us the father and son did not suffer any injuries.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Virginia is one of two states where rapists can still make such claims.

A sexual assault survivor worked for years to get the measure approved after she was raped by an abusive partner and decided to have the baby.

“I never for one second thought I would be forced to co-parenting with him,” she told News4. “That never even crossed my mind.”

But in Fairfax County court, her former partner petitioned to share custody. After years of court battles, his request was approved.

The survivor said it’s been traumatizing.

“The court system is, you know, they were not willing to take into consideration how the child was conceived,” she said. “It’s just that a child was conceived.”

One in every 42 women reports becoming pregnant as a result of rape, according to the Rape, Assault and Incest National Network (RAINN). An estimated one in three of them decide to have the baby.

In her anguish, the survivor said she connected with several sex assault support groups – including RAINN – and discovered through research Virginia was one of only two states that didn’t give sex assault survivors a way to block their rapist from their child’s life.

State Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax County, sponsored a measure to change that.

“It’s heartbreaking to know that there is someone who is living through this ongoing torture of having to co-parent with the man who raped her,” she said.

The bill just signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R, will allow rape victims who decide to have the child to seek court action to keep the rapist from ever claiming parental rights.

“As soon as her child is born, she would have the opportunity to petition the court, but I think also knowing that if a claim for paternity ever came forward, that would also give her a legal remedy to stop it,” Delaney said.

The new law does not require the survivor’s rapist be criminally convicted, but it does set a high standard for what must be shown in court.

“The mother has to show by clear and convincing evidence that the child was conceived of rape, and if that’s the case, there’s no pre-existing relationship, parental rights are not established in the first place,” said Mollie Montague of RAINN. “The bill stops the problem before it starts.”

Although it’s unlikely the sex assault survivor who spoke with News4 will be able  to take advantage of the new law, she’s gratified with the result of her efforts.

“It was incredible,” she said. “And I don’t want to get too emotional, but it felt like justice to be able to give my family possible options and other women and children options.”

She said she’ll continue to speak to sex assault survivor groups to make sure other mothers know there is a new path available for them. 

If you or someone you know needs help, call RAINN at 1-800-656-4673.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Jessica Aber, former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), was found dead Saturday morning, the Alexandria Police Department said. She was 43 years old.

The cause and circumstances of Aber’s death are still under investigation and will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia, according to APD.

After receiving a report of an unresponsive woman, police responded to the 900 block of Beverley Drive at around 9:18 a.m., where they found Aber deceased.

Aber began her service for EDVA as an assistant U.S. attorney in 2009. She served on a detailed assignment as counsel to the assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice from 2015 to 2016. She then served as the deputy chief of EDVA’s criminal division.

Aber was nominated U.S. attorney by former President Joe Biden and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2021. She resigned two months ago when President Donald Trump took office.

Aber’s former colleagues are honoring her legacy.

In a post on X, Attorney General of Virginia Jason Miyares said, “I am saddened to learn of the passing of Jessica Aber, whose career of public service included US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and whose work with Ceasefire Virginia saved more lives than we may ever realize.”

Erik S. Siebert, the current U.S. attorney for EDVA, described Aber in a statement as being “unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being.”

“We remain in awe of how much she accomplished in her all too brief time in this world. Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard,” he said. “Though we are devastated by this loss, each of us in the Eastern District of Virginia will look to her example and endeavor to live up to that standard.”

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Siebert also said Aber was a “proud Virginian” who graduated from the University of Richmond and earned her J.D. from William & Mary Law School.

“She loved EDVA and EDVA loved her back,” Siebert said. “We remain committed to her life’s work, a commitment to seeking justice, as she would have wanted.”

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen in the U.S. on a student visa, was taken into custody in Rosslyn, his attorney said. On Thursday, a federal judge ordered immigration officials not to deport him.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in Alexandria, Virginia, ordered that Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court issues a contrary order.”

Badar Khan Suri’s arrest raises free speech concerns

Court documents say masked agents detained Suri outside the home where he lives with his wife, who is a U.S. citizen, and their three children. The documents say the agents identified themselves as being with the Department of Homeland Security and that his visa was revoked.

News4 obtained a copy of a document Suri’s attorney filed to get him released from custody. The lawyer said Suri isn’t being accused of any crime and has a clean record.

The Assistant Department of Homeland Security secretary posted on X a claim that Suri was “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.”

In the court filing, Suri’s attorney claimed he was targeted because his wife is Palestinian and previously criticized the Trump administration’s foreign policy related to Israel.

News4 sat down with the director of the Georgetown center where Suri works. He said he’s worried about his colleague and President Donald Trump’s attack on free speech.

“I would never imagine in a million years to see a faculty member, a student who’s engaged in exercising their First Amendment rights, would be picked up by the state and thrown into jail and then deported. That’s what they do in Putin’s Russia. That’s what they do in Xi Jinping’s China. That’s what they do in the Islamic Republic of Iran, not in the United States, at least until now,” said Nader Hashemi, director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

Suri is working on a project that looks into potential causes that hinder cooperation among religiously diverse societies and possibilities to overcome those hindrances, Georgetown said.

Rep. Don Beyer issued a statement that said in part: “Badar Khan Suri’s detention is a clear violation of his constitutional rights, and he must be released. … Mr. Suri and his family are unfortunately the latest victim of President Trump’s assault on the freedom of speech.”

Suri is being held in Texas and has a deportation hearing scheduled for May. His attorney hopes Suri will be released from federal custody and the case against him will be moved to the U.S. District Court in Alexandria.

The Trump administration used a provision of immigration law that gives the U.S. secretary of state the power to deport noncitizens if the secretary determines the person could threaten U.S. foreign policy while living in the U.S.

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Sudiksha Konanki’s parents said she is believed to have drowned in Punta Cana after going missing on March 6 while on a trip with friends.

“It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we are coming to the terms with the fact that our daughter has drowned. This is incredibly difficult for us to process,” Subbarayudu Konanki, her father, said in an emotional interview Tuesday afternoon. Konanki’s mother, Sreedevi Konanki, sobbed as he spoke.

“We kindly ask you to keep our daughter in your prayers,” Konanki’s father continued. “We still have two young children to care for, and they are at a very tender age. In light of this, we respectfully request some space, time and privacy to focus on healing us and helping our children recover as we try to move forward with our lives.”

Konanki was a premed student who was deeply loved, her father said.

“Our heart is broken,” he said.

news Mar 18

Parents of missing Pitt student ask Dominican Republic police declare her dead

Loudoun County Mar 17

‘Devotion to his faith': Missing student case witness gets Iowa hometown support

Dominican Republic Mar 14

Tequila, a big wave and a missing student: What spring breaker told police

The University of Pittsburgh student from Chantilly, Virginia, went to the beach with friends and two young men they had just met, police said. One of those men, Joshua Riibe, gave police a detailed account of that night. Dominican police say he is a witness, not a suspect, and has cooperated with investigators.

NBC News video shows a dramatic scene in court in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, as Riibe’s lawyers pleaded for his release. He has not been arrested or charged with any crime.

Konanki’s parents said they do not believe Riibe did anything wrong and that they believe he helped their daughter as best he could.

In a letter Monday, Konanki’s parents asked Dominican police to legally declare that she died.

“Initiating this process will allow our family to begin the grieving process and address matters related to her absence. While no declaration can truly ease our grief, we trust that this step will bring some closure and enable us to honor her memory,” the letter said.

In a brief interview with NBC Washington on Tuesday, Konanki’s uncle said it’s been difficult for the family to see online speculation about their loved one’s disappearance.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has offered victim services to the Konanki family, a statement from the office said.

“Sudiksha’s family has expressed their belief that she drowned. While a final decision to make such a declaration rests with authorities in the Dominican Republic, we will support the Konanki family in every way possible as we continue to review the evidence and information made available to us in the course of this investigation,” the office said.

Loudoun County officials concluded interviews with Riibe on Thursday.

Residents of Riibe’s hometown, Rock Rapids, Iowa, expressed their support for him in a statement on Sunday.

“Josh has an unwavering devotion to his faith and a genuine kindness towards others. He exemplifies the values of compassion, respect, and integrity that are fundamental to our church and our community,” community members said in a statement distributed through the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.

The Riibes are “well known and loved,” the message signed “Friends of the Joshua Riibe Family” said.

Sign up for our free deep-dive newsletter, The 4Front, to get standout News4 stories sent right to your inbox. Subscribe here.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office turned off the comments on their Facebook post sharing the community’s message, as rumors and conspiracy theories circulate.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Chantilly, Virginia, was last seen on a beach in Punta Cana on March 6.

Joshua Riibe, the 22-year-old St. Cloud University student who may have been the last person to see Konanki, is barred from leaving the island, according to his lawyer, though police say he is not a suspect.

Residents of Riibe’s hometown, Rock Rapids, Iowa, are now expressing their support for him.

“Josh has an unwavering devotion to his faith and a genuine kindness towards others. He exemplifies the values of compassion, respect, and integrity that are fundamental to our church and our community,” community members said in a statement Sunday distributed through the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office.

The Riibes are “well known and loved,” the message signed “Friends of the Joshua Riibe Family” said.

The sheriff’s office turned off the comments on their Facebook post sharing the message, as rumors and conspiracy theories circulate.

Dominican Republic Mar 14

Tequila, a big wave and a missing student: What spring breaker told police

Dominican Republic Mar 15

American linked to missing student spotted on beach with investigators in DR

Dominican Republic Mar 13

What to know about the search for the missing Pitt student

Riibe told investigators he and Konanki met for the first time while both on spring break trips, drank tequila shots with friends, waded into the ocean together and were swept out to sea. Riibe said he was able to rescue Konanki but she disappeared as he vomited up seawater.

“The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the seawater I’d swallowed. After vomiting, I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I thought she’d grabbed her things and left. I felt really bad and tired. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep because I couldn’t go far. Then I woke up because of the sun and mosquito bites. I went to my friend’s room to get my phone, and then I went to my room to sleep,” Riibe said, according to a translated transcript of his interview with investigators last week.

Police in the Dominican Republic called Riibe a witness assisting in the search for Konanki, not a suspect.

He is not allowed to leave the island, though, his lawyer told NBC News.

“His passport has been confiscated … he is permanently escorted by the police anywhere he goes … he is not free to leave,” the lawyer said.

NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell asked a State Department spokesperson why Riibe allegedly was being held in a foreign country though he has not been charged with any crime. The spokesperson did not give a straight answer and instead called it a private situation and private case.

Konanki’s family requested from police in the Dominican Republic that she is declared dead, NBC News reports.

Sign up for our free deep-dive newsletter, The 4Front, to get standout News4 stories sent right to your inbox. Subscribe here.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

A key witness in the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki told investigators in the Dominican Republic that they drank tequila shots with friends, waded into the ocean together and were swept out to sea. The 22-year-old, Joshua Riibe, said he was able to rescue Konanki but she disappeared as he vomited up seawater.

“The last time I saw her, I asked if she was OK. I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the seawater I’d swallowed. After vomiting, I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I thought she’d grabbed her things and left. I felt really bad and tired. I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep because I couldn’t go far. Then I woke up because of the sun and mosquito bites. I went to my friend’s room to get my phone, and then I went to my room to sleep,” Riibe said, according to a newly released, translated transcript of his interview with investigators on Tuesday.

Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student from Chantilly, Virginia, was last seen before dawn on March 6. She, Riibe and their friends were on spring break vacations in Punta Cana. Riibe is a St. Cloud University student, his parents said.

Law enforcement in the Dominican Republic consider Riibe a witness, not a suspect. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, in the community where Konanki’s family lives, called Riibe a person of interest in the missing person case.

‘I never saw her again’

The 22-year-old told investigators he met Konanki when he and his friend introduced themselves to her and her friends. The young women got them all pink tequila shots and they walked to the beach, he said.

At the beach, Riibe and Konanki were talking and kissing in waist-deep water when a wave crashed into them.

“A big wave came and hit us both, and with the rising water, it swept us out to sea,” he said.

“As soon as we were able to surface, we tried to call for help, but there was no one there,” he said.

They did their best to swim, and Riibe said he used his prior experience as a lifeguard.

Dominican Republic Mar 13

Search for missing college student from Virginia expands in Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic Mar 13

What to know about the search for the missing Pitt student

Dominican Republic Mar 11

FBI joins search for US college student who vanished in Dominican Republic on spring break

“I was getting tired,” Riibe said. “I realized she was getting tired of swimming too. I was the lifeguard. I grabbed her and pulled her out. I held her under my arm and swam to get her out of the water.”

“It took a long time to get her out; it was difficult. I was a lifeguard in a pool, not in the ocean. I kept trying to get her to breathe, but that didn’t allow me to breathe all the time, and I swallowed a lot of water. I could have lost consciousness several times,” he continued. “When I finally reached the ground on the beach, I pulled her in front of me. Then she went to gather her belongings, since the sea had moved us. She wasn’t out of the water, as it was up to our knees. She was walking at an angle in the water.”

Then, Riibe said he started vomiting and she disappeared.

“After I saw her walk away, as she walked into the water, I never saw her again,” he said.

Riibe said he learned the next morning that Konanki was gone. He said his friend asked if he had seen her.

“My friend asked me if I knew where the girl was. I told him I thought she had gone to her room, and he told me she never returned,” he said.

Citing his lawyer’s guidance, Riibe declined to answer questions about what he told his friend when he was asked about Konanki, whether he knew if she could swim, and whether he told authorities or the hotel about what happened.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said they “conducted an extensive interview” with Riibe a day after local officials interviewed him and he was “cooperative.” They did not release further details.

Konanki graduated from Northern Virginia’s elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and was studying to become an emergency room surgeon. Her parents travelled to Punta Cana then returned home to care for Konanki’s siblings.

Riibe’s parents, Albert and Tina Riibe, said their son is cooperating with the investigation as the family prays Konanki will be found.

“We express our deep sorrow and solidarity with the family of Sudiksha Konanki during this painful time,” they said in a statement. “Above all, we wish to contribute to the search efforts and understand the anguish and uncertainty they are going through and we share the hope that Sudiksha will be found as soon as possible. Joshua Riibe is deeply dismayed by her disappearance and has fully cooperated in the search and clarification of the facts from the very beginning.”

His parents say he was detained and questioned without lawyers or official translators before the interview Wednesday.

Riibe is a land surveying student and beloved son whose “faith and values have guided his path,” his parents said.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam told NBC Washington on Thursday that he met with Konanki’s parents as the search for her continues.

“She’s just an amazing young woman who’s doing great things, and we’re just praying that she comes home because she has a very bright future,” he said.

Editor’s note (March 14, 2025, 5:30 p.m. ET): A previous version of this report said Joshua Riibe is 24, according to law enforcement officials. He is 22, his parents said in their statement Friday.

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed it is sharing technology and data for tracking ocean drifts with Dominican authorities, who are leading the missing person investigation.

With the Dominicans out front, they are clarifying statements made by other agencies earlier this week. Dominican authorities say they do not use the term “person of interest” in their investigations, and the 24-year-old man who may have been the last person to see Sudiksha Konanki is a witness who is cooperating with the investigation.

Konanki’s parents returned to their Loudoun County neighborhood after a brief trip to Punta Cana to work with police. A neighbor acting as a family liaison said the family appreciates the public’s concern and interest but said they are still too shaken up to talk and they don’t have any answers yet themselves.

U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun County, went to the family’s home Thursday for a private meeting with Konaki’s parents.

“She was planning to be an emergency room surgeon and that she wanted to serve people in the community and she was actually volunteering at a hospital,” Subramanyam said. “And so, she’s just an amazing young woman who’s doing great things, and we’re just praying that she comes home because she has a very bright future, and we want to do everything we can and that means accelerating all of the work that’s happening on the investigation, and then that means also being respectful of the family and their privacy.”

Sudiksha Konanki disappeared before dawn March 6

Konanki vanished in the predawn hours of March 6 at a beach in front of the Riu República Hotel. The hotel said in a statement that Konanki’s disappearance coincided with a power outage that prompted multiple guests to head to the beach.

Dominican Republic Mar 12

What to know about Sudiksha Konanki, US student who vanished in Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic Mar 11

FBI joins search for US college student who vanished in Dominican Republic on spring break

Dominican Republic Mar 10

Family of Virginia student missing in Dominican Republic pushes to expand search

Konanki’s father said she and five other female university students traveled to the Dominican Republic on March 3.

Dominican President Luis Abinader told reporters he lamented the situation. He defended the safety of tourists in the Dominican Republic, saying the country receives more than 11 million visitors a year and issues rarely arise.

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Dominican police said they are re-interviewing people who were with Sudiksha Konanki before she vanished in the predawn hours of March 6 at a beach in front of the Riu República Hotel.

The hotel said in a statement that Konanki’s disappearance coincided with a power outage that prompted multiple guests to head to the beach.

Dominican President Luis Abinader told reporters that he lamented the situation.

“We are concerned,” he said Monday during his weekly meeting with the press. “All government agencies are searching … because the latest information we have from one of them, from the last person who was with the young woman, what he says according to the reports is that a wave, while on the beach, crashed into them.”

Abinader defended the safety of tourists in the Dominican Republic, saying the country receives more than 11 million visitors a year and that issues rarely arise.

Civil Defense Director Juan Salas rejected media reports saying authorities had supposedly found Konanki’s clothes, telling local newspaper El Nuevo Diario it wasn’t true.

Salas did not return messages for comment.

Konanki, a citizen of India, is a U.S. permanent resident from Chantilly, Virginia, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Her parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi, flew to Punta Cana after she was reported missing and have asked authorities to widen the investigation.

Her father said she and five other female university students traveled to the Dominican Republic on March 3.

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

An Education Department letter sent to 60 schools on Monday threatens to take enforcement action if colleges fail to uphold civil rights laws against antisemitism.

Four schools in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are on the list: American University; George Mason University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Virginia.

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”

“Since Oct. 7, American University’s campus has been extremely hostile for Jewish and Israeli students,” senior Lauren Cayle said

She and several of her Jewish classmates filed a civil rights complaint against AU last year accusing the school of “ignoring discrimination and harassment.”

Piano major Tomer Ben-Ezer, who joined the complaint, said people on campus have harassed and spit on him because he’s from Israel. When he played a piano recital, someone defaced one of his posters with the words “death to the Zionists, Hitler was right.” Two FBI agents went to the recital to ensure Ben-Ezer’s safety.

“What I’ve went through during that time is something I won’t wish on my worst enemy,” he said.

“Because of this, I feel so inspired to go prevent this from happening again,” Ben-Ezer said.

American University sent News4 a statement saying it’s committed to supporting its Jewish community through actions like updated policies; enforcing discipline for conduct violations; addressing antisemitism in a required first-year course; opposing boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel; and offering training for university leaders.

“I’m very grateful that the Trump administration is finally holding universities accountable for allowing antisemitism to thrive,” Cayle said.

George Mason University told News4 the school “does not discriminate against anyone and goes to extensive lengths to ensure all students can study, work, and live in a safe and welcoming academic environment.”

News4 reached out to the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University but has not heard back.

Colleges & Universities Mar 11

Education Secretary Linda McMahon warns 60 colleges over antisemitism on campus

Trump administration Mar 6

US Education Department to investigate DC schools' treatment of disabled students

Trump administration Mar 6

Where plans to eliminate the Education Department stand

The list of 60 universities includes Harvard, Columbia, Cornell and many others where pro-Palestinian protests led to accusations of anti-Jewish bias. The administration already is pulling $400 million from Columbia and has threatened to cut billions more.

The warning comes as President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order aimed at eliminating the entire Department of Education.

The Trump administration is cracking down on campus demonstrations against Israel and the war in Gaza. Trump warning on Monday that the arrest and possible deportation of a Palestinian activist who helped lead protests at Columbia University will be the first “of many to come.”

Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful U.S. resident who was a graduate student at Columbia until December, was detained Saturday by federal immigration agents in New York and flown to an immigration jail in Louisiana. But a federal judge in New York City ordered Monday that Khalil not be deported while the court considered a legal challenge brought by his lawyers. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.

The family of a college student from Loudoun County who disappeared on a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic wants authorities there to broaden their search.

The University of Pittsburgh junior was last seen early Thursday morning. Local and federal law enforcement, along with Dominican police, are all working on the investigation together.

An exhaustive search of the beach in Punta Cana. The last place Sudiksha Konanki was seen, has been ongoing. The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, expressed concern and empathy for the Konanki family while speaking about the ongoing search.

He said search crews have been focusing on the sea because, according to one of the people who was last with Konanki, while they were on the beach, they were hit by a wave, and that’s what led to this situation.

Her five friends who traveled with her for the Spring Break trip had already returned to their rooms from the beach, but the sheriff said Konanki stayed behind with the other group. The Loudoun County Sheriff confirmed Dominican authorities have spoken to a young man and two others, not from the University of Pittsburgh, who were last known to be with Konanki.

Dominican authorities said they’re re-interviewing witnesses and hotel workers at the Riu Resort, which is where Konanki was staying.

Konanki’s family and close family friends are now in the Dominican Republic.

“So far they have not been able to find my daughter,” said her father, Subbarayudu Konanki, in an interview with WTOP. “They are using helicopters, drones, and scuba diving and boats.”

Her father said she’s a pre-med junior at University of Pittsburgh who went to the Dominican Republic to enjoy spring break with friends. They never imagined this would happen. They’re now urging authorities to expand their search from the sea and resort area.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has filed what’s known as a yellow notice, which is a worldwide police alert to be issued by Interpol which would help authorities track her down if she’s found to have traveled to another country.

The sheriff said at this stage they are not ruling anything out, from possible drowning to abduction to the hope she will be found alive.

“We are going on the presumption that she’s still alive, and we want to make sure that we’re exhausting every possible lead that we can, and we feel we’re doing that,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.

Nextdoor neighbor and longtime family friend Shekar Pendem said he’s known Konanki since she was a toddler.

“She was a brilliant student. She went to one of the great schools,” he said.

Pendem was one of the first people the family called when they learned Konanki was
missing. He believes the Dominican authorities now need to widen their search. beyond the resort.

“This is going on for four days and the family is so sad …” he said. “They should expand the search beyond just the resort area to the city and town, and hopefully that may give some clue. We are really hoping for her to return.”

Ramprakash Krisnamanaidu, a family friend who traveled to the Dominican Republic with the Konankis also is pressing for a broader search zone beyond the beach and water.

“That’s why we feel that this could be an abduction or kidnapping because not in the water, not anywhere, they couldn’t find her in the resort, they couldn’t find her in hospitals, then where is she?” he said.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, who represents Loudoun County, said he remains in contact with Konanki’s family and her disappearance has hit his community hard.

“You know, the Indian community in Virginia is very close-knit and something happens, something that happens to one happens to all,” he said.

Authorities say they know there’s a lot of speculation as to what may have happened to Konanki on social media but are urging people to await the results of the investigation before drawing any conclusions.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Jensy Machado said he is a U.S. citizen and provided News4 documentation of his legal status.

Machado said he was driving to work Wednesday with two other men when he was stopped by ICE agents on Lomond Drive in Manassas, a short distance from his home. He said he was confused by what was happening, why agents surrounded the pickup truck. 

“And they just got out of the car with the guns in their hands and say, turn off the car, give me the keys, open the window, you know,” Machado told Telemundo 44’s Rosbelis Quinoñez, who first reported his story. “Everything was really fast.”

He said the agents said the name of a man they were seeking for a deportation order, someone who had given Machado’s home address. Machado told them that wasn’t his name — he didn’t know anyone by that name — and offered to show them his real ID compliant Virginia driver’s license.

“They didn’t ask me for any ID,” Machado said. “I was telling the officer, if I can give him ID, but he said just keep my hands up, not moving. After that, he told me to get out of the car and put the handcuffs on me. And then he went to me and said how did I get into this country and if I was waiting for a court date or if I have any case. And I told him I was an American citizen, and he looked at his other partner like, you know, smiling, like saying, can you believe this guy? Because he asked the other guy, ‘Do you believe him?’”

Machado said he was uncuffed and immediately released after showing his driver’s license.

The two men with him were taken into custody. He does not know why.

Machado said the experience shook his faith in the immigration enforcement efforts of Trump, for whom he voted.

“Because, like I said, I was a Trump supporter,” he said. “I voted for Trump last election, but, because I thought it was going to be the things, you know, like, … just go against criminals, not every Hispanic looking, like, that they will assume that we are all illegals.”

Immigration Mar 6

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Immigration Mar 4

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“That’s what they’re doing, now,” Machado said. “They’re just following Hispanic people.”

Immigration lawyers advise residents and citizens to always keep ID with them.

In a statement to News4 on Saturday, ICE said, “ICE encountered an individual who matched the description of the subject of an operation while conducting a targeted enforcement action. ICE officers engaged the individual to verify his identity based on reasonable suspicion, including a likeness to the description of the target. ICE officers immediately determined not to detain the individual after confirming he was not the person of interest and not subject to removal.”

Sign up for our free deep-dive newsletter, The 4Front, to get standout News4 stories sent right to your inbox. Subscribe here.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

The issue began when the General Services Administration (GSA) published a list Tuesday of 443 properties it called “non-core assets” that had been marked for “divestment from government ownership.”

When announcing the list, the GSA explained in a statement: “Decades of funding deficiencies have resulted in many of these buildings becoming functionally obsolete and unsuitable for use by our federal workforce. We can no longer hope that funding will emerge to resolve these longstanding issues.”

The properties included such historic buildings as the Department of Justice in downtown D.C. and the newly renovated U.S. Census Bureau in Suitland, Maryland, as well as several other agency headquarters, courthouses, office buildings and even parking garages across the country.

But within hours, about 120 properties, including dozens in the District, were taken off the public list. By Wednesday morning, the list had been deleted from its website, with the GSA link instead saying the list of non-core assets was “coming soon.”

In a statement Wednesday, the GSA didn’t explain why the list disappeared but said: “Since publishing the initial list on March 4, 2025, we have received an overwhelming amount of interest. We anticipate the list will be republished in the near future after we evaluate this initial input and determine how we can make it easier for stakeholders to understand the nuances of the assets listed.”

The news comes as President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk have both ordered federal workers to return to the office while simultaneously taking steps to slash the workforce and cut government spending through canceling leases and contracts – moves that have sparked several legal challenges.

The News4 I-Team reviewed the initial list published Tuesday and found it included 14 properties in Virginia, such as a State Department field office in Arlington; 83 in Maryland, with dozens of properties in Silver Spring; and 41 in the District, including the FBI headquarters, Department of Labor and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the list “outrageous,” telling News4: “The biggest thing is, and this will be my ask to the president, is you cannot dump buildings on the market without preparation or a plan, because it would be antithetical to making this the most beautiful capital city in the world.”

Some properties on the list were previously identified as possibilities for sale by the Public Buildings Reform Board, a group Congress created years ago to study the issue and make real estate recommendations, but sources tell the I-Team the PBRB was not involved in Tuesday’s move.

Meanwhile, agencies are expected to begin reporting occupancy data under law passed by Congress last year to help them identify which buildings are underused and therefore should be sold.

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Real estate experts who have closely watched this issue told the I-Team they are as confused as many others are about which properties made the list and why it was made public.

The I-Team put those questions to the GSA, which has not responded to News4 but said in its public statement Wednesday that “just because an asset is on the list doesn’t mean it’s immediately for sale.” They will, however, “consider compelling offers.”

Mark Segraves contributed to this report.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.

Surveillance video shows three people involved in a fight and police moving in to break it up.

In the same area in March, police were called to a restaurant for a fight. Three people were arrested.

Across the street in late February, Bar Bao closed early because of a large, unruly crowd and fight.

Arlington police have had special patrols in the nightlife area on Friday and Saturday nights for a decade. But in 2023, they added Sunday nights, too.

The goal is to spot trouble before it happens act quickly when it does.

“We want to be engaging with patrons early,” Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “We want to step in and see those pre-fight indicators — maybe people in a verbal dispute, maybe they’re balling up their fists, they’re showing their getting ready into that. “But also, if we’re seeing fights, that we’re actively breaking it up. I think from the video this weekend, you see how quickly officers responded to that incident.”

The police department also helps run what’s known as the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, which provides training to restaurant and bar staff.

“From our officers, we’re doing de-escalation training, as well as when to notify officers,” Savage said. “Again, we’re there. We’re in the area. So, if they’re see an incident that’s rising, they want to notify those officers.”

Arlington’s county manager proposed a budget that would provide increased funding for police overtime to staff the Clarendon nightlife detail — $321,000 is included in the plan the county board will vote on this week.

Get the D.C. area’s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning. Sign up for First & 4Most, our free newsletter.