Man charged in recent 7-Eleven crime is arrested in Mount Vernon area carjacking

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Just weeks after officers from Fairfax County Police Department’s (FCPD) Mount Vernon District Station helped arrest the two men accused of stealing a gaming machine from the 7-Eleven on Frye Road in late January, they found themselves nabbing one of the very same suspects — this time for a Feb. 11 carjacking at Mount Vernon Plaza.

According to an FCPD news item from Feb. 15, a K-9 unit assisted patrol officers and the Fairfax County helicopter in tracking down Maryland resident Terrell Hardy, who was charged with carjacking and two counts of hit and run. The carjacking took place in the parking lot of Shoppers Food Warehouse, where an 81-year-old woman was assaulted and robbed of some property and her gray Ford van. The vehicle was later found wrecked in the 2200 block of Beacon Hill Road. A second suspect is still at large.

Hardy’s mug shot had previously appeared in an FCPD news report from Jan. 25 based on his arrest on charges of grand larceny, destruction of property and simple assault in the 7-Eleven incident.



The Mount Vernon Police District is currently ranked number one in robberies and number two in assaults in Fairfax County based on year-to-date crime data, Station Commander Capt. Fred Chambers said at the Feb. 9 Mount Vernon Community Advisory Committee meeting. He added that thus far this year, the district has had 120 reports of assaults, which can include fights, more violent types of attacks and cases of domestic violence.

On a more positive note, the Mount Vernon Police District ranks lower than other parts of the county in the theft of motor vehicle parts and has the best response times for top-priority calls — an average of 3.9 minutes, said Chambers.

One of the ways in which officers from Mount Vernon District Station are seeking to fight crime is via the community engagement program known as Integrating Police and Community (iPAC). Based on data-driven evidence, officers patrol areas on foot where calls for service or crimes have more frequently taken place; studies have shown that patrolling for a minimum of 15 minutes within a particular area can deter crime for several hours, said Chambers.

He added that community members can avoid becoming a victim of a set-up type of crime when buying or selling merchandise by conducting the transaction at a special parking space on the side of the Mount Vernon District Station. The parking space has a camera pointing at it, said Chambers, and is well-lit.

Another way in which residents can help prevent crime and improve personal safety is by participating in the upcoming free steering wheel lock and gun lock distribution event at the police station. The steering wheel locks are specifically for Hyundai models from 2010 to 2022 that don’t have immobilizing anti-theft devices. Child safety seat inspections will also be available. The event will take place Saturday, March 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and all distributed items are first come, first served.

Mount Vernon District Station is located at 2511 Parkers Lane in Alexandria.

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