Aggressive Cyclist Arrest: Police Charge Arlington Man

ARLINGTON, VA — After receiving numerous tips and following investigative leads, Arlington County Police identified and arrested an Arlington man Sunday night in connection with a series of assaults on county trails last month, according to a police release.

ACPD arrested David Marlowe, 55, of Arlington, and charged him with robbery, three counts of assault and battery; five counts of indecent exposure, and felony possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. He is being held without bond at the Arlington County Detention Facility.

During the month of August, ACPD received five reports from pedestrians of confrontations they had with an aggressive cyclist as they walked the trails in the county. On Friday, ACPD released a photo and information about the five cases involving the aggressive cyclist.

At 7:25 a.m., on Aug. 11, officers responded for the report of an assault in the area S. Glebe Road and S. Four Mile Run Drive on the Four Mile Run Trail. According to the male and female victims, they were asking along the trail when an approaching cyclist yelled at them to stay on the right side of the yellow line. After the male victim yelled back, the cyclist circled the victims on his bike and pulled down his shorts to expose his buttocks. He then struck the male victim in the arm and tried to take the female victim's phone from her hand.

At 5:03 p.m., on Aug. 15, officers responded to a late report of an assault on the W&OD trail between Sparrow Pond and Columbia Pike. They learned that at approximately 10:06 a.m., the male and female victims were walking on the trail when a cyclist traveling at a high rate of speed approached them from behind. Once the male victim took out his cellphone, the cyclist tried to strike him twice, succeeding in the second attempt. The cyclist then pulled down his shorts, exposed his buttocks, and rode away.

A reporting party and male victim told police they were walking on the W&OD Trail near Columbia Pike at S. Four Mile Run Drive around 3:35 p.m., on Aug. 16, when a cyclist approached them from behind, yelled at them to get off the trail, and passed closely by them at a high rate of speed as he shouted obscenities. After the male victim shouted back, the cyclist exposed his buttocks, rode back toward the victims, and continued to yell obscenities before turning and leaving the area.

Officers responded around 11:39 a.m., on Aug. 21, for the late report of an assault that took place around 10:30 a.m. on the Custis Trial. The victim told police she was running on the trail near N. Frederick Street when a cyclist approached her from behind. As the victim moved to the side, the cyclist sped past her, striking her in the back of the head and neck with an open hand and yelling at her to move over.

Officers were dispatched around 7:24 p.m., on Aug. 29, to the W&OD Trail in the area of S. Park Drive and S. Columbus Street for the report of an assault and battery. The male and female victims told police they were approached by a cyclist from behind at a high rate of speed as they were walking on the trail. When the male victim shouted at the cyclist to slow down, the cyclist dismounted, confronted him, and then struck him in the face.

The investigation into Marlowe's actions is ongoing. Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact ACPD’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or ACPDTipline@arlingtonva.us. Anonymous information may be submitted through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).