Injuring Employee During Robbery Leads To Malicious Wounding Charge: ACPD

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County police arrested a local man who they say struck an employee at a business he was robbing in the Buckingham area late Friday night.

Police responded around 11:30 p.m. to investigate the report of a larceny in progress at a business in the 200 block of North Glebe Road.

"It was determined the male suspect allegedly entered the business, concealed merchandise and attempted to exit without payment when he was confronted by an employee," according to the incident report. "The suspect then struck the employee, causing them to fall to the ground."

The employee was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for minor injuries, according to police. After a search of the area, the officers located the suspect in the 300 block of North Piedmont Street.

Police arrested and charged 34-year-old Burchell Peters of Arlington with malicious wounding and robbery, according to police. He was then held without bond.

Arlington General District Court was closed on Monday and no information was available Tuesday morning about Peters' arraignment or his preliminary hearing date, according to court records.

Coincidentally, Peters already had a hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Monday in general district court in connection to a Nov. 10, 2025 arrest. He was charged with disorderly conduct, trespass after forbidden, and obstruction/resisting arrest by threat/force charges, according to court documents. Following his arrest in November, Peters was released on his own recognizance.

Those three charges were all Class 1 misdemeanors and each carried a potential penalty of up to 12 months in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500, under the Code of Virginia. There was no information available about the status of Monday's hearing.