Police Swarm Columbia Pike After Shots Fired Report, Find Out Man Punched Wall

Chaos erupted in the 5200 block of Columbia Pike this afternoon after reports of shots fired prompted police to surround an Arlington apartment building -- until a couple that had been arguing told police that one of them had punched a wall.

Police received a 911 call at around 1:30 p.m. of possible shots fired, and officers began to set up a SWAT perimeter at the apartment building, said police spokesperson Ashley Savage.

As this was going on, two people inside the building called police and said they had been arguing and the man had punched the wall.

However, police tend to take these reports slow, Savage said, so it took a bit more investigative work before police could give the all-clear and confirm that it was a false report, and the neighbors had heard a wall being punched rather than a gunshot.

As of around 4 p.m., police were still in the process of clearing down. Savage said she doesn't expect the couple to face any criminal charges.