Chase Leads Police from Tysons Corner to Arlington Cemetery

A chase that led Fairfax County police into Washington, D.C., and in and out of Arlington National Cemetery ended when the Ford Explorer they were after crashed at Memorial Circle at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

The six people in the Explorer — five adults and one child — have been taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Detectives with the U.S. Park Police and Fairfax County Police Department are working together to determine charges, said Sgt. David Schlosser, a spokesman for the federal law enforcement agency.

It started shortly before 3 p.m., when grand larceny was reported at a retail outlet in a Tysons Corner mall, Fairfax police spokesman Don Gotthardt said.

An officer on duty at the mall located the suspect and stopped the vehicle while it was still in the general vicinity of the mall, Gotthardt said. The officer was attempting to clear the vehicle when it sped away, he said.

Fairfax police followed the Explorer to Interstate 495, on to Georgetown Pike (Route 193) and through the George Washington Memorial Parkway into Arlington County.

A helicopter and K-9 units were deployed during the chase.

They followed the Explorer into the district and then back into Arlington.

"Our helicopter just followed the whole way," Gotthardt said.

The Explorer went in and out of Arlington National Cemetery and was on its way back to Memorial Bridge, Schlosser said.

At Memorial Circle, the vehicle struck a light poll and rolled at least twice, he said. The six people in the Explorer do not appear to have suffered serious injuries, he said.

No one else was injured.

Gotthardt did not know what specifically was reported stolen, or from where. He did not know what speed Fairfax officers reached during their pursuit.

Grand larceny involves anything taken worth more than $200.

Arlington County issued a traffic alert asking motorists to avoid the area around Memorial Circle shortly before 6 p.m.

The Arlington County Police Department was not involved in the chase, spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said.

Memorial Circle, though on this side of the Potomac River, is technically considered within the District of Columbia, Schlosser said.