Manassas residents report suspicious events to City Police Oct. 9-13

Manassas City Police Department’s Crime Report for Oct. 14, 2016

Auto Theft
At approximately 11:25 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2016, Manassas City Police met with a resident on the 8600 block of Artillery Rd for a report of a stolen auto. The reporting party told officers that sometime overnight, someone stole her blue 2007 Nissan Xterra from where it was parked in her driveway. The vehicle was valued at $9,000.

The HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) program from Virginia State Police provides an online tip submission form for citizens to report information concerning the theft of vehicles, vehicle parts or chop shop operations Information remains confidential throughout the process, and tips leading to arrests are eligible for rewards of up to $25,000. Submit an anonymous tip or call 800-947-HEAT (800-947-4328). http://www.heatreward.com HEAT also offers free VIN etching services for motorists.

Manassas City Police will host a free VIN etching event today, Saturday, Oct. 15, in the Home Depot parking lot, 8805 Liberia Avenue, Manassas, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The etching process take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes to complete. However, please anticipate a wait time of anywhere from 0 to 60 minutes, as there is usually a line of vehicles waiting to be etched.

Larceny
At approximately 1:15 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2016, Manassas City Police responded to the 8600 block of Bruton Parish Ct for a report of a larceny. The reporting party told officers that she and her children had just returned home from a shopping trip when they wandered a short distance away from her. In the moment it took to retrieve them, someone stole her wallet out of a shopping bag hanging on the unattended stroller.
Description of Suspects: (1) Black male in his teens wearing a red sweatshirt; (2) Black male in his teens wearing a gray sweatshirt

Suspicious Event
At approximately 6:05 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2016, Manassas City Police met with a resident for a report of a suspicious event. The reporting party told officers that as she was driving on the 10300 block of Gent Ct, she observed a male subject take a package off the front porch of a residence before walking around to the rear. When the subject saw the driver, he threw the package into a backyard before leaving the area on a bicycle.

Larceny from Vehicle
On Oct. 11, 2016, Manassas City Police met with a citizen for a report of a larceny from vehicle that occurred on the 8700 block of Artillery Rd. The reporting party told officers that sometime between 8 p.m. on Oct. 8 and 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 11, someone entered and rummaged through her vehicle. A small amount of change was reported stolen.

Suspicious Event
On Oct. 11, 2016, Manassas City Police responded to the 9200 block of Acer Ln for a report of a suspicious event. The reporting party told officers that their neighbor called to inform them that at approximately 11 a.m. that morning, she observed three young males with bandanas or scarves covering their faces enter the rear yard and peer into the home. When confronted, the three subjects fled on foot. There were no signs of damage or entry, and no items reported stolen.

Crime Prevention Tip:: Community engagement is vital to the success of crime prevention and safety programs. Joining your community’s Neighborhood Watch is an easy way to help protect yourself and others. Neighborhood Watch groups receive a free security assessment report for the community and free training from the Manassas City Police Department on how to effectively observe and report suspicious activity, conduct meetings, organize volunteers, and more.
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No matter what the makeup of your community is – renters, owners, senior citizens or children – get to know your neighbors. Make the decision to look out for each other. If anything looks out of place, it probably is. Call Police at 9-1-1 or 703-257-8000 if you see any suspicious activity and then if you choose to, follow up with your community association.

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