Robberies in part of eastern Fairfax County have spiked dramatically in recent months, with police reporting 70 nighttime attacks between October and February.
The Mason District police station, which encompasses Bailey’s Crossroads, Annandale and Seven Corners, also dealt with a one-month record of 22 robberies in October, said to a department news release.
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During the same five-month period a year before, the area covered by the station saw only 38 such crimes, according to police spokesman Officer Eduardo Azcarate.
Though police say there are similarities among the incidents and the victims, they will not offer an explanation for why the rate of robberies increased so substantially. They do not believe gangs are responsible.
“There have been suspects developed; there have been arrests made,” Azcarate said. “There are many cases that are still being worked on.”
Detectives believe single-repeat offenders have committed multiple robberies, but Azcarate said descriptions of those suspects were not available.
The victims, police say, are primarily Hispanic females carrying purses who walk alone after sunset. The crimes generally were committed between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m., with the highest concentration between 10 p.m. and midnight. In most cases, according to the police department, no weapons were used, and the victims suffered minor physical injuries, if any.
