Man With Boxcutter Causes Disturbance At Ballston Metro: ACPD

ARLINGTON, VA — A man armed with a boxcutter, who was throwing items at people inside the Ballston Metro station on Saturday morning was arrested by Arlington Couny police, according to reports.

An officer responded around 6:52 a.m. to the 4200 block of Fairfax Drive for a disorderly person report. After broadcasting a lookout, the officer located the suspect inside the Metro station holding a boxcutter and making threatening statements, according to the incident report.

"The officer issued the suspect commands to drop the boxcutter to which he was non-compliant and ignored the commands," according to the report. "The officer deployed their taser and with the assistance of additional arriving officers, the suspect was taken into custody. While in custody, the suspect remained non-compliant and kicked an Arlington County Police officer. The boxcutter was recovered on scene.

The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Joseph Powell of an undetermined address, was arrested and charged with assault on police and obstruction of justice. Metro Transit Police assumed the lead on the investigation, since they are responsible for investigating incidents that occur on the Metro rail system, according to ACPD.

In total, Powell faces five charges: obstruction of justice and two counts each of assault on a law enforcement officer and assault and battery, according to court documents.

The assault and battery and obstruction charges are Class 1 misdemeanors and each carry a potential punishment of up to 12 months in jail and/or fined up to $2,500, under the Code of Virginia.

The two assault on law enforcement officer charges are Class 6 felonies. If convicted on these charges, Powell faces a potential sentence of one to five years in prison or 12 months in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500, under Virginia law.

On Monday morning, Powell was arraigned in Arlington General District Court and a bond hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday was continued to 9 a.m. on Nov. 16, according to court records. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 13, 2026.