Man With Knife Grabs Arlington Officer's Gun Holster: Police

ARLINGTON, VA — A Manassas man armed with a knife grabbed an Arlington County police officer’s gun holster as police were taking him into custody Friday afternoon, according to police.

The man, Alexis Zapata, 31, was arrested and charged with assault and battery, assault on police, attempt to disarm a law enforcement officer of their firearm, identity theft and obstruction of justice, police said.

At about 2:45 p.m. on Friday, police were dispatched to Fairfax Drive at N. George Mason near the Fairfax Drive Apartments, for the report of a suspicious man with a knife. A woman told police that she was stopped in her vehicle when a man ran toward her with a knife. She drove off and then called police.

Police found the man in the 4800 block of Fairfax Drive. He resisted arrested, including kicking an officer in the chest, police said.

While he was being searched, Zapata grabbed the holster to one of the officer’s guns, according to police. He also provided police with false identifying information, police said.