Man Threatens Employee Before Stealing Merchandise In Ballston: ACPD

ARLINGTON, VA — A 61-year-old man is facing multiple charges, including robbery, after an employee at a Ballston business saw him removing a tag from a piece of merchandise on Monday afternoon, according to Arlington County Police.

A patrol officer was flagged down around 3:04 p.m. in the 4200 block of Fairfax Drive about a robbery that had taken place at a nearby business. A preliminary investigation determined that a man threatened an employee who had confronted him about taking a tag of a piece of merchandise, according to police. The man then fled with the merchandise.

Officers located the suspect as he was boarding a bus in the area and took him into custody without incident. Police also reported recovering the stolen merchandise.

During the investigation, the man, later identified as Keith McDonald of an undetermined address, gave officers false personal identification information, police say. They also confirmed that McDonald had been banned previously from the business.

ACPD arrested and charged McDonald with robbery, giving false identity to a law enforcement officer and trespassing. He was then held without bond at the Arlington County Detention Center.