A 22-year-old Alexandria man is behind bars, accused of attacking a homeless man with a machete in broad daylight in the Arlandria neighborhood on Sunday. Victor Ezequiel Rico Betanco now faces a malicious wounding charge, and police say he remains in custody while the case moves forward.
According to ALXnow, the attack happened around 1:35 p.m. near the intersection of W. Glebe Road and Executive Avenue. Police said a man got out of a gray Toyota Camry and attacked the victim with a machete, prompting multiple 911 calls to the Alexandria Police Department. The victim suffered a non-life-threatening head injury and was taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment.
In a statement to the outlet, Alexandria police said the victim was struck with a sharp-edged weapon during an altercation, and that the suspect was arrested and charged with malicious wounding. The case remains under investigation, and no further details about what led up to the confrontation have been released.
Two Arlandria Attacks Occurred in September and October
This is not an isolated case. The outlet's reporting notes this marks the second stabbing incident against a homeless person in Arlandria within the last three weeks, raising fresh concern in a neighborhood already on edge after a similar attack weeks earlier.
That earlier incident happened on Sept. 15, when police said an unknown man approached a man sleeping on the ground near the Tiger Market parking lot at 3903 Mount Vernon Avenue and stabbed him multiple times. The same outlet's report at the time said police were investigating that stabbing as felony aggravated malicious wounding.
A suspect in that case, 21-year-old Jelzon Garcia Gonzales, was later arrested and charged with aggravated malicious wounding, according to Patch. The outlet reported that police credited multiple public tips with helping lead to that arrest, and that Gonzales was being held without bond at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center.
What Comes Next
It is unclear whether the two Arlandria attacks are connected beyond their proximity in time and location; the only link established so far is the outlet's description of Betanco's case as the second such stabbing in three weeks. Betanco remains in custody as the investigation continues, while Gonzales's case in the earlier stabbing is scheduled for a court date later this month.
Under Virginia law, a person who acts with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill using a weapon like a knife or machete can be charged with malicious wounding, a felony offense. The relevant statute, Virginia Code § 18.2-51, classifies the offense as a Class 3 felony except where otherwise provided.
Residents looking to track crime trends in their area can consult the city's own data tools, including Alexandria's crime and data page, which includes an online crime database search.
