A 24-year-old Washington, D.C. man is facing felony charges in two Northern Virginia jurisdictions after authorities say he stole cars out of condominium parking lots in Alexandria's West End, pepper-sprayed a bystander who confronted him, and was separately caught behind the wheel of a stolen BMW in Arlington County just weeks earlier.
Keonte Sincere Marshall was arrested Sept. 24 after allegedly driving a stolen vehicle into a West End condo complex, according to ALXnow. He was charged with attempted malicious wounding, grand larceny auto and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in connection with a string of alleged thefts that police say began a week earlier in the same neighborhood.
A Confrontation Turns Dangerous on Edsall Road
The case traces back to Sept. 17, when a bystander reported seeing the suspect allegedly checking vehicle door handles in a condominium parking lot in the 6100 block of Edsall Road, per the same ALXnow account. The bystander argued with him, and the suspect left the scene — only to return minutes later behind the wheel of a stolen Honda Civic bearing Virginia plates.
According to a search warrant affidavit cited by the outlet, the suspect then got out of the Civic and sprayed pepper spray toward the bystander, but missed. The Honda Civic itself had been reported stolen overnight from the 200 block of Yoakum Parkway, a location less than a half-mile from where the confrontation took place.
Arrested at the Scene a Week Later
Marshall's alleged pattern allegedly resurfaced exactly one week later. On Sept. 24, a condo complex security officer reported that Marshall was driving a stolen silver Lexus into a parking lot on Yoakum Parkway, the same report states, and he was arrested at the scene. Patch separately reported that Marshall is facing three felonies in Alexandria District Court as a result of that arrest, and that outlet noted he is accused of targeting the parking lots of a condo complex on Yoakum Parkway and another on Edsall Road.
Marshall was released on recognizance following the Alexandria arrest. His first hearing in that case is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27, for a preliminary hearing, according to the ALXnow report.
A Separate Arrest in Arlington County
The West End allegations were not Marshall's first brush with Virginia car-theft charges this year. He was arrested by a Virginia State trooper on Aug. 28 in Arlington County and charged with felony unauthorized use of a vehicle, according to the ALXnow report. At the time, he was allegedly driving a gray BMW reportedly stolen that same day from the 4500 block of Ford Avenue in Alexandria's West End.
Police located suspected stolen property inside that BMW, including purses, bags, credit cards, several cellphones and several vehicle keys, per the affidavit referenced in the report. Patch also noted that Marshall is accused of stealing cars in Arlington County, consistent with the August incident. Marshall's preliminary hearing for that case is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, in Arlington County court.
What Virginia Law Says About the Charges
The attempted malicious wounding charge Marshall faces stems from a section of Virginia law that covers maliciously shooting, stabbing, cutting, wounding or otherwise causing bodily injury with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill — conduct the Virginia General Assembly classifies as a Class 3 felony except where otherwise provided. The grand larceny auto charge falls under a separate statute that the Virginia General Assembly identifies as covering larceny from a person involving property valued at $5 or more, or simple larceny of goods and chattels valued at $1,000 or more, or any firearm regardless of value.
With hearings now set in both Alexandria and Arlington courts within days of each other, Marshall's case will move forward on two separate tracks even as questions remain about how the two jurisdictions' allegations connect.
