Fairfax County police say they charged five people and recovered seven firearms after a shootout between occupants of a black sedan and a silver sedan in Hybla Valley, with investigators crediting automated license plate readers for helping them track down both vehicles within days. The gunfire broke out in the 7900 block of Janna Lee Avenue at around 4:53 p.m. on November 4, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Police said no one was reported injured in the shooting, though officers recovered 24 cartridge casings along with bullet holes in a vehicle and nearby street signs, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Detectives determined the shooting was an isolated incident involving people who knew one another, according to the FCPD.
How License Plate Cameras Led Police to Two Cars
Investigators leaned on the department's Real Time Crime Center, which used ALPR technology and integrated cameras to identify the license plates on both vehicles involved in the exchange of gunfire. Officers located the first suspect vehicle roughly 90 minutes after the shooting at a nearby shopping center, where they recovered a loaded handgun with an extended magazine and an AR-style pistol with an obliterated serial number.
Two days later, on November 6 at around 5:28 p.m., officers received an ALPR alert for the second vehicle. A drone serving as a first responder spotted that car pulling into a motel parking lot in the 6000 block of Richmond Highway in Belle Haven. Detectives then watched an associated vehicle leave the motel, and the ensuing search turned up four firearms, each fitted with an extended magazine, along with a pill bottle containing narcotics. The motel room search also yielded additional narcotics and another firearm, bringing the total recovered across the investigation to seven guns, several with extended magazines and one with an obliterated serial number.
Who Was Charged in the Hybla Valley Shooting
Derrick Belizaire, 20, of Alexandria, was charged with carrying a concealed firearm, reckless discharge of a firearm, shooting in a public place, possession of an extended magazine, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He was held without bond. Jacob Terrell, 24, of Lorton, faces carrying a concealed firearm, possession of an extended magazine, possession of a Schedule I/II drug, possession of a Schedule IV drug, possession of a weapon with a Schedule I/II drug, two counts of malicious shooting, and two counts of malicious shooting at an occupied vehicle; he was also held without bond.
Randall Terrell, 19, of South Carolina, was charged with carrying a concealed firearm, possession of an extended magazine, two counts of malicious shooting, two counts of malicious shooting at an occupied vehicle, reckless handling of a firearm, and shooting in a public place, and he too was held without bond. Isaac Adu, 23, of Alexandria, was released on summonses for carrying a concealed firearm, possession of an extended magazine, and a traffic violation. Gershon Terrell, 50, of Alexandria, was charged with possession of a Schedule I/II drug and released on a $2,000 unsecured bond.
A Tool Police Praise, Some Virginia Leaders Still Question
FCPD Major Hudson Bull said the technology moved the investigation quickly. “The license plate readers in this case got us to the exact vehicles that were involved in the crime, and they got us there quickly,” Bull said, in an interview with FOX 5 DC. Bull said Fairfax County operates 84 fixed ALPR cameras along with more than 700 units installed inside police cars, and he added that every search is documented and audited, with no FCPD personnel ever disciplined for misusing the cameras.
Fairfax County police have separately said the cameras have helped reduce crime in known hot spots, pointing to declines at Fair Oaks Mall, Tysons Corner Center, and Springfield Town Center, per WTOP. Not everyone is convinced the technology deserves unchecked expansion, however. A statewide survey found at least 27 Virginia localities have announced steps to reassess their ALPR use since the survey went out in August, and a Virginia State Crime Commission report found 20 agencies statewide reported unauthorized use of the cameras by their own employees, according to WTVR. The station's report notes that the reassessment push follows those misuse findings. Alexandria and Arlington have already opted to remove their cameras, partially citing privacy concerns, the same FOX 5 DC report notes.
Under Virginia law, an automatic license plate recognition system is defined as one or more high-speed cameras paired with computer algorithms that convert images of license plates and vehicles into computer-readable data, according to the Virginia Code. The debate over how far that technology should reach is playing out even as Fairfax County touts cases like the Hybla Valley shooting as proof of its value. Police are asking anyone with information on the shooting to call the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 2, or to contact Crime Solvers at 866-411-8477.
