'Wannabe thugs' in Virginia surround police car, trap officer inside during 'street takeover'

A Fairfax County police officer was surrounded by a large group of people after she tried to break up a "street takeover" event around 3 am last Sunday, in the 6600 block of Electronic Drive parking lot in Springfield, Virginia.

Bodycam footage of the incident posted on X showed a large group surrounding the officer's car to prevent her from moving in any direction while she called for backup.

The Fairfax County Police Department revealed that at least one person attempted to remove the license plate from the vehicle, and others "jumped on her cruiser and continuously banged on the windows."

"It appears at least one man was hanging outside of a vehicle brandishing a rifle," the statement said, with a picture of a man hanging out the window of a white car, with a circle around what appears to be a firearm.

Police said the participants began to disperse after "dozens of officers responded from across the county to assist."

So far, four people have been charged in connection to the incident, including 18-year-old Carlos A. Martinez Jr. who crashed his car into a police cruiser. He was issued a summons the next day for reckless driving.

A warrant was issued for 18-year-old Rnal Urrea-Hernandez who struck an officer with his vehicle and fled the area. He is wanted for felony hit and run, speed to elude, and not having a license.

Police have also identified 20-year-old Dylan Heckard and charged him with abduction, assault on a law enforcement officer, obstruction of justice, and wearing a mask in public. They have also identified a 17-year-old who was charged with disorderly conduct and abduction.

In a statement to FOX 5, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis noted that street takeover incidents are common, however, this one was concerning due to the threat to officer safety.

"I believe we narrowly escaped a line-of-duty death scenario of our own," he said. "Because one of our officers was surrounded by a bunch of masked, tough-guy-wannabe-thugs who surrounded her car, and acted in a criminal manner, in a way that I’ll tell you is never going to happen again in Fairfax County."

Chief Davis added that Civil Disturbance teams will be more ready to respond to these situations quicker to assist responding officers so they are not put into dangerous situations.

Fairfax County Police are asking anyone with more information on the incident to contact their detectives at 703-922-0889, or through Crime Solvers by phone 866-411-TIPS.