Crime & Safety

Police Officer Shot in Traffic Stop; Woodbridge Man Arrested After Chase

Alexandria Police Officer stopped a Yellow Cab minivan during a routine traffic check and was shot outside of Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy.

A Woodbridge man has been charged in the shooting of an Alexandria Police officer during a routine traffic stop Wednesday morning, according to a statement from the Alexandria Police Department.

Kashif Bashir, 27, of Woodbridge, is charged with malicious wounding of a law enforcement officer and use of a firearm in commission of a felony. He is being held without bond.

The officer shot has been identified as Peter Laboy, 45. He is a 17-year veteran of the department, working for the past six years as a motorcycle officer in the Motor Unit.

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Laboy was honored for his years of service to the department during the city’s 2012 Employee Public Service Awards program.

Here's early reporting from Old Town Alexandria Patch:

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An Alexandria police officer was shot Wednesday morning during a routine traffic stop in Old Town Alexandria, according to a City of Alexandria spokesman.

A Motor Unit officer stopped the driver of an Alexandria Yellow Cab minivan after the police department issued a look out for a cab regarding a minor offense, Alexandria Communications Director Tony Castrilli told Patch.

Soon after, the Department of Emergency Communications began receiving emergency calls reporting an officer down, he said.

The officer, whose name has not been released, was flown to Medstar Washington Hospital Center from the fields outside of Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy and is currently in critical condition. The officer is currently undergoing surgery, according to Castrilli.

Castrilli said Police Chief Earl Cook is currently at the hospital and is expected to make a statement Wednesday evening when the surgery is complete.

NBC4 reports the critically injured police officer from the Alexandria Police Department is a 45-year-old male, a 16-year veteran on the force who has spent six years as an officer with the motorcycle division.

The driver of the cab fled the scene and a patrol officer spotted the vehicle going south on Washington Street into Fairfax County, according to a city news release.

A police chase ensued and Fairfax County Police took over the situation when the cab entered their jurisdiction. The cab crashed off Fort Hunt Road and the driver was arrested, according to Fairfax County Police Department spokesman Don Gotthardt.

Alexandria Yellow Cab General Manager Kyle Summers told Patch that neither of the two drivers assigned to the cab involved in the incident was working at that time.

The Alexandria Police Department did not return multiple calls.


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