Community Corner

Weird Virginia: 'Raid' on Herndon, Costco Craziness, Assault by Gas and Shake It, Shake It, Shake It!

Weird history, weird crime, weird dance, weird, weird, weird Virginia.

Editor's Note: Patch has 31 sites in Virginia and D.C., and not a day goes by that something weird isn't happening in at least one of them. Here's a look back at some weird goings on over the past week.

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Nothing quite says St. Patrick's Day like... an old, bloody, surprise attack on Herndon?

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That's what Herndon officials say, anyway, so green won't be the only colors flying in town this March 17. 

Col. John Singleton Mosby and his Rangers are going to ride into town, reenacting that day in 1863, when Mosby led a surprise attack on the 1st Vermont Cavalry as troopers were relaxing at the Herndon depot and a nearby sawmill.

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The event will be held rain, snow or shine and will only be canceled if required for safety reasons. That's right: The bloody Civil War attack will be canceled only for reasons of safety.

Speaking of attacks, here's one that doesn't come as much as a surprise, ridiculous and as dangerous as it was.

The incident took place Sunday, just outside of the Arlington Costco, which can be a frustrating place to be, to say the least. That's when and where six people were charged in a road rage incident.

According to Arlington police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, it started when a Chevy Impala with five people inside were trying to make a left-hand turn. The driver of a car behind the Impala, a Mercedes-Benz, was also trying to make the turn, Sternbeck reported.

“They started honking and yelling,” Sternbeck said.

And from there: A punch in the face, a man dragged from his car and kicked, some smashed windows and a trip to jail for five men. A sixth? He was 16. He got turned in to Mom.

And speaking of ridiculous and dangerous ... Police arrested a woman last Saturday after another Woodbridge woman reported that gasoline had been sprayed in her eyes, Prince William County police spokesperson Jonathan Perok said. 

Lashawn Dernette Johnson, 39, of Woodbridge, was charged with malicious wounding by substance.

"The victim, a 34-year-old woman of Woodbridge, reported to police that she was pumping gas at the location when she became involved in a verbal altercation with the accused, a known acquaintance," Perok said. "During the encounter, the accused grabbed the gas pump from the victim and sprayed gasoline in the victim’s face. The victim sustained severe injuries to her eyes and was transported to an area hospital for treatment."

Johnson reportedly fled the area on foot, but was located a short time later and arrested without further incident, according to Perok.

That's no way to end a weird week. Shaking it is, and for this we can all thank a bunch of wonderfully weird kids at Centreville High School. 

Videos of people doing the shake are the latest craze to hit the Internet, and a large group of Centreville High School students recently made their own. Their video had over 5,000 views in five days. 

Check out the Harlem Shake video, Centreville High School style.

The Daily Beast explains what this is all about:

"The videos begin with the song’s sample of a man giving a shrieking siren call of 'Con los terroristas!'—Columbian Spanish for 'with the terrorists'—followed by one person, usually in a ridiculous mask or helmet, dancing to the song alone as the beat builds. He or she is surrounded by others who are stationary, blissfully unaware of the dancer. When the directive, Then do the Harlem shake is uttered about 15 seconds in, the bass drops and the video metastasizes into pure chaos—the entire coterie engaging in paroxysms of dance for the next 15 seconds in outrageous outfits, and wielding bizarre props."

No, it doesn't make any sense—but it's fun!


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