Herndon Man Federally Indicted After Knife-Point Carjacking, Kidnapping: Court

HERNDON, VA — A Herndon man accused of taking a Jeep at knifepoint with another man inside before leading police on a pursuit through Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland has been indicted on federal carjacking and kidnapping charges.

A federal grand jury in Alexandria returned the two-count indictment Monday against Cristian Wilfredo Alvarenga-Aguilar. The indictment was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The charges stem from a June 6 incident that began at a home on Knight Lane in Herndon and ultimately involved officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, according to federal court documents.

Alvarenga-Aguilar is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Knife-Point Threat Preceded Pursuit, FBI Says

According to an FBI affidavit, Herndon police responded just after 9:30 p.m. to a reported domestic disturbance at 1032 Knight Lane. A caller told police that Alvarenga-Aguilar, his son, was attacking him, had a knife and was breaking windows inside the residence.

While the incident was unfolding, a man identified in court documents only as J.C. arrived in a black 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee to bring Alvarenga-Aguilar his cellphone, according to the affidavit.

Investigators said Alvarenga-Aguilar was outside the home, shirtless and holding a knife. The affidavit says he became aggressive toward J.C. and threatened to kill him if he did not get into the vehicle.

J.C. entered the passenger side of the Jeep because he was unsure what Alvarenga-Aguilar would do if he refused, according to investigators. Alvarenga-Aguilar then drove away with J.C. inside, the affidavit says.

Herndon police spoke with Alvarenga-Aguilar's father at the scene. He told officers his son had tried to choke him during an altercation, leaving visible injuries to his face and neck, according to the affidavit.

Investigators also said Alvarenga-Aguilar forcibly took his father's cellphone while he was attempting to call police. Another person subsequently provided a phone so he could contact law enforcement.

At one point while they were driving, J.C. told Alvarenga-Aguilar he felt sick and needed water, according to the affidavit. The two stopped at a gas station, but J.C. later told investigators he did not believe he could escape because Alvarenga-Aguilar remained next to him. Investigators said Alvarenga-Aguilar continued driving and would not allow J.C. to leave the Jeep.

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Fairfax County police later located the Jeep and attempted to stop it, but Alvarenga-Aguilar did not comply, according to the FBI. A pursuit involving multiple agencies, police vehicles and helicopters began in Fairfax County.

Virginia State Police pursued the Jeep into Washington, D.C., and U.S. Park Police attempted a rolling roadblock in Prince George's County, Maryland, according to the affidavit. Investigators said Alvarenga-Aguilar swerved toward a marked police vehicle and continued fleeing.

The Jeep later crossed the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge into Alexandria before turning around and heading back into Maryland, according to federal investigators. The vehicle struck a marked police vehicle in Prince George's County and later returned to Washington before again entering Maryland.

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The pursuit ended near Salisbury Drive in Oxon Hill, where investigators said Alvarenga-Aguilar abandoned the Jeep with J.C. still inside and fled on foot.

Police did not apprehend Alvarenga-Aguilar that night. Herndon police arrested him June 9 after a citizen reported seeing him near Elden Street, according to the affidavit. Officers found him in a restroom at Bodega El Paisa on Alabama Drive.

State Charges Dropped

Virginia court records show Alvarenga-Aguilar initially faced a series of state charges stemming from the June 6 incident, including carjacking, abduction, robbery, preventing a 911 call, assault and battery of a family member, reckless driving and driving without a license.

Prosecutors elected not to pursue the cases at that time. Court records indicate the state carjacking and abduction cases were disposed of Aug. 10, while several other cases were disposed of later in August.

The federal case had already begun by then. An FBI agent filed an affidavit Aug. 10 seeking a criminal complaint and arrest warrant on federal carjacking and kidnapping allegations.

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The federal indictment charges Alvarenga-Aguilar with taking J.C.'s Jeep by force, violence and intimidation while brandishing a knife and with the intent to cause death and serious bodily injury.

The second count accuses him of kidnapping J.C. and transporting him across state lines. The indictment lists a route from Virginia to Washington, D.C.; D.C. to Maryland; Maryland back to Virginia; Virginia to Maryland; Maryland to D.C.; and D.C. back to Maryland.

Federal court documents also describe differing statements J.C. made during the investigation. During an Aug. 6 interview with the U.S. Attorney's Office, J.C. said Alvarenga-Aguilar had not verbally threatened to harm or kill him, although he confirmed that a knife was displayed and said he was scared and unsure what Alvarenga-Aguilar would do if he refused to comply.

The next day, after an FBI agent warned J.C. that knowingly making false statements to a federal officer is a crime, J.C. reviewed a recording of his earlier Herndon police interview and said his original account was true, including his statement that Alvarenga-Aguilar threatened him with a knife while holding him in the vehicle against his will.

The federal indictment charges Alvarenga-Aguilar with carjacking under 18 U.S.C. § 2119 and kidnapping under 18 U.S.C. § 1201(a)(1).