Fairfax Co. police announce arrest after shots were fired at cruiser

GREAT FALLS, Va. - Fairfax County police have made an arrest in connection to a case where shots were fired into an officer's cruiser during a traffic stop. The incident took place around midnight on Sunday on Rossmore Court, which is near the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Walker Lane in Great Falls.

Authorities said the officer was conducting a routine traffic stop when a car pulled over, and a passenger from that car jumped out. The car then speed off and came to a dead end. When the car came back and passed the officer's patrol car, at least two shots were fired at the cruiser. Bullets hit the hood and a side panel of the police cruiser, but thankfully the officer was not hit.

Chief Edwin Roessler said 21-year-old Brian Neftali Landaverde, of Herndon, is charged with attempted capital murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was arrested in connection to a separate incident in Herndon on Monday night, and detectives with the Herndon Police Department realized there may be a connection to the Fairfax County case. A detective contacted the Fairfax County Police Department and gave them information that ultimately led to Landaverde being charged in the case.

The investigation revealed that there were a total of three people in the suspect's car just prior to the shooting, including Landaverde and two juveniles who have been identified as 17 and 16 years old. One of the juveniles bailed out of the car prior to the shooting, police said.

Chief Roessler also announced that the investigation revealed shots were fired from inside the car, through the windshield, and that the suspect's car has also been recovered. He credited the community, Herndon police, and the media with helping to spread the word and solve the case.

Original story: Police: Driver fired shots at cruiser during traffic stop