Hybla Valley

First Court Appearance Delayed For Woman Involved in 36-Hour Richmond Highway Barricade

Brittany Copelin is in custody on abduction and firearms charges after a missing person case and 36-hour standoff on Richmond Highway.

NBC Universal, Inc.

The first court appearance for the woman who barricaded herself inside an SUV for over 36 hours in Fairfax County has been delayed, and she remains in custody on abduction and firearms charges for the time being.

According to the General District Court Clerk's office for Fairfax County, the woman's attorney withdrew the motion for her court appearance, which was set for Friday morning. It will be up to her attorney when to file another motion.

Brittany Copelin surrendered to police just after midnight on Thursday, ending a standoff that shut down Richmond Highway (Route 1) in the Hybla Valley area for nearly two days.

All lanes of Richmond Highway were blocked between Lockheed Boulevard and Boswell Avenue until early Thursday.

"The reason why it took so long is because we wanted to get to the best possible outcome for a person that was in a mental health crisis because that's what this was," Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said.

She left the scene in an ambulance, and after medics assessed her, she was taken to jail.

Police confirmed the standoff was related to the missing person case involving Copelin's ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old Lauren Kingsbury, from Laurel, Maryland.

Kingsbury had not been seen since Friday, March 24 before she was found safe earlier Tuesday in Fairfax County — not long before the standoff in the SUV began.

Kingsbury's family says Copelin broke into Kingsbury's condo in Laurel, threatened her, pulled a gun, fired a shot and kidnapped her.

Laurel police charged Copelin with kidnapping, home invasion, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, third-degree burglary, firearm use in the commission of a felony, loaded handgun on person and false imprisonment. 

Davis says Copelin is being held without bond, and that mental health services are available to her at the jail.

Contact Us