Retired DC officer describes interrupting robbery in progress in Fairfax County

A retired D.C. police officer on his way to work Thursday says he stopped by his neighborhood store and walked right into a robbery in progress. He says he pulled his weapon, told the suspect to freeze and shared with police what he saw after the man ran.

George Darley said his head is always on a swivel. It comes from years of chasing fugitives in D.C.

When he walked into a 7-Eleven in Fairfax County as usual on Thursday, he took a look around, grabbed a drink and saw the store owner.

“She has this look on her face like she’s terrified,” he said.

Darley said he saw a man scooping things up from behind the counter.

“So, I look at her and she has this horrified look on her face, and she goes ‘He’s got a gun! He’s got a gun!’ And she gives me a signal,” he said.

“I pulled my weapon out and I yelled at him and said, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ He lifted up his shirt and I could see the butt of a gun,” he said.

The suspect hopped over the counter of the store in the 2400 block of Fairhaven Avenue, in the Huntington area, and ran into the neighborhood, Darley said.

The retired cop said he jumped into his car and started chasing the man through the streets.

He lost sight of him, but Fairfax County officers with long guns closed in after neighbors called 911 and said they saw a suspicious person running through their yards on Byrd Lane. It all happened before noon.

A neighbor shared doorbell camera footage he turned over to police.

After hours of searching, police thought they had cornered the man inside a vacant house on Byrd Lane. From the ruined windows and bashed-in door, you can see where police entered.

Anthony Edwards, 51, of Maryland, was found hiding in the attic, police said.

Officers returned to the neighborhood on Friday to look for a gun.

Darley said he was told by police the video inside the 7-Eleven shows the suspect dropped a gun and then picked it up as he ran out of the store.

Darley said he returned to the store Friday and was thanked by the owner.

“She said, ‘Thank you, George! Thank you!,’” he said.

Darley said he’s glad he didn’t open fire because the parking lot was crowded and there were patrons in the store.

“I just wanted him to get out of the store. I didn’t want him to come in the store and take a hostage, and so I kind of, like, gave him an exit,” he said. “I’m sure if I felt threatened enough to shoot him, I would have had no problem, you know, doing it, but he never pulled it out of his waistband to me. He just showed it, thinking that I was going to be scared.”

Fairfax County police had no comment on Darley’s role other than saying in a statement that “a community member was present in the store and attempted to apprehend the man.” They said no one was hurt.

Edwards were charged with robbery, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, felon in possession of a firearm and burglary. He was held without bond.