A city man arrested last week after allegedly brandishing a machete during an altercation outside of a West Glebe Road shopping plaza now faces a Class 1 Misdemeanor charge.

Police said Edwin Predencio Lorenzana, 27, of Four Mile Road, began antagonizing another man about 1:13 a.m. Monday. Lorenzana unsuccessfully tried to talk the unnamed victim, in the area to pick up a friend, into a fight, authorities said.

When the victim returned, Lorenzana allegedly began provoking him again and pulled a machete out of his Honda Accords trunk. The victim fled, phoning in a partial license plate number and a description of the vehicle from around the block, police said.

When officers arrived they located Lorenzanas machete and arrested him. Three other people in the Honda were not charged, police said. 

The machete is a popular weapon among members of the Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13 a violent and prominent street gang in Northern Virginia. While MS-13 is connected to several area machete attacks in recent years, including one that left a Springfield man badly cut in 2005, Alexandria Police Department spokesman Jody Donaldson said there was no indication Lorenzana is a member of the gang.

Its the first assault involving a machete this year, Donaldson said. Owning the weapon isnt a crime, he said, but concealing the blade on your person or in your vehicle is illegal. 

Its a tool in theory, Donaldson said.

Lorenzana was released on a $500 personal recognizance bond. He is due in court at 9:30 a.m. on September 15.