After repeated complaints about people smoking in and around a group of Vietnamese restaurants the Eden Center in Falls Church, police arrested nine smokers four others for allowing smoking.

Smoking in Virginia restaurants became limited last December as part of the Virginia Clean Air Act, which prohibits smoking in restaurants except in designated areas. Falls Church Communications Director Barbara Gordon noted that the maximum fine is $25 and that no one was taken into custody, but only issued citations. She said Falls Church police had received complaints about smoking at the Eden Center “for quite some time” and included concerns about people smoking in the restaurants and depositing cigarette butts in areas where smoking is legally prohibited. Police made the arrests at the following restaurants: Hai Lua, Pho Bien, Café Nho, Café Le Mirage, Tay Do and Hoa Vien Quan. Those arrested ranged in age from 23 to 56 and included people from Falls Church, Fairfax, Springfield, Annandale, Alexandria and Nottingham, Md.