The Alexandria Police Department has adopted a new hate crime policy following a Christmas Day incident in which a suspect reportedly threw groceries and shouted homophobic statements at a man in a store on Christmas Day.
Police Chief Tarrick McGuire announced the department’s first-ever policy for bias incidents and hate crimes, developed over the past year, at a press conference this morning (Monday).
While the department has “long investigated and responded to crimes motivated by bias, this policy formally codifies standards, expectations, and oversight to ensure consistent identification, documentation and follow-up in every case,” according to APD.
The Dec. 25 incident, which is currently “being evaluated for the application of bias-based penalty enhancements” with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, took place around 3 p.m. inside a Giant grocery store on Duke Street.
In footage taken by the victim and newly released by APD, the suspect, 34-year-old Shibritney Colbert, of Landover, Md., is seen making aggressive physical advances, throwing groceries and shouting derogatory statements at the 24-year-old victim for nearly two minutes.
This continues as the victim repeatedly states that he does not know the assailant. The victim later called 911, and as APD officers arrived on the scene, Colbert fled from the parking lot in her vehicle.
“Based on the victim’s statement, comments exchanged prior to the assault, and the totality of the circumstances, investigators believe the victim was targeted because of his sexual orientation,” APD shared in a press release.
Authorities arrested Colbert last Thursday. As of this morning, the suspect remains in custody at the Prince George’s County Jail.
She is charged with felony eluding, assault and battery, destruction of property and driving an unregistered vehicle.
During Monday’s press conference, McGuire said hate crimes “threaten the entire community and undermine the fundamental principles of dignity, equality and safety.”
“Across the country, reported hate crimes remain at near or historic odds,” McGuire said. “More than 11,000 hate crime incidents occurred in calendar year 2024 and many more jurisdictions across the Commonwealth of Virginia are reporting increases in hate crimes over this past year.
These numbers represent more than statistics. They reflect persistent threats to dignity, quality and personal security and the core rights that law enforcement take the oath and are obligated to protect.”
Approximately 340 hate crimes happened statewide in 2024, reflecting a 50% increase from the year prior, according to state police data. Reports from early 2025 “indicate that bias offenses remain elevated — particularly those motivated by race, religion and one’s sexual orientation.”
Overall, the new policy formalizes protocols for investigating crimes committed against victims because of their actual or perceived race, religion, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin.
It ensures officers have direct communication with supervisors and the chief when investigating these crimes, that detectives “will immediately respond to the scene” for investigations, and that accurate data is sent to the Virginia State Police. The department also intends to voluntarily report hate crime-related incidents to the FBI.
While Alexandria is experiencing year-over-year decreases in crime, that does not mean the city is “immune from bias and hate incidents,” the Chief said. Over the past five years, annual incident totals range from one to four, he said.
“Our position is unequivocal — one bias or hate crime is too many for our community,” McGuire said.
The new policy was crafted over the past year with input from the Anti-Defamation League, the Alexandria NAACP branch, local Jewish congregations and “leaders from various faith communities.”
The department is focused on ensuring that it offers direct incident reporting and is currently in the process of updating its online crime dashboard, McGuire said.
APD is also pursuing a grant worth up to $200,000 from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services to provide “extra security and protection” to Alexandria’s faith communities.
“It will be up on an upcoming agenda for Mayor of Council for consideration, and it is an extension of not only the statewide efforts to support persons that are dealing with these type of events, but also a preventative measure to ensure that our faith-based communities are safer in Alexandria,” McGuire said.
