The Alexandria Police Department hosted senior leaders from two Australian law enforcement agencies this week for discussions on building public trust and ethical policing practices.
Chief Tarrick McGuire and members of APD’s command staff met Thursday with Assistant Commissioner Virginia Nelson of the Queensland Police Service and two officials from the Australian Federal Police — Commander Andrew Donoghoe and Detective Superintendent Matthew Ciantar.
Welcome to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at ALXnow’s top stories of the week.
With less than a month until the Nov. 4 general election, this week’s most-read story is on the controversy surrounding Virginia’s Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones. The National Review broke the news last Friday (Oct. 3) that in August 2022, Jones sent text messages to Del. Carrie Coyner (R-75), “fantasizing about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his children,” according to the Virginia Mercury story posted on ALXnow.
Alexandria residents will have the opportunity to clean out their medicine cabinets and safely dispose of unused or expired medications during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Alexandria Police Department, Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, and Alexandria Health Department — in cooperation with the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria — will staff four drop-off locations across the city as part of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s nationwide initiative.
Correction: The victim in this case is not the suspect’s wife. Police recovered a weapon at the suspect’s home, and spoke with the suspect’s wife. ALXnow regrets the error.
A 60-year-old Alexandria man will appear in court later this month after being charged with abduction, assault and battery, and brandishing a firearm in an incident that allegedly “stemmed from dropping ice cream,” according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Friday, Oct. 3, the 276th day of 2025. There are 89 days left in the year.
🌤️ Today’s weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Light and variable wind. Mostly clear tonight, with a low around 52. Calm wind.
An Alexandria woman lost nearly $7,600 in a phone scam last month, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
On August 12, the victim received a phone call from multiple suspects claiming to be representatives of Wells Fargo, stating that the victim’s account information had been leaked. The victim was told she needed to transfer her money to a different account, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
Alexandria City High School’s King Street campus was placed on “secure the building” status and the ACHS Minnie Howard Campus was placed on “hold” status briefly this afternoon after an anonymous report was issued that someone was outside of the school with a gun, according to a letter sent to parents.
“Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Safety and Security staff and the Alexandria Police Department (APD) investigated the anonymous external threat reported to the ACPS Anonymous Reporting System that someone was outside of the school with a gun,” ACHS Interim Executive Principal Lance Harrell wrote. “It was determined by APD this was an unsubstantiated threat.”
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the Sept. 19 shooting death of Jaylin Hartless in the Woodlawn area of Fairfax County.
The 21-year-old Hartless was found shot by his vehicle in the 3400 block of Buckman Road at around 4:45 a.m. and died at the scene. Following information relayed via the Fairfax County Police Department’s Crime Solvers tip line, detectives arrested Tavon Ferguson, 31, from the city of Alexandria, Tennida Ferguson, 49, of the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, and Tavon Lang, 32, also from the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.
The Alexandria Police Department is partnering with local organizations to host a back-to-school soccer tournament for local youth on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The tournament will consist of a series of pick-up soccer games for teenagers at Alexandria City High School‘s King Street campus (3330 King Street), providing positive outlets and introducing them to city resources. The free event, presented by APD’s Crime Prevention Unit, the Alexandria Police Foundation, the Alexandria Gang Prevention Community Task Force, Alexandria Juvenile Court Services, the Alexandria Soccer Association, NOVA RAFT, and the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, will take place from 2 to 6 p.m.
It’s been quite a week, Alexandria. Here’s a look at our top stories.
Our most-read story this week is on Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley sermonizing against President Trump’s decision to fly flags at half-staff across the country for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Speaking at the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church, Wesley condemned the Sept. 10 assassination, but said he should not be expected to honor Kirk, who he called an “unapologetic racist who spent all of his life sowing seeds of division and hate into this land.”
Alexandria City Public Schools will present quarterly safety data to the School Board Thursday showing a dramatic decline in student arrests and court referrals, with 28 total cases during the 2024-25 school year compared to 69 the previous year.
The latest quarterly report covers 262 safety incidents between January and June, with 8 student court referrals and 6 arrests during the third and fourth quarters. This represents a 59% decrease from the 2023-24 school year.
