Alexandria Police

25-year APD veteran Courtney Ballantine now leads Georgetown University Police Department

Published July 7, 2026 at 3:45PM

Georgetown University Police Chief Courtney Ballantine (staff photo by James Cullum)

Former longtime Alexandria police officer Courtney Ballantine is adjusting to a new role after being promoted to chief of police of the Georgetown University Police Department.

All the badges Ballantine wore in Alexandria, from captain on down, sit in a shadow box near his desk. Four days after retiring from the Alexandria Police Department on Aug. 1, 2025, Ballantine put on a new uniform as the deputy chief of police at Georgetown University. A few weeks later, then-chief Jay Gruber got a new job at American University and Ballantine was named interim chief.

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More details released on $35K jewelry smash-and-grab in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published July 6, 2026 at 3:45PM

An Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Cullum)

A 23-year-old Alexandria man heads to court this month after allegedly stealing a necklace and bracelet valued at $34,750 from an Old Town jewelry store and breaking into nearby Christ Church to hide.

Around 10 a.m. on June 4, an off-duty Alexandria sheriff’s deputy was working security at the shop in the 600 block of King Street when she heard banging sounds outside and saw a man in a black hooded sweatshirt steal the bracelet and necklace and flee on foot. The off-duty deputy then chased the suspect into an alley in the 100 block of N. Washington Street, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

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Alexandria’s police review board sends back ‘incomplete’ report on in-custody death

By James Cullum

Published July 2, 2026 at 3:45PM

The Independent Community Policing Review Board on Monday, June 29, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s Independent Community Policing Review Board wants more questions answered on last summer’s in-custody death of Allan Tucker II.

The board unanimously voted on Wednesday night (July 1) to inform City Council that a report on the Alexandria Police Department response to the incident is incomplete and needs further investigation.

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Former UPS employee held without bond after 150+ packages stolen from Alexandria facility

By James Cullum

Published July 2, 2026 at 2:45PM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A 28-year-old D.C. man is being held without bond after allegedly stealing more than 150 packages from a UPS shipping facility in Alexandria.

The suspect worked at a UPS facility in Hyattsville, Md., for three months in 2022 and 2023, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. From April 4 to as recently as June 15, the suspect was captured on security cameras arriving at the UPS facility at 5601 Eisenhower Avenue in rental cars with Virginia tags and entering the building through a bay door.

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N. Va. public safety leaders reaffirm mutual aid in reducing crime at Alexandria summit

By James Cullum

Published June 18, 2026 at 3:55PM | Updated June 18, 2026 at 11:13PM

(Left to right) Moderator Simone de Alba, Alexandria Police Department Chief Tarrick McGuire and Robin Engle at APD's Public Safety Summit at Virginia Theological Seminary on June 18, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Public safety leaders and their counterparts from around the region reaffirmed a commitment to mutual aid today (Thursday) at the Alexandria Police Department’s Public Safety Summit.

The three-hour event was held at Virginia Theological Seminary, and attended by Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Sheriff Sean Casey, Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter, City Manager Jim Parajon, Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez, Jr, as well as officials from Alexandria City Public Schools and other city departments. Speakers included Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn, Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham, and Stanley Meador, the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

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UPDATED: Man injured in accidental shooting with no other injuries in Taylor Run

By Emily Leayman

Published May 28, 2026 at 3:40PM | Updated May 28, 2026 at 7:00PM

Alexandria Police cruiser (staff photo by James Cullum)

This story has been updated with additional details from APD.

The Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria Fire Department responded to an apparent accidental shooting in a Taylor Run apartment this afternoon (May 28).

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NEW: Alexandria man claims self-defense in fatal West End apartment shooting

By James Cullum

Published May 22, 2026 at 11:15AM | Updated May 22, 2026 at 5:26PM

A male was shot in an apartment at 3450 Berkeley Street on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

This story has been updated to provide the latest timeline on the jury verdict.

A 27-year-old Alexandria man charged with first-degree murder in the death of his former roommate has pleaded not guilty and now awaits a jury’s verdict.

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Three arrested after teen stabbed in Alexandria’s West End

By James Cullum

Published April 29, 2026 at 10:30AM | Updated April 30, 2026 at 12:06PM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Two teenagers and an adult were arrested and charged with malicious wounding after an alleged attempted robbery that left a teenager with non-life-threatening stab wounds in Alexandria’s West End.

The victim reported the incident to police at around 3:20 p.m. Thursday, April 23 in the 2100 block of N. Early Street, which is near the intersection with W. Braddock Road. The victim told police he was approached by four Hispanic males, and that one of them — wearing a black ski mask and holding a knife — stabbed him in the face, according to Alexandria Police Department dispatches.

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Driver sentenced in Alexandria crash that killed pedestrian on sidewalk

By Emily Leayman

Published April 24, 2026 at 3:55PM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse at 520 King Street in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A driver has been sentenced for a fatal crash that killed a pedestrian walking on a sidewalk in April 2025, according to the Alexandria Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Jilmar Doria Medina, 43, of Accokeek, Md., was sentenced April 9 in Alexandria Circuit Court to six years in prison. Medina was convicted on a felony charge of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of 0.15-0.20 after a four-day jury trial in December 2025. He is being held without bail at the Alexandria jail pending his transfer to prison.

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UPDATED: No charges sought after vehicle crash into building in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published April 24, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated April 24, 2026 at 6:14PM

Lily's Chocolate & Coffee remains open to customers after a vehicle struck it in a two-vehicle crash Friday, April 24 (staff photo by James Cullum)

One minor injury was reported after a vehicle crashed into a building at the corner of King and Washington Streets in Old Town.

The Alexandria Police and Fire Departments were called to the 600 block of King Street at 1:34 p.m. and found a two-vehicle crash involving a green SUV with Maryland tags and a gray sedan with Virginia tags. The gray vehicle had come to rest against the side of 631 King Street, home to Lily’s Chocolate and Coffee. Staff at the shop said they are still open and that nothing was damaged.

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Two men charged after woman fights off armed robbery attempt in Braddock neighborhood

By James Cullum

Published April 22, 2026 at 2:45PM

Alexandria Police Department cruisers on Nov. 7, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

A D.C. man and an Alexandria man are facing multiple charges after an attempted armed robbery in Alexandria’s Braddock neighborhood, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

The victim reported to the Alexandria Police Department that on Sunday, March 8, masked men assaulted her and attempted to rob her. The victim told police she was in her car in the 1200 block of Wythe Street when she was approached by two men wearing masks, and that one of them “grabbed her by the throat and told her to pay her $30 that she owed him,” according to the affidavit.