crime | ALXnow

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

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: Driver arrested after stabbing following hit-and-run in Arlandria

By James Cullum

Published June 13, 2026 at 2:10AM | Updated June 15, 2026 at 8:44AM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A man was stabbed in the abdomen and neck in Arlandria early Saturday morning (June 13) after an apparent hit-and-run, according to the Alexandria Police Department.

The 20-year-old victim called 911 around 12:45 a.m. to report that he was stabbed by the driver of a white Chevrolet cargo van in the 800 block of W. Glebe Road, and that the driver fled the scene. The victim told police the suspect’s Virginia license plate number, and a license plate reader tracked the van nearly four miles away in the 4800 block of Kenmore Avenue in the city’s West End.

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APD to focus on Alexandria’s crime hotspots in new safety plan

By James Cullum

Published June 10, 2026 at 3:45PM

Alexandria Police Department officers at the unveiling of the Holland Lane Restoration Project, May 28, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

On Tuesday night, Police Chief Tarrick McGuire unveiled blueprints for the creation of the Alexandria Police Department’s new public safety plan.

McGuire told City Council the plan will be developed over the next year, and it includes the deployment of officers to crime hotspots identified by the city’s crime data. He said the plan is organized around five pillars — geographical policing and accountability, building relationships in the community, evidence-based strategies and enforcement, assessing crime data and using technology to reduce and enforce crime.

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JUST IN: Old Town jewelry store theft suspect arrested in church basement

By James Cullum

Published June 4, 2026 at 1:30PM | Updated June 4, 2026 at 3:07PM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A 23-year-old man suspected of smashing the front window of a jewelry store on King Street in Old Town this morning (June 4) was arrested a half hour after the incident in the basement of nearby Christ Church.

The Alexandria Police Department was notified that a suspect in a mask and wearing all black smashed a front window to the jewelry store in the 600 block of King Street and fled the scene on foot, according to radio dispatches.

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No bond for Maryland man after alleged gun brandishing in Taylor Run apartment

By James Cullum

Published June 4, 2026 at 11:45AM

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

A 37-year-old Maryland man is being held without bond after allegedly brandishing a handgun in an apartment in the Taylor Run neighborhood, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

The suspect was arrested on April 5, soon after the victim reported that the father of her daughter took out a firearm, racked the slide and then pointed it at her and her son in the 2800 block of Seay Street, according to the affidavit. The suspect, a man from Landover, Md., was charged with being a violent felon in possession of a firearm, concealing a stolen firearm, two counts of reckless handling of a firearm, and two counts of brandishing a firearm.

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Alexandria man charged with Arlington tobacco shop robbery could be linked to city incident

By James Cullum

Published June 3, 2026 at 9:15AM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

An Alexandria man has been charged in connection to a theft from an Arlington tobacco shop, and the Alexandria Police Department is investigating his involvement in another incident in the city.

The 30-year-old man was arrested on May 1 and charged with robbery with force after the theft of Kratom products from a tobacco shop in the 3400 block of Washington Boulevard. Around 8:50 a.m., a store employee flagged down an Arlington County Police Department officer to report that a tall man grabbed a display tower and then shoved him, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

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Former VP of Alexandria firm indicted for allegedly embezzling $4.5M

By James Cullum

Published May 28, 2026 at 9:15AM

The Alexandria courthouse in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

The former vice president of finance for Alexandria-based cybersecurity firm Invictus has been indicted for allegedly embezzling $4.5 million.

On May 18, a grand jury returned an indictment for Sharon Geok-Lian Lee, 47, of Loudoun County, charging her with 12 counts of felony embezzlement. An Alexandria Police Department investigation concluded that Lee allegedly used the company’s American Express credit cards, which were in her name, to make large amounts of unauthorized purchases that were billed to the company and not reimbursed, according to a release from Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter. Lee was finance director and later VP of finance at Invictus during the scheme.

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JUST IN: Jury finds Alexandria man guilty of manslaughter in West End shooting

By James Cullum

Published May 26, 2026 at 2:05PM | Updated June 4, 2026 at 2:30PM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A jury has found Damontie Earl James guilty of voluntary manslaughter when he shot and killed his former roommate Kory Anding in an apartment in Alexandria’s West End.

James, 27, has been held without bond since his arrest following the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Kory Anding at James’ sister’s apartment at 3450 Berkeley Street on Oct. 25, 2025. Anding was the father of two children with James’ sister. James claimed he shot Anding in self-defense. James was also found guilty of unlawful shooting in an occupied building and not guilty of using a firearm in the commission of a murder.

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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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Alexandria man claims ‘wrong house’ after alleged break-in at co-worker’s relatives’ home

By James Cullum

Published May 21, 2026 at 1:45PM

Alexandria Police cruiser (staff photo by James Cullum)

An Alexandria man faces illegal entry and public intoxication charges after allegedly breaking into the Seminary Hill home of a co-worker’s relatives, rummaging around and stealing clothing, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

On April 9, the homeowners provided police with video surveillance showing the suspect entering the home in the 200 block of N. Quaker Lane, as well as audio of him allegedly opening kitchen cabinets, according to the affidavit. The suspect was arrested less than a mile away on a public intoxication charge, a Class 4 misdemeanor with a $250 fine. He was later charged with entering a property to damage, a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

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APD recovers video of sexual assault suspect allegedly spiking victim’s drink at Old Town bar

By James Cullum

Published May 21, 2026 at 11:45AM | Updated May 22, 2026 at 11:49AM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

More details have been released regarding the former D.C. police officer facing more than two dozen felony sexual assault charges in Alexandria.

Timothy Valentin, 30, of Fort Washington, Md., goes to court in August on charges of rape by force, rape by incapacitation and abduction with intent to defile after a sexual assault that allegedly occurred in the overnight hours between Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13, 2025.