Dorcas Allen faced an impossible choice.
In 1837, Allen was sold, along with her four children, to a slave trader and sent to a pen on Duke Street — where the Freedom Museum stands today.
Faced with the prospect of seeing her children taken and sold into slavery, Allen killed her two youngest children. Allen pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
A lecture by historian Alison Mann on Thursday, April 18, will discuss the murder of the children and its impact on the region. Mann is a historian at the National Museum of American Diplomacy and a subject matter expert in the field of diplomatic history at the U.S. Department of State.
The lecture is scheduled from 7-8 p.m. at the Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street).
Tickets are $15 per person or $12 for volunteers/members of Historic Alexandria. All proceeds go to supporting the Freedom House Museum.
According to the Office of Historic Alexandria:
Learn about Dorcas Allen, a woman living with her husband and four children as a free Black woman in Washington D.C. who was enslaved by James Birch, imprisoned in Alexandria, and tried for the murder of her two youngest children. A jury acquitted her by reason of insanity and, with John Quincy Adams’ assistance, she regained her freedom. This is a story of African American agency in the most desperate of circumstances…when an enslaved mother feels death is better for her children than life in bondage.
A 47-year-old Alexandria man was charged with forcible sodomy and attempted rape against a woman in her Old Town apartment on Sunday.
The Alexandria Police Department said that the victim knows the suspect, but did not go further except to say that Antuan Bostick was arrested at around 8:10 p.m. on Sunday, April 7, after a neighbor called 911. The neighbor told the dispatcher that she could hear the victim screaming for help for up to five minutes.
Bostick is being held without bond and goes to court for the offenses on May 10. He was also charged in March with driving while intoxicated. He has also been found guilty for a number of drug and alcohol convictions back to 2018, according to court records.
Alexandria’s Department of Emergency Communications got the 911 call at 8:03 p.m., officers were dispatched at 8:06 p.m. and arrived at the scene at 8:10 p.m., according to APD. No weapon was found at the scene, and police said that the investigation remains active.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault and would like to talk or needs resources, contact the Alexandria Sexual Assault Hotline at 703-683-7273, where a trained advocate is available 24 hours a day.
There is a moderate police presence in the 800 block of N Pitt St. as officers investigate a sexual assault. One suspect is in custody.
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 8, 2024
A 35-year-old D.C. man was found guilty yesterday for a 2015 drive-by shooting that killed an Alexandria man and wounded another, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Oscar Ramos was found guilty yesterday in federal court of first degree murder while armed for the May 28, 2015 shooting death of 50-year old Pedro Melendez Alvarado. He was also found guilty of assault with intent to kill by wounding 56-year old Miguel A. Rodriguez Carabantes.
The Washington Post first reported the verdict.
The incident occurred on northbound Interstate 295 near exit 1 in southwest D.C., and the victims were driving to work. The U.S. Department of Justice said that Ramos is an MS-13 gang member, and was a passenger in a car that pulled up alongside the victims.
“The defendant and another passenger in the car with him opened fire on Mr. Alvarado’s car, struck the victims, then pulled away,” DOJ said in a release. “The defendant and Mr. Alvarado are both from El Salvador. The defendant believed Mr. Alvarado was somehow involved in the death of the defendant’s father, years earlier, in El Salvador.”
U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department made the announcement of the verdict.
Ramos will be sentenced on July 12.
An adult male was shot in the leg after an altercation in the Landmark area early Sunday morning, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
No arrests have been made, and police are still investigating the incident. APD received more than 10 calls for service at around 12:45 p.m., with witnesses telling police that they observed a shootout between two parties in the 200 block of S. Reynolds Street. Police were told that the suspects fled in two vehicles traveling in separate directions, according to the police scanner.
Multiple bullet casings were found in the street, according to the police scanner.
After the incident, the man who was shot was driven or drove himself to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
According to APD:
On Sunday, April 7, at approximately 12:44 a.m. Alexandria Police officers responded to the report of shots fired, a weapons violation, in the 200 block of South Reynolds Street. Once on scene, officers located evidence of shots having been fired but did not locate any injured parties. It was reported by witnesses that an altercation among a large group of people led to shots being exchanged.
During the investigation, it was determined that an adult male with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound was injured in the incident and received medical treatment in an area hospital. No arrests have been made at this time. This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information should call Alexandria Police Detective Brattelli at 703-746- 6699.
Officers have concluded their on-site investigation in the 200 block of S. Reynolds St. after a weapons violation. One victim went to the hospital on their own and has non life threatening injuries.
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 7, 2024
Planet Fitness in Alexandria’s West End was evacuated early Saturday evening (April 6), adding to a growing number of similar threats made at locations around the country.
The Alexandria Police Department was alerted at around 6 p.m. of a bomb threat made via email, according to the APD scanner. Police said in one dispatch that an employee reported that the alleged threat was sent in an email at 4:06 p.m.
The building was evacuated for more than an hour, and reopened at around 8 p.m. Doyle’s Outpost, which is an arcade located next door to the gym, was also evacuated and didn’t reopen. Doyle’s Outpost had a staff of more than 15 people who ended up getting sent home early on Saturday night.
“We had multiple birthday parties going on,” Doyle’s Outpost manager Natise Ragland said. “I didn’t want to raise a panic, so I calmly told the adults that there was some sort of situation and that the police were asking us all to evacuate. Everyone paid their tabs and then we put their food in to-go containers and evacuated.”
There have been more than a dozen bomb threats made at Planet Fitness locations around the country after an Alaska woman’s membership was revoked at a location in Fairbanks last month. The member took photos and video of a transgender woman shaving in the women’s locker room, and then posted the images and videos online. The woman’s membership was revoked for violating Planet Fitness’s policy of taking pictures and video in locker rooms, and the gym defended its gender identity non-discrimination policy.
The issue has since gone viral, prompting online activists to protest the cancellation of the woman’s membership.
There’s a moderate police presence in the 4000 block of Kenmore Ave. as officers investigate a bomb threat. Officers have cleared the area as necessary during the search of the area. An update will be issued as necessary. pic.twitter.com/LOAPOlxjLJ
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 6, 2024
The mother of the child who brought a gun to Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy in Old Town last month has been arrested and charged with allowing access of firearms to children.
The child went to school (530 S. St. Asaph Street) on March 1 with the wrong backpack and discovered the handgun in the bag and reported it to their teacher.
Police deemed the incident accidental on the part of the student, and said that the student’s parents fully cooperated. After a “comprehensive investigation,” the child’s mother, 31-year-old Alexa Dickens, was arrested and charged, according to an APD press release.
Allowing access of firearms to children is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a up to a $2,500 fine. Dickens’ court date has not been released.
Update to Investigation: The mother of the Lyles-Crouch student was charged and arrested today. pic.twitter.com/CPmhSecKZ0
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 5, 2024
What a busy week in Alexandria.
This week’s top story was all about money, with a $1 million Powerball ticket getting sold in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.
On Monday we reported that an Alexandria resident was charged after a loaded gun was allegedly found in his carry-on bag at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The incident marked the third time last month that a firearm was confiscated from luggage at the airport.
Also Monday, Mayor Justin Wilson said in his monthly newsletter that the March 27 death of the Potomac Yard arena deal would likely mean a period of stagnation for that area of the city. Landowner JBG Smith, however, softened its stance after initially releasing a scathing opinion on the situation, and told the Washington Business Journal on Wednesday that it now envisions Potomac Yard as a tech corridor anchored by the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.
In a Thursday poll, ALXnow asked whether Alexandria is better off without the Potomac Yard arena. The poll got more than 1,300 responses, with 65% voting “Yes,” 26% voting “No” and nearly 10% voting “I don’t know.”
Got a good spot to see the eclipse on Monday? Our second-most-read story this week showcases an eclipse viewing party being hosted by the city in Old Town.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Powerball ticket worth $1 million sold in Mount Vernon (7387 views)
- City of Alexandria hosting eclipse viewing party in Old Town (7375 views)
- Notes: Pizza and cocktail bar opening this week in Old Town (5997 views)
- Sign ordinance update tackling longstanding sign complaints from Alexandria businesses (5400 views)
- In wake of Potomac Yard arena implosion, Alexandria mayor says area will stay the same for ‘quite some time’ (5398 views)
- Alexandria gets federal grant for Duke Street transitway (4171 views)
- No arrest after woman stabbed in neck in Alexandria’s West End (3522 views)
- CIM Group sells apartment complex next to old Landmark Mall property for $225 million (3149 views)
Have a safe weekend!
No arrest has been made since a woman was stabbed in the neck in the West End last Thursday night (March 28).
The victim told police that the suspect stabbed her with a pocket knife in a parking lot of an apartment complex in the 400 block of Mayflower Court at around 7:30 p.m. She suffered a non-life threatening injury and was treated at Inova Fairfax Hospital.
After the stabbing, the victim ran to a nearby hotel in the 200 block of N. Breckinridge Place and the employee at the front desk called 911, according to dispatch reports.
The victim told police that she’d met the suspect only days before, and that he frequented the area.
APD released no suspect information.
“The case is still being investigated,” APD Communications Manager Tracy Walker told ALXnow. “No arrests have been made at this time. The relationship between the suspect and the victim is unclear at this point in the investigation.”
Officers are investigating a felony assault in the 400 block of Mayflower Court. An adult female was stabbed by a man she was familiar with and sustained a non-life threatening injury. She was was transported to the hospital. The man fled the scene. pic.twitter.com/MnoqWV7bWK
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 29, 2024
An Alexandria woman got scammed by a caller pretending to be a representative of the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office (ASO), less than a week after ASO warned the public against scammers on social media.
The victim was called on her land line at around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15, and the male caller allegedly claimed to be a sergeant with the ASO, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
The caller asked the victim if she was aware that she missed jury duty the week before, and said that she should have received a notice in the mail on Dec. 26.
“The male subject responded to (the victim) that a signed acknowledgement of receipt was received by the Sheriff’s Office,” according to the search warrant affidavit. “The male suspect detailed that due to her failing to show, two citations were issued against her.”
The scammer allegedly told the victim to go to the ASO office and pay a fine of $1,750. The victim was then transferred to another suspect who allegedly said he was an ASO lieutenant, and that she needed to pay the fine by cash, check or e-check at the Alexandria Courthouse.
The victim told police that she sent two Zelle payments totaling $1,000 before she realized she was being scammed, according to the search warrant affidavit. The scammer allegedly tried to call her two more times, but the victim did not pick up and instead called the police.
ASO and the police put out warning regarding scammers multiple times per year, and says that their representatives will never ask for money over the phone. Previous phone scams include attempts to remove criminal charges from victims and requests to make charitable donations to the police department.
A police investigation determined that the suspect registered a new phone with TextNow Inc. on Feb. 13, two days before the alleged incident occurred.
No arrests have been made and the Alexandria Police Department is investigating the incident.
SCAM ALERT! If someone calls saying they’re from the Sheriff’s Office or Police Department and you have to pay money, HANG UP! Legit law enforcement agencies will never call and demand money.https://t.co/WQgUDsnaSX pic.twitter.com/yB5Ie1dufL
— Alexandria Sheriff (@AlexVASheriff) February 9, 2024
The Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria Commonwealth Attorney’s Office were recently awarded large grants to curb a skyrocketing surge in gun-related crime incidents in the city.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services recently awarded APD with a $250,000 grant for gun violence and prevention, and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office with a $497,000 grant to prosecute gun-related crimes.
“(T)he two departments will use those funds to collaborate on targeted initiatives to more effectively support impacted areas of the community and prosecute firearm-related crime,” APD said in a news release.
The city’s gun-related crime incidents jumped 100% in 2022, and APD said that the city is committed to reversing the trend.
Much of that crime occurred on Beat 34 in the Edsall Road corridor, and APD said that it will contract with a program coordinator to help prevent “localized cycles of violence.”
According to APD:
APD will contract a Program Coordinator to provide strategic leadership for an interagency Work Group and serve as a liaison to the community focused on the department’s Beat 34, comprising an area of southwest Alexandria focused around the Edsall Road corridor which has seen a marked increase in crime from 2022 to 2023. In that time frame, Part I (violent and property) crime increased by 67% in Beat 34, while Part II crime (crimes against society and lesser property crimes) increased by 179%, far outpacing the rest of the city.
Installing a coordinator for the Beat 34 Work Group will also strengthen the ongoing collaboration between APD, the Sheriff’s Office, the City Manager’s Office, the Department of Community and Human Services, Code Administration, the Office of Housing, and Alexandria Public Schools. With all parties unified, resources can be strategically deployed to where they are most needed in the city to reduce gun violence. Through the establishment of sustainable processes, the new Program Coordinator will also set up the Beat 34 Work Group to continue to smoothly operate on its own, effectively supporting that section of Alexandria.
The funding was made available through DCJS’s Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program supporting Operation Bold Blue Line. The funds must be spent by Dec. 31, 2025, according to APD.
According to APD:
APD, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, and additional partners around the city are focused on putting this new funding toward tackling this public safety threat from all angles: prevention on the front end, and then collaboratively prosecuting to ensure that criminals are held accountable.
