Investigation underway after man dies in police custody in Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now) — An investigation is underway after a man died while in police custody at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center on Friday following his arrest for public intoxication, according to officials.

Shortly after 5 p.m. on Aug. 15, officers responded to an apartment building in the 2800 block of N. Beauregard St. after multiple people called 911, reporting that a man was “running up and down the apartment hallways, yelling and knocking on doors,” according to a news release from the Alexandria Police Department.

Once on the scene, officers found the man in the building’s hallway, causing a disturbance to neighbors, the release detailed.

Officers worked to calm the man before arresting him for public intoxication and transporting him to the Alexandria Adult Detention Center, where he later needed “medical assistance,” according to police.

Medics and officers tried to save him, but he died there.

As of Saturday morning, it is unclear what the man needed medical assistance for. The medical examiner’s office will determine the official cause and manner of his death as the regional Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), comprised of investigators from other law enforcement agencies in the region, investigates the situation, per standard protocol.

After that, the APD Office of Professional responsibility will conduct an administrative investigation.