Alexandria police release body camera video after man dies in custody

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now) — Alexandria police have released body camera footage showing the events leading up to the death of 32-year-old Allan Tucker II, who died in police custody earlier this month.

The footage, which runs about an hour and a half, begins on August 15 when multiple calls came in about a man knocking on doors and yelling inside an apartment complex.

“This man is trying to break in everybody’s doors,” a caller can be heard saying in the video.

When officers arrived, Tucker told them someone was inside his apartment with a gun. Police searched the apartment but only found Tucker’s father, who was in a wheelchair. Police say his father told them Tucker left the house 45 minutes before and was fine, but returned in an irritated state.

The video shows that even after police checked the apartment, Tucker insisted someone was still in there with a gun.

“Daddy, I can see shadows, daddy, and guns. I see somebody right there,” Tucker is heard telling his father on the video.

Police eventually placed Tucker in handcuffs and escorted him to a patrol car. Tucker’s agitated behavior continued, but this time, he was accusing officers of trying to hurt him.
“Are y’all trying to kill me? I want a sergeant,” he shouted.

After consulting with a sergeant, officers decided to arrest Tucker for public intoxication. At one point, he asked to be taken to the hospital, but officers instead drove him to jail.

When officers arrived, deputies were in the middle of a shift change, so they had to wait to bring him inside. Tucker continued to yell and scream in the back of the police car, while the two officers stood outside the car. The video shows officers checking on him repeatedly during the nearly 45-minute wait. At times, he was agitated; other times, he was quiet.

At 6:51 p.m., officers noticed Tucker was unresponsive. They gave him Narcan and performed CPR, but he died.

Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said his family shared that Tucker was “a beloved individual supported by his family and community.”

McGuire says they’re waiting for the medical examiner’s office to confirm whether Tucker was under the influence of anything.

Although the investigation is ongoing, there are several questions about the case, including why deputies delayed letting officers and Tucker inside the jail.

“We do not know specifically what was going on inside the jail,” the chief said. “We know they were at shift change, and our officers tried multiple times to get inside. The sheriff and I are committed to evaluating what happened.”

And why did officers choose not to take him to the hospital when he asked?

“The immediate action could have been to divert and take him directly to the hospital. We will find out what the mindset was during the outcome of the investigation,” explained McGuire.

There is now an independent investigation underway by the Auditor’s Office and the Independent Community Police Review Board. The officers involved have been placed on administrative duty. The investigation into Tucker’s death remains ongoing.