Allan Tucker II, a 32-year-old Black man, asked Alexandria, Virginia, police to take him to the hospital. The city’s independent auditor found that the officers disregarded those requests and drove past a hospital on the way to the jail. He died in the back of a patrol car roughly 40 minutes later, outside the detention center. No officer has been charged.
Tucker’s mother, Sandra Jones, sued the city and two of its officers on Oct. 22, as Atlanta Black Star reported Thursday. The suit names Officer Chelsea Henry and Officer William McGinnis. It alleges violations of Tucker’s constitutional rights and inadequate city policies and training, and seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial. Those are the family’s allegations, not findings.
Tucker died Aug. 15, 2025. Police had been called to the 2800 block of North Beauregard Street, in the city’s West End, and arrested him for public intoxication. According to the suit, he told officers: “Please take me to Alexandria Hospital.” Instead they drove on to the Adult Detention Center, where a shift change delayed the nurse screening arrestees are supposed to get. The auditor put the delay at 35 to 40 minutes. The suit says officers spent that time talking and checking their phones while he stayed handcuffed in the car. The Sheriff’s Office was not told of his medical concerns until he became unresponsive, the auditor found.
Independent Policing Auditor Ameratu Kamara reported in June that officers violated performance standards by disregarding his repeated requests for hospital transport, muting their body cameras during private conversations while he was in custody, and failing to tell the Sheriff’s Office about his condition. She recommended clearer guidance on medical transport, body camera training, dash cameras and a detoxification facility as an alternative to jail.
The criminal review ended in January. Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter announced that no one would be charged after the medical examiner and the Northern Virginia Critical Incident Review Team finished their work. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death accidental, caused by “cocaine and cocaethylene intoxication.” The review team found officers did not use or attempt force likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said at the time: “Any loss of life is tragic, and as Police Chief, I recognize the deep grief experienced by those affected.”
That leaves two findings that do not cancel each other. The medical examiner named what was in Tucker’s body. The auditor named what the officers did: a man asked for medical care, more than once, with a hospital in view, and did not get it. The suit argues department policy required them to provide care to an arrestee who asked.
The two officers were placed on administrative leave and returned to full duty after six months, according to ALXnow. Tucker’s family raised more than $5,300 for legal costs. The city has not yet responded in court.
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