The family of Allan Tucker II has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Alexandria and two police officers, alleging he was denied urgent medical care before dying in custody in Virginia.
The claim was brought by Tucker’s mother, Sandra Jones, on Thursday, October 22, 2026 — what would have been her son’s 34th birthday. It names Alexandria police officers Chelsea Henry and William McGinnis as defendants and seeks unspecified damages, including punitive damages against the officers.
Tucker, 32, was arrested on August 15, 2025, after police were called to an apartment complex in the 2800 block of North Beauregard Street. Residents had reported a man running through hallways, shouting and knocking on doors.
His family has said Tucker was experiencing a mental health crisis while under the influence of drugs, and believed officers would take him to hospital for treatment.
Body-worn camera footage captured during the arrest showed Tucker repeatedly crying for help and asking to be taken to Alexandria Hospital. In response, an officer told him: “We’re going to jail.”
The lawsuit alleges that officers continued to the detention centre despite Tucker’s requests and left him handcuffed in the back of a patrol car for about 45 minutes. He was later found unresponsive.
Officers can be heard calling for his handcuffs to be removed as they attempted to revive him. Tucker died despite efforts by police and emergency medical personnel.
His death was ruled accidental, with the cause recorded as cardiac arrest following an overdose. The Commonwealth’s Attorney previously declined to bring criminal charges against the officers.
However, an independent administrative investigation later found policy violations involving three of the four officers examined. The report concluded that the arresting officer failed to provide medical care after Tucker repeatedly asked to go to hospital, while other officers were found to have improperly muted their body-worn cameras.
The investigation did not determine criminal liability. A civilian review board subsequently said the inquiry was incomplete and requested further investigation into the supervising sergeant’s role, the actions of the Sheriff’s Office, police training and the absence of disciplinary recommendations from the public report.
Jones has also criticised the way her son’s property was returned to the family. She said a box containing his clothes and personal effects also included the handcuffs and seatbelt used on him shortly before his death.
“I already knew that he died in a car… then you gonna send me the seatbelts and handcuffs?” Jones said. “It was just traumatising.”
The lawsuit alleges that Tucker was deprived of necessary medical treatment, suffered physically and mentally, and died as a result of the officers’ failures. The case also seeks a jury trial.
