Alexandria police are asking the public to help identify a person of interest after graffiti referencing immigration enforcement turned up along the Mount Jefferson Park pathway. The messages, including the words “ICE” and “REPORT TO DEPORT” along with a phone number, were discovered at multiple spots along the path, and police have labeled the case an incident of bias.
According to alexandriabrief.com, the graffiti read “ICE,” “REPORT TO DEPORT” and included the number “1-866-DHS-2-ICE.” The Alexandria Police Department has described the graffiti as an incident of bias, and detectives believe it was written sometime between 11 p.m. Friday and roughly 6:30 a.m. Saturday. As reported by WJLA, detectives have since canvassed the area, interviewed community members, reviewed available video and obtained a search warrant as part of the investigation.
Police Trace a Narrow Overnight Window
The timeline police have laid out is tight: a roughly seven-and-a-half-hour stretch overnight between Friday and Saturday during which the vandalism is believed to have occurred. The police evidence portal lists the location as the Mt. Jefferson Park Pathway at 2600 E. Randolph Ave., with the case logged under number 26-089140, per the same account from alexandriabrief.com.
Investigators are specifically requesting video or photos from the 100 and 200 blocks of Clifford Avenue, the 3000 block of Manning Street, or areas around the park pathway itself, WJLA reports. Anyone with footage can submit it through the Alexandria police evidence portal, and callers may remain anonymous. Police have asked that anyone who recognizes the person shown in investigators’ image, or who has any information about the graffiti, contact Detective Kay at 703-746-6263.
Chief Points to Department's Bias Policy
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire weighed in on the case, telling WJLA that “incidents that incite fear or make members of our community feel targeted have no place in Alexandria.” He added that “every member of our community deserves to feel safe and respected.”
During his first year leading the department, McGuire oversaw the creation and adoption of Alexandria’s first comprehensive hate crime and bias-incident policy, according to the City of Alexandria.
A Regional Pattern of Bias Vandalism
The Mount Jefferson Park case isn’t the only recent instance of bias-motivated graffiti cropping up in Northern Virginia. In Fairfax County, police are investigating racist and antisemitic graffiti spray-painted near a school bus stop in Burke, according to NBC4 Washington. That graffiti was found on utility boxes and neighborhood signs at the corner of Burke Centre Parkway and Wheaton Drive, with neighbors and the homeowners association reporting that several other nearby spots were tagged as well. As of Wednesday, NBC4 Washington reported, Fairfax County police had not confirmed which locations were vandalized or released details about potential suspects.
What Virginia Law Says About Vandalism Charges
Under Virginia Code § 18.2-137, the amount of loss from defacing or damaging covered property can be established through proof of the fair-market cost of repair or fair-market replacement value, according to the Code of Virginia. The statute also allows a court to order a convicted defendant to pay restitution. The Alexandria case remains under investigation, and police have not said whether the graffiti will ultimately be classified beyond the bias-incident description they have already used.
