Death Of Man In Custody At Arlington County Detention Center Sparks Investigation

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County Police Chief Charles “Andy” Penn requested that the Northern Virginia Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a 58-year-old man in custody on Tuesday, according to a police release.

Police arrested Clyde Spencer on Oct. 2 in connection with a trespassing incident. Spencer was found unconscious around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday in his cell in the detention center's medical unit.

Arlington County Fire & EMS transported Spencer to the Virginia Hospital Center for treatment but his condition did not improve. He was pronounced dead at 5:58 p.m. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will be conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of Spencer's death.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact ACPDTipline@arlingtonva.us. Anonymous Information may be submitted via the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).