Police responded to a theft in progress on the 900 block of Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City around 2:36 p.m. on October 3, which escalated into a violent confrontation. According to the police, 37-year-old Laqueda Tate of Washington, D.C., was caught altering price tags to purchase items for less than their marked amounts. When loss prevention personnel tried to stop her, she ignored them, continuing to walk away.
A responding officer spotted Tate and ordered her to stop, but she refused. As the officer tried to detain her, Tate grabbed the officer, then fled toward a vehicle driven by a male suspect, Jimmie McNair, 56, also of Washington, D.C.
The situation worsened when Tate attempted to take the officer’s firearm and gained possession of a knife from the officer’s vest. During the struggle, the officer managed to regain control of the knife but suffered a minor injury in the process. Backup officers arrived on the scene, and Tate was taken into custody.
Tate was charged with several serious offenses, including assaulting an officer, attempting to disarm an officer, shoplifting, and providing a false identity. After her arrest, she was found carrying a burglarious tool.
McNair, who became disruptive during the arrest, was also taken into custody. A search uncovered stolen merchandise and suspected narcotics in his possession. He now faces charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, shoplifting, and public intoxication.
Both the officer and Tate were treated for minor injuries by medics on the scene.