Maryland Woman Faces Charges After Alleged Anti-Gay Attack in Virginia Grocery Store on Christmas Day

On December 25, 2025, around 3 p. m. , an altercation escalated into a physical assault at the Giant supermarket on Duke Street in Alexandria, Virginia. Shibritney Colbert, 34, of Landover, Maryland, targeted a 24-year-old man due to his sexuality, according to investigators.

Cellphone video recorded by the victim shows Colbert shoving him and another woman in a grocery aisle, using a shopping cart to strike him, throwing groceries, and making repeated anti-gay slurs such as "Get out of here with your gay"and "sick of this gay person. " The victim repeatedly asked to be left alone, stating "I don't even know you"and "I'm about to call the police, "while another bystander attempted to intervene by urging him to leave.

The exchange began with comments between Colbert and the victim, though specifics were not detailed by police. When officers arrived at the scene, Colbert fled in her vehicle, leading to charges including felony eluding. She was arrested on Thursday, January 8, 2026, through coordination with multiple agencies. Colbert now faces charges of assault and battery, destruction of property, felony eluding, and driving an unregistered vehicle.

In response, Alexandria Police Chief Tarick McGuire announced a new initiative to crack down on hate crimes, describing the incident as a biased hate crime. "One biased hate crime is too much, and it underscores the importance of public policy, "McGuire stated during a news conference. The policy, the first of its kind in the city, establishes clear standards for identifying and documenting bias-related incidents and hate crimes, with deliberate tracking beyond standard crime reporting. Although police departments are not required to report hate crime statistics to the FBI or Virginia State Police, Alexandria plans to do so voluntarily. McGuire noted that development of the policy predated the Giant incident.

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have welcomed the policy. PFLAG, the DC-based Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, issued a statement applauding Alexandria Police: "Codifying hate crime and bias incident policies as part of the Alexandria Police Department's commitment on human and civil rights is a welcome and celebrated step in times when so many members of the LGBTQIA community feel unprotected and unsupported. " This incident occurs amid rising anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in the DMV area, with 53 reported in 2025 alone, including violence, vandalism, and bomb threats, per the GLAAD ALERT Desk.

The event highlights ongoing challenges for gay men and other LGBTQ+ individuals facing public harassment, especially during holidays when community gatherings can amplify tensions. Alexandria's proactive stance may serve as a model for other jurisdictions, emphasizing documentation and reporting to better protect transgender people, gay men, and the broader LGBTQ+ community from bias-motivated violence. Police continue to investigate, with the video evidence central to the hate crime classification.