On Saturday, June 6, at the direction of the Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Police Officer First Class (PFC) Tyler Timberlake, was charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault and battery. Timberlake has been an officer for eight years and assigned to the Mount Vernon District Station.
Officers responded to a call for service around 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon involving a man in crisis wandering around in the roadway. As an officer attempted to deescalate the situation that was underway, PFC Timberlake arrived shortly after and used force that is unacceptable.
Based on this action, both a criminal and administrative investigation were immediately initiated at the direction of Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr, Chief of Police. The actions of the officer clearly exceeded the boundaries of law, policy and professionalism.
As part of the department’s internal investigation, Timberlake and other involved officers were immediately relieved of their law enforcement duties as police officers and placed on administrative leave.
The Fairfax County Police Department strives to maintain the highest degree of integrity and public trust. Allegations of improper conduct or criminal violations by officers or department personnel are taken seriously and comprehensively investigated, as with any crime. If an alleged violation is determined to be credible and sustained, that employee will be held accountable through appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination.
