A Washington Capitals player was pepper sprayed and arrested in Clarendon early Saturday, ARLnow has learned.
The incident happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday on the 3100 block of Clarendon Blvd, amid Clarendon’s bar district but well after closing time. According to scanner traffic, it took place in front of Big Tony’s Pizzeria, across from the Metro station.
“At approximately 3:26 a.m. on May 17, officers on patrol in the 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard were flagged down by a witness who reported an active fight outside of a business,” Arlington County Police Department spokesperson Kiyah Daniell tells ARLnow.
“Officers subsequently observed the male suspect involved in a physical altercation with the male subject,” Daniell said. “As officers approached, the male suspect assaulted the male subject, and one officer deployed pepper spray as he was taken into custody. The suspect was treated on scene by medics for pepper spray exposure.”
A crime report notes that “Aleksandr Alekseev, 25, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Public Intoxication.”
A booking photo obtained by ARLnow clearly shows Alex Alexeyev, the 25-year-old Russian defenseman for the Caps who lost several teeth to a high stick during the team’s recently concluded playoff run. Alexeyev was signed to a two-year, $1.65 million contract in 2023.
Clarendon is a well-known hangout for Caps players, who practice at the team’s headquarters at the Medstar Capitals Iceplex in Ballston. The team brought the Stanley Cup to a private celebration at Don Tito in 2018 and watched the Nationals win the World Series at a now-defunct Clarendon sports bar in 2019.
Alexeyev was booked at the Arlington County jail in Courthouse at 4:19 a.m. Saturday, but was later released, online records show. There’s no word yet on a court date.
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