VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The girlfriend of a shoplifting suspect accused of shooting at a police officer in Virginia Beach is speaking out from jail only to 10 On Your Side.
The alleged shoplifting incident happened last Friday and police say the officer was not hurt.
24-year-old Tyler Davis was taken into custody along with two others at Pembroke Mall. One of them was Davis’s girlfriend, Jaclyn Anderson.
Anderson agreed to a jailhouse interview Tuesday to share her take of what happened.
The 22-year-old from Portsmouth was very emotional when talking about last week’s incident at Kohl’s. She told us the system failed Davis and that he’s in need of help for mental illness.
“The system failed him in so many ways — it’s ridiculous,” Anderson said.
She tells us while she’s not going to make excuses, Davis is not the monster people are making him out to be. She said her boyfriend grew up in foster care, was mistreated and battled a life of trauma.
“He’s a product of his environment,” Anderson said. “He survived.”
Anderson said she was going through a divorce and was homeless when she met Davis over the summer. She said he took her in and made sure she had a roof over her head.
“I don’t know what I would have done without him,” Anderson said.
She said Davis is an aspiring tattoo artist and has had previous run-in’s with the law. She’s aware of his stealing, and said she intended to buy a few things at Kohl’s last Friday, not knowing what Davis was up to. When she was detained for questioning, she thought she’d be able to be allowed to go home, but instead was taken into custody.
“I don’t know 100% what happened,” Anderson said. “I was in custody and I got told what happened when I was in custody.”
Police charged Anderson with conspiracy to commit grand larceny and for possessing meth. Police say she had $1,900 worth of Kohl’s merchandise in her cart. Anderson also has an assault and battery charge from March 2023 where she failed to appear in court.
“Nobody’s ever 100% innocent,” Anderson said. “Everyone makes mistakes. I make mistakes just as much as the other.”
Anderson told 10 On Your Side she wants to get back on the right path and help Davis get an attorney.