Washington, D.C
No charges in case of man who died after fight outside DC restaurant
Family presses for justice after charges dropped in case of man who died after fight outside DC restaurant
D.C.’s top prosecutor has declined to press charges in a death investigation involving two men who got into a fight outside of a restaurant.
WASHINGTON – D.C.’s top prosecutor has declined to press charges in a death investigation involving two men who got into a fight outside of a restaurant.
They say the evidence wasn’t there but the family of the man who died disagrees and is continuing their search for justice.
It was 2 a.m. on Feb. 2 when a fight broke out between a man and 41-year-old Virginia Tech Executive Vivek Taneja. It was all caught on camera,
Prosecutors say it’s unclear whether it was a punch or him falling to the ground but Taneja would later die from his injuries.
FOX 5 obtained video of the fight through the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In it, Tanaja is seen sitting in a courtyard with two women.
Then, a man in gray, who the Washington Post is reporting was a former Arlington police officer, is walking and then stops and starts talking to the three of them.
It appears a verbal altercation begins, with the two women trying to separate the men. Then, punches are thrown. Taneja winds up unconscious on the ground, unconscious.
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In a letter announcing that they’re declining to press charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who called this death tragic, indicated they believe it was Taneja who threw the first punch in the scuffle and didn’t think charges applied, adding that they’d have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the other man was not acting in self-defense.
While the U.S. Attorney says they investigated this thoroughly, family, and attorneys representing Vivek Taneja have requested a different team of prosecutors review the case.
They also challenge the conclusion that Taneja threw the first punch, and think more investigating needs to be done to add additional context to what happened leading up to the video.
The U.S. Attorney’s office declined further comment beyond the letter notifying that they weren’t pressing charges.
FOX 5’s David Kaplan will have more at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.