Vivek "was knocked to the ground by the suspect and hit his head"
A US Indian executive died days after he was knocked to the ground and hit his head during an altercation outside a restaurant in Washington.
DC police said Vivek Taneja’s death has been ruled a homicide.
The incident occurred at around 2 am on February 2, 2024, in the 1100 block of 15th Street Northwest.
In a police report, Vivek and the other man involved in the altercation had both been at Shoto and Akedo, two sister Japanese restaurants in the Midtown Centre building.
Vivek and two other people had left the restaurant at 2 am and were on 15th Street.
The executive and the unknown suspect became embroiled in a verbal argument.
Things escalated and it turned into a “physical altercation”.
During the fight, Vivek “was knocked to the ground by the suspect and hit his head on the pavement”.
Officers responding to reports of an assault found Vivek on the pavement, having hit his head and lost consciousness.
He was taken to hospital in critical condition. Vivek died five days later.
The police report did not say whether Vivek and the man encountered each other inside the restaurant. It also did not state what sparked the altercation.
No arrests have been made.
However, the suspect was captured on a CCTV camera.
DC Police just released this video of a person of interest in the case of a man assaulted outside Shoto Restaurant on 15th Street NW on Friday at 2am.
41-year-old Vivek Taneja of Alexandria was seriously injured. He passed away Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/DgwLyQms8y
— Spencer Allan Brooks (@SpencerSays) February 9, 2024
The Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch is seeking the public’s help in identifying and locating the person responsible for killing Vivek Taneja.
A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered by police to anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of the suspect.
Vivek was the president and co-founder of Dynamo Technologies, an intellectual technology company. According to the company’s website, he “led Dynamo’s strategic, growth, and partnership initiatives”.
The company provided technology solutions and analytics products to the US government.
The 41-year-old is a graduate of the University of Virginia, George Mason University and George Washington University.
In a statement, a representative of Shoto said:
“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this incredibly tragic time.”
“The incident in question did not occur at Shoto and the restaurant was closed at this time.”
Vivek is survived by a wife and daughter.
In recent weeks, there has been a spate of attacks on US Indians.
In Chicago, student Syed Mazahir Ali was pursued and attacked by armed robbers as he made his way home from the shops.
Footage showed the aftermath as a bleeding Syed explained what happened.
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