WASHINGTON — WUSA9 is pressing for more answers after a D.C. grand jury decided not to press charges against a former police officer involved in a deadly assault outside a high-end DC restaurant.
Sources tell WUSA9, DC police gathered hundreds of hours of surveillance video from the courtyard outside of Akedo in Northwest and handed it over to U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves. His office then presented that evidence before the grand jury.
We caught up with US Attorney Matthew Graves outside a community event in Southeast Tuesday. We asked why the grand jury he convened decided not to indict a former Arlington County Police officer (2012-2014) for a deadly assault outside Akedo four months ago.
“There are strict rules about secrecy. It’s prohibitive for us outside of specific cases to talk about the grand juries,” said Graves. “You typically do not know what charges they have or what they've done.”
Investigators said the man and Northern Virginia tech executive Vivek Taneja both attended Akedo's opening in February. The investigators said an argument turned physical outside and the man punched Taneja knocking him to the concrete. He died a week later.
“He was a generous person and wasn't someone who looked for trouble," a friend told WUSA9 shortly after his death.
Friends are stunned and heartbroken at the news while they advocate on behalf of Taneja’s memory.
The 41-year-old’s sister sent WUSA9 an email over the weekend writing that the family received the “disappointing news" from the U.S. Attorney and are preparing a statement writing, "We have been silent for long enough, and want to address the injustice that is ongoing."
Akedo was found by the DC Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to not be responsible for the deadly assault. A spokesperson for Akedo said they cooperated with the investigation and that the “victim was found 300 feet away from their doors and out of our sightlines."