Indian American executive dies after fight outside DC restaurant
Vivek Taneja; photo credit: https://dynamotechnologies.com
Police searching for man responsible for assault on Vivek Taneja, cofounder and president of Dynamo Technologies
A fight outside a Washington, DC, restaurant turned deadly with the death of 41-year-old Indian American tech executive Vivek Taneja, cofounder and president of Dynamo Technologies.
DC Police have asked for the public’s help in finding the man responsible for the assault on Taneja of Alexandria, Virginia, who died last Wednesday, WUSA 9 reported.
Friends of Taneja told the local TV channel that the assault happened on Feb 2, the opening night of Akedo, an arcade and bar owned by the same team who operate Shoto, a high-end Japanese restaurant at 15th and L Streets, NW.
A nearby manager who knew the victim told WUSA9 the fight started inside Akedo. Both men were kicked out. That’s when police said around 2 am the verbal altercation got physical.
The victim was knocked to the ground, and he hit his head on the concrete suffering severe head trauma. Friends said he was off life support on Wednesday, Feb 7.
Taneja nicknamed Vick was well-known in the social scene in DC. He was the co-founder and president of Dynamo Technologies in Vienna and a graduate of UVA, George Mason, and George Washington Universities. He was well-loved by neighbors who left flowers on his doorstep Friday afternoon.
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According to the police incident report, Vick was out with a female companion when she was getting harassed and assaulted by the suspect. Vick stepped in to defend her.
Friday, police released surveillance video of the suspect walking in the courtyard outside the bar. They are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for any information leading to his arrest. Anyone with information may call (202) 727-9099 or text the department’s tip line at 50411.
WUSA9 said it visited Taneja’s Alexandria home where it saw devastated friends laying flowers and praying for Taneja.
Neighbors described him as a loving neighbor who was considered an uncle to many community children.
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“That’s all Vick was. He always wanted to see people happy and he wanted to make sure everything was cool,” Rizal Dumadag was quoted as saying.
“I am absolutely devastated,” added Natashia Nguyen. “Vick was such a kind person and he’s super helpful in the neighborhood with the kids. They love him, especially my daughter, she grew up with Vick and she calls him Uncle Vick.”
“With social media, I think that people record everything so I‘m hoping that someone caught a glimpse of what was going on at the time,” said Sasha Vanessa Brenes.
The police report indicated this could be a violation of Akedo’s liquor license. However, ABCA has yet to receive a request from MPD for a “fact-finding hearing,” according to WUSA9.
