Bystander and victim in US Park Police chase was a Hyattsville resident

Food delivery drivers blared their horns and blocked traffic on the Taft Bridge to honor their friend and colleague. They placed flowers and candles around a memorial for the Hyattsville resident and wrote messages in chalk, remembering him as a humble and hardworking man.

Nolberto Meza, 46, had recently come to the United States from Venezuela and was working as a food delivery driver, they said. He was riding a moped on Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., on Saturday afternoon when U.S. Park Police were pursuing a stolen vehicle. He was struck and killed by the stolen vehicle.

During Wednesday’s rush hour, dozens of food delivery drivers stood next to their mopeds and motorcycles at the site of his fatal crash.

Fellow delivery driver Will Calderon said Meza was a family man who frequently talked with his children, who lived in different countries. The two met and became friends when Meza started doing deliveries in the area.

“He got a nice heart,” Calderon said. “We’re here so he can know that he always is going to have us over here and that he got friends.”

A group of community members, saddened and outraged by Meza’s killing, marched across the Taft Bridge to join his loved ones.

“Nolberto presente. Estamos con ustedes,” they chanted, which organizers translated to “Nolberto lives on. We are here with you.”

Gathering in front of a memorial to Meza, members of the DC Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression and other local organizations mourned Meza and called for a stop to police chases.

“My uncle worked until the very last breath of his day,” Verónica Sanabria, Meza’s niece, told the crowd. “My uncle did not deserve to die in this way. We ask for justice for my uncle.”

The chase on Saturday began when U.S. Park Police officers attempted a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle on Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. The vehicle fled, eventually crossing into the opposite lane of traffic on the Taft Bridge, where it struck Meza’s moped, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Park Police said they immediately tried to aid Meza.

The driver of the vehicle continued fleeing police and struck another car before it came to a stop. The three suspects in the car tried to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended and then arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department.

The driver was charged with second-degree murder. The two passengers were charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle during a crime of violence.

Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against two of the men, NBC4 Washington reported Monday. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia wrote to The Banner that the office will make a charging decision once it has all of the information and evidence.

Merawi Gerima, a community member who helped organize the rally, criticized recent policy changes that have allowed for more police chases. He also called for the officers involved in the crash to face charges.

The U.S. Park Police loosened its pursuit policy last August after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the department to enforce laws to help maintain safety and order. The previous policy only allowed vehicle pursuits for people suspected of violent felonies. Now, Park Police in the district are permitted to chase vehicles for much smaller infractions.

Since the policy change, Park Police have engaged in several high-speed car chases, The Washington Post reported. Many of these pursuits involved crashes.

“Park Police had no right to chase the cars through this whole crowded neighborhood, putting all these people in danger,” Gerima said in a speech. “We want them to roll back this policy. We do not want any more chases in D.C.”

Park Police extended condolences to Meza’s family on social media, adding that it conducts internal reviews of all pursuits to make sure they comply with agency policies, the department wrote.

“Criminals who flee from law enforcement put innocent bystanders in danger,” their statement read. “Public safety remains our highest priority, which is why we work to remove criminals from our streets.”

Police chases have led to crashes and fatalities in Prince George’s County, too. Last year, the County Council passed a bill reforming police pursuit policy after multiple bystanders, including 3-year-old Zoey Harrison, were killed during chases. The law limits when police can pursue chases and creates a system for reviewing pursuit data.

Nadia Salazar, who attended the vigil and rally on Wednesday, said Meza’s death is important to the broader migrant community, many of whom have family members who came to the U.S. to work to sustain their families.

“It’s not just about what he meant for his family,” she said. “But it’s also the symbol of what he means to our migrant community. ... We see ourselves as collateral damage of a system that consistently forgets us and consistently targets us.”

Meza’s family hopes to hold a funeral for him in Venezuela, but said they don’t have the funds to pay for it. His niece spearheaded a fundraiser to help cover the costs. As of Thursday morning, the fundraiser had raised more than $11,000 of its $15,000 goal.