Prosecutors make 11th hour shock decision after suspects were accused of driving stolen car that killed dad, 46, during police chase

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:22, 23 June 2026 | Updated: 16:25, 23 June 2026 Charges against two suspects accused of killing a delivery driver during a wild police chase in Washington DC have been dropped. Moped driver Nolberto Meza, 46, was struck and killed by drivers of a stolen vehicle as they were being chased by United States Park Police on Saturday. Police detected a stolen vehicle, a silver 2014 Honda Accord, in Northwest DC shortly after 5.30pm ET and attempted to stop the car, according to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The vehicle fled towards the William Howard Taft Bridge and crossed into the opposite lanes of traffic, striking Meza. Meza was ejected from his moped and onto the street, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The alleged stolen vehicle finally came to a stop after colliding with a Toyota RAV4, and the three occupants attempted to flee but were quickly arrested. Police charged the driver of the stolen car, 24-year-old Tomas Anderson, with murder. The additional occupants, 19-year-old Donnie Palacios and an unidentified 16-year-old male, were charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle. However, on Monday, the US Attorney's Office dismissed the charges against the men, citing insufficient evidence to prosecute. Moped driver Nolberto Meza, 46, was struck and killed by the drivers of a stolen vehicle as they were being chased by police in Washington, DC Prosecutors dropped the charges against the three suspects accused of stealing the vehicle on Monday, citing insufficient evidence 'The office is not yet in receipt of all information needed to make a decision,' the US Attorney's Office said in a statement to Fox 5. 'Once the facts are clear and the evidence is in hand, we will make a charging decision.' Meza's niece told WJLA he was an immigrant who came to the US from Venezuela to make money to support his family. 'Every day that he was here, he was working, working for a better future for our family in Venezuela,' said his niece, Veronica Sanabria. The family has launched a GoFundMe to raise money to send his body back to Venezuela for a funeral.  'I am not only crying for my uncle, but also because we want to ask for justice. It was not my uncle's fault,' Sanabria said. 'He was only working; he was only delivering food. He was fighting for his family day after day.' Sanabria called for justice for her uncle and raised concerns over the police's decision to chase suspects in a busy area. Meza's family has called for justice and raised concerns over the police's decision to chase suspects in a busy area The vehicle fled towards the William Howard Taft Bridge and crossed into the opposite lanes of traffic, striking Meza and ejecting him from his moped 'From my point of view, I think that both [the police and suspects] were at fault,' she said.  'Because the police should not do a chase in an area like that, and it was the suspects who obviously ended the life of my uncle.' US Park Police sent its condolences to Meza's family and said it is conducting an internal review of the chase to 'ensure compliance with agency policies and procedures.' 'Criminals who flee from law enforcement put innocent bystanders in danger. Public safety remains our highest priority, which is why we work to remove criminals from our streets,' the agency said on X.  The Daily Mail has contacted the US Attorney's Office for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.