Park Police pursuit of allegedly stolen car kills delivery driver in Washington D.C.

During the weekend before June 25, 2026. Meza, a Venezuelan asylum-seeker, was working at the time of the crash. The chase occurred after President Trump signed an executive order in August 2025 that permitted Park Police to conduct high-speed pursuits for any offense.

The DC Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 had previously restricted such chases to violent crimes. Between 400 and 500 people die each year in high-speed police chases across the United States, with roughly one-third of those killed being innocent bystanders.

Thirty to 45 percent of pursuits end in crashes, and about 90 percent begin over traffic violations or property offenses.

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum told a Cabinet meeting that the rule change took effect within 24 hours and that officers had "so much fun" afterward, with morale rising. This is the second fatality linked to Park Police pursuits since the order. ; charges against two alleged thieves were later dropped.

Separate incidents occurred elsewhere. Remeious Washington, 48, of Warren, Michigan, died last week after a vehicle pursued by local police crashed into his car; a 17-year-old driver faces felony murder charges and four other juveniles aged 11 to 17 face additional counts.

In Columbia, South Carolina, 74-year-old Frankie Doctor died during a chase initiated over suspected vehicle theft; the driver of the vehicle struck by Doctor remains hospitalized.

Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins said officers must hold people accountable when flight from police produces fatal results.