President Donald Trump has pardoned two D.C. police officers who were convicted after one chased a man riding a moped, which ultimately led to his death, and the other helped cover it up.
In an executive order on Wednesday, Trump granted a “full and unconditional pardon” to Lt. Andrew Zabavsky and officer Terence Sutton.
In October 2020, Sutton pursued 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown, who was violating traffic laws by riding a rental scooter without a helmet and on a sidewalk. According to the Justice Department, Sutton followed Hylton-Brown down a narrow alleyway without his lights or siren on and purposefully sped up behind him.
Hylton-Brown was struck by another uninvolved car as he drove out of the alley. He died in a local hospital two days later.
Zabavsky, Sutton’s supervisor, agreed to cover up the incident, going so far as to falsify reports downplaying Hylton-Brown’s injuries and alleging he had been driving under the influence.
It is against D.C. police policy to pursue a vehicle if the only reason is to make a traffic stop.
Sutton was convicted of second-degree murder in Hylton-Brown’s death. Both officers were also convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice in trying to cover up Hylton-Brown’s death.
The officers appealed their convictions, and a judge decided in September 2024 they could remain released from custody pending the outcome of their appeal.
Sutton was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for the murder conviction and four years for the conspiracy and obstruction convictions, which will be served at the same time as he serves the sentence for murder. Zabavsky was sentenced to a total of four years in prison.
Hylton-Brown’s death sparked protests and unrest in the District in the fall of 2020, months after nationwide protests over police violence following the killing of George Floyd at the hand of Minneapolis police.
DC Police Union works with Trump for pardon
In a Tuesday statement, the District’s police union said they were “actively working with the White House and President Trump to address two glaring miscarriages of justice” involving the officers convicted in Hylton-Brown’s death.
“These officers — men of integrity and dedication — were targeted by corrupt prosecutors who weaponized the legal system against them,” the union said.
In a post on X, the union said Sutton was wrongfully charged and that the charge “crippled the ability for the department to function.”
WTOP has reached out to the police union for an updated statement.
In a statement, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said while the city police department’s administrative processes found the pursuit and subsequent loss of life was “not a criminal one, we nonetheless accepted the jury verdicts.”
“We continue to focus on training and discipline to hold our officers accountable to department policy and district law related to pursuits, while keeping our community safe from violent offenders,” Bowser added.
Trump highlighted the case while signing a flurry of executive orders and pardons on Monday.
“We are looking at two police officers, actually, Washington police officers, that went after an illegal and things happened and they ended up putting them in jail. They got five-year jail sentences. You know the case,” Trump said as he was signing orders on Monday. “We’ve got to give them a break.”
Hylton-Brown’s mother, Karen Hylton, told NBC Washington she was stunned by the news of pardons.
WTOP’s Ciara Wells contributed to this report.
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