Trump Grants Pardons to Police Officers Convicted in Fatal 2020 Pursuit Incident
Karon Hylton-Brown passed away in 2020 due to a crash that resulted from an unauthorized police chase, as stated by the Department of Justice.
On January 22, the White House announced that President Donald Trump granted pardons to two former Washington police officers convicted in the 2020 death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown.
The officers were not incarcerated as they awaited the outcomes of their appeals.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Department indicated that Sutton, who is in his early 40s, and Zabavsky, in his mid-50s, were placed on “indefinite suspension without pay, pending our administrative process.”
Sutton was convicted in late 2022 by a unanimous federal jury of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice following a nine-week trial. The same jury found Zabavsky guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice.
According to the DOJ, the two officers saw Hylton-Brown riding a moped without a helmet on a sidewalk in the Brightwood Park area of Northwest Washington on October 23, 2020.
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Allegedly unarmed, Hylton-Brown failed to heed Sutton’s order to stop and fled on his moped. Sutton pursued him at high speeds for over ten blocks until Hylton-Brown was fatally struck by an unrelated vehicle.
According to the DOJ, “As Mr. Hylton-Brown lay unconscious in the street in a pool of his own blood, Sutton and Zabavsky agreed to cover up Sutton’s actions to hinder any further investigation into the incident.”
The jury determined that Sutton’s driving of a police vehicle showed “conscious disregard” for the substantial risk of death or severe injury to Hylton-Brown.
Sutton and Zabavsky were also found to have conspired to conceal the details of the traffic crash from investigators.
The DOJ revealed that Sutton created a police report containing a “false narrative of the incident,” suggesting that no police pursuit had taken place.
Hylton-Brown sustained “severe head trauma” before his death, according to the department.
The DC Police Union had advocated for a pardon for the officers involved.
During a press conference, Trump remarked on the pardons: “I just approved it. They arrested two officers and put them in jail for pursuing a criminal.”
Zabavsky’s lawyer, Christopher Zampogna, expressed gratitude to Trump for the pardon, stating that he and his client were finalizing details with the DOJ.
Sutton’s attorney, Kellen Dwyer, mentioned that while he and his client believed the “D.C. Circuit would have overturned this conviction,” they were pleased with Trump’s decision to terminate the prosecution.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House, DC Police Union, and lawyers representing Sutton and Zabavsky for their comments.
Reuters contributed to this report.
