Trump pardons two DC Metro Police officers convicted in death of moped rider during pursuit

image
Donald Trump by is licensed under YouTube

WASHINGTON, DC - In October 2020, a DC Metro Police officer pursued a moped operated by Karon Hylton-Brown, 20, according to a release by the Department of Justice from September 12, 2024. According to the release, the pursuit was “unauthorized.” During the pursuit, Hylton-Brown was struck by an uninvolved vehicle as he drove out of an alley and died from his injuries. 

As a result, Officer Terrence D. Sutton, 40, and Lieutenant Andrew Zabavsky, 56, were charged with his death and sentenced to jail. Now, after former President Joe Biden established a precedent for unmitigated pardons, President Trump has agreed to pardon the two officers, NBC Washington reports. 

During a Monday night signing ceremony in the Oval Office, President Trump said he was working on pardons for Sutton and Zabavsky, who were sentenced to 66 and 48 months respectively. 

“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,” Trump said. “They got five-year jail sentences. You know the case. And we’re looking at that in order to give them, uh, we gotta give them a break.” 

The incident began when Hylton-Brown was operating a moped on a sidewalk in the Brightwood Park area of Northwest DC. Sutton attempted to stop him, and according to the DOJ release, the suspect refused. Sutton then began chasing the suspect “on neighborhood streets for minutes, over more than 10 blocks,” at what was referred to as “unreasonable speed,” including the wrong way on a one-way street. The suspect drove out of the alley, where he was hit by the vehicle. Prosecutors allege that Sutton and Zavavsky, who supervised the Fourth Police District’s Crime Suppression team, conspired to cover up the details of the pursuit and subsequent crash. 

The officers were accused of not preserving the crash site and allowing the driver of the vehicle that struck Hylton-Brown to leave the scene 20 minutes after the crash. Both officers allegedly turned off their body-worn cameras, conferred privately, and left, the release said. 

Once at the station, the DOJ alleges the two officers “continued the cover-up,” claiming they misled their commanding officer about what happened by “substantially downplaying its seriousness, denying that a police chase had even occurred, and omitting any mention of Mr. Hylton-Brown’s critical injuries.” They wrote that Zabavsky also claimed that the suspect was a drunk driver. 

The DOJ further claimed that both officers “hid their direct involvement in the incident” while saying, "Sutton drafted a police report that memorialized a false narrative of the incident.”

Hylton-Brown died from his injuries two days later. 

The officers were arrested, and following a nine-week trial, Sutton was found guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct, and obstruction of justice. The same jury found Zabavsky guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice. In addition to the prison terms, both officers were ordered to serve three years of supervised release. 

U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves (yes, the same one who trumped up charges against J6 defendants) issued the following statement:

“The jury in this case found the defendants guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for their roles in the murder of Karon Hylton Brown and a related cover-up, affirming that what happened here was a serious crime,” Graves said. [emphasis added] “Public safety requires public trust. Crimes like this erode that trust and are a disservice to the community and the thousands of officers who work incredibly hard, within the bounds of the Constitution, to keep us safe.” 

FBI Special Agent in Charge, David Geist, said, “The FBI follows the rule of law and works to hold those accountable who violate the law, no matter who they are. The community and fellow law enforcement officers deserve trusted officers that do not abuse their positions of trust and power or put the public at risk. Today’s sentencings show the weight of the crimes and the significance of the criminal justice system and processes at work.” 

It should be noted that Graves was a Biden 2020 campaign advisor appointed to his position by Biden in November 2021, the Tennessee Star reported. Graves, who went after anyone who was near the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, with the zeal of an obsessive-compulsive, is the same person who dropped all charges against Washington, D.C. rioters in 2020, many of whom assaulted Secret Service agents in front of the White House. 

Graves’ zeal for upholding the rule of law and his desire to “erode the public trust” only extended to the two DC Metro police officers and anyone within shouting distance of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Perhaps that is why President Trump is using his pardon power to even the score. 

Perhaps what drove Graves to target the two officers as he did was the public outrage that followed Hylton-Brown’s death, which led to violent clashes with the police, NBC Washington said. 

For her part, Hylton-Brown’s mother, Karen Hylton, told NBC Washington he was “stunned” by the news of the pardons. 

“There is no way. This can’t be happening.” 

Meanwhile, Zabavsky’s attorney from the law firm Zampogna PC sent a statement to NBC Washington which read, “Zampogna PC is working tirelessly towards victory for our client, Lt. Zabavsky, to overturn the verdict for a prosecution that should never have been brought.” 

On Wednesday, President Trump granted full pardons to Sutton and Zabavsky. Although sentenced to prison last year, the two officers had remained free on bond. Now, their sentences have been expunged.
 

For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Sign in to comment

Comments

Raconteur

"conspiracy to obstruct, and obstruction of justice", Yes they should have gotten the max time for that. Murder? No, the perp's actions were his and his responsibility, as was his death. Pardons? For murder, yes. For conspiracy and obstruction? NO. This, most probably wasn't the only time they pulled this and because of their actions, you have to wonder if it isn't SOP for the immediate group.

James

GREAT! The socialist scum who go after the police instead of the criminal need to be removed from office!!!

Powered by LET CMS™ Comments

Get latest news delivered daily!

We will send you breaking news right to your inbox

© 2025 Law Enforcement Today, Privacy Policy