On his third day in office, President Donald Trump continued his series of controversial pardons by granting clemency to two former Washington, D.C., police officers involved in the 2020 death of Karon Hylton-Brown, a Black man, and the subsequent cover-up. The White House issued statements on Wednesday confirming that Trump had granted “full and unconditional” pardons to former D.C. police lieutenant Andrew Zabavsky and officer Terence Sutton.
Sutton and Zabavsky were sentenced to prison for their roles in Hylton-Brown’s death. Sutton, who had been involved in a high-speed chase with the unarmed 20-year-old, was sentenced to five and a half years in September. Zabavsky, who helped cover up the incident, received a four-year sentence. The events occurred on October 23, 2020, when Sutton pursued Hylton-Brown, who was driving a moped, at high speeds through Washington, D.C. The chase ended when Hylton-Brown collided with another vehicle, leaving him unconscious and dying. Following the crash, Sutton and Zabavsky engaged in a cover-up, including turning off their body cameras and misleading their supervisors. In December 2022, Sutton was convicted of second-degree murder, while both officers were found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
No explanation was provided for the pardons. The Law Enforcement Legal Defense nonprofit, which supported the officers during litigation, celebrated the decision, calling the case a “miscarriage of justice” driven by political bias. Critics, including local Washington, D.C. officials, voiced outrage, with Democratic state Rep. Janeese Lewis George expressing her disappointment and claiming the pardons undermined the justice system and public safety. The D.C. Police Union, however, praised the pardons, stating that they “righted an incredible wrong.” The clemency followed a series of pardons Trump issued earlier, including for those involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
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