President Donald Trump has issued pardons for two law enforcement officers who were found guilty in connection with the death of Karon Hylton-Brown during a police pursuit.
Karon Hylton-Brown, a 20-year-old Black man, lost his life in October 2020 while being chased by Officer Terence Sutton Jr. Hylton-Brown was riding a moped that collided with a vehicle not involved in the chase; however, a jury determined that Sutton was responsible for his death “by recklessly operating a police vehicle while dismissing an extreme risk of death or serious injury,” as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
A federal jury convicted Sutton in September 2024 on charges of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice, resulting in a prison sentence of 66 months.
Andrew Zabavsky, Sutton’s supervisor, was also sentenced to 48 months in prison after being found guilty of obstruction-related charges by the same jury.
The court concluded that the two men worked together to conceal the details surrounding the incident from authorities. “As Mr. Hylton-Brown lay unconscious on the pavement, bleeding, Sutton and Zabavsky reached an agreement to cover up Sutton’s actions to thwart further investigation into the matter,” prosecutors stated.
This event occurred in the wake of widespread protests triggered by the killing of George Floyd five months prior and sparking civil disturbances in Washington, D.C., particularly outside the 4th District police station where both officers were assigned.
Dissenters vandalized the police station and damaged vehicles parked outside, while law enforcement responded with pepper pellets and stun grenades. Reports indicated that four officers sustained injuries during these confrontations.
This week, Trump made repeated references to the possibility of granting pardons to the officers. On Tuesday, while discussing his clemency decisions for those convicted of violent crimes during the January 6 Capitol riot, he seemed to reference the case.
“No, it signifies the opposite. Actually, I’m going to be pardoning two officers from the D.C. police—I believe they are from D.C.—and I just sanctioned it,” Trump remarked, not revealing specific details about the pardons. “They were jailed for five years because they pursued a suspect, and then something transpired resulting in their arrest. They were detained for pursuing a felon—a very rough felon, nonetheless.”
Court documents reveal no adult felony charges against Hylton-Brown, as reported by The Washington Post, with authorities affirming his status as a U.S. citizen.
David L. Shurtz, a lawyer representing Amaala Jones-Bey, the mother of Hylton-Brown’s child, expressed to the Post that Hylton-Brown was “a fully American-born young Black man” and condemned the pardons as “preposterous, particularly concerning Sutton,” in light of his murder conviction.
“Their subsequent actions, the cover-up, strongly imply they were aware of their culpability,” Shurtz stated.
Karen Hylton, the mother of Hylton-Brown, shared with CNN that she was in tears upon hearing of the possible pardons and penned a letter to Trump requesting that he refrain from proceeding with them.
Both Sutton and Zabavsky’s legal representatives expressed gratitude towards Trump for the pardons.
The D.C. Police Union also expressed support for the pardons, stating on X that Sutton’s pardon “rectifies a significant injustice.”
However, the same union previously expressed “dismay” on Monday regarding Trump’s decision to extend clemency to rioters who attacked police during the January 6 events, which involved approximately 1,500 supporters of Trump storming the Capitol.
The Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the U.S. that endorsed Trump during his campaign, along with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, jointly issued a statement expressing they were “significantly disheartened” by the pardoning of January 6 rioters.
“Both the IACP and FOP firmly hold that individuals convicted of such offenses should complete their full sentences,” the statement concluded.
