Trump Pardons D.C. Officers Convicted in Fatal 2020 Police Chase

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump granted full pardons Wednesday to two D.C. police officers convicted in the 2020 fatal police chase that killed 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown. The pardons for Officer Terence Sutton and Lt. Andrew Zabavsky were announced on the White House website Wednesday evening.

Sutton, 40, was sentenced to five years in prison in September 2024 for second-degree murder, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. Zabavsky, convicted of conspiracy and obstruction, received a four-year sentence. Both were allowed to remain free on bond pending appeal.

The case stemmed from an October 2020 incident in which Sutton pursued Hylton-Brown, who was riding an electric moped without a helmet, through the Brightwood Park neighborhood. The chase, which violated D.C. police policy, lasted three minutes across 10 city blocks. Hylton-Brown was struck by a car and killed after pulling into oncoming traffic while fleeing Sutton.

Trump defended the pardons, stating, “They were arrested, put in jail for five years, because they went after an illegal and I guess something happened where something went wrong.” He added, “I am the friend of police more than any president who’s ever been in this office.”

The decision drew mixed reactions. D.C. Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George called the pardons “devastating,” stating they “put political agenda above the integrity of our justice system.” Meanwhile, the D.C. Police Union praised the move, calling it a correction of “an incredible wrong.”

Hylton-Brown’s mother, Karen Hylton, expressed outrage, questioning the value placed on her son’s life. “If this was reversed, if this was a Black man, he would’ve been locked up,” she said following the sentencing.

The case marked the first time a D.C. police officer was charged with murder in the department’s history. It also sparked a federal civil rights investigation and community protests, occurring just months after the murder of George Floyd.