Trump pardons DC officers convicted in deadly moped pursuit

President Trump on Wednesday pardoned two D.C. police officers who were convicted in connection with a fatal collision with a moped during a pursuit by law enforcement.

A jury found D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Andrew Zabavsky guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstructing justice after he plotted with another officer to conceal the circumstances of a 2020 traffic crash that resulted in the death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown.

Trump bestowed on him a "full and unconditional pardon," wiping away the conviction that resulted in a four-year prison sentence. However, Zabavsky was allowed to remain free on bond as he appealed his conviction.

The other officer, Terence Sutton, was convicted of second-degree murder and the obstruction counts. The case marked the first time a D.C. police officer was charged with murder in the department's history, according to local network WUSA.

Federal prosecutors said Sutton chased Hylton-Brown at high speeds and followed him into a narrow alley in the pursuit's final moments, turning off his vehicle's emergency lights and siren and accelerating behind him.

Hylton-Brown was then hit by an uninvolved oncoming motorist on the street at the edge of the alley, and while he laid unconscious in a pool of his own blood, Sutton and Zabavsky agreed to cover up what Sutton had done to stave off further investigation, the government said.

Jurors determined Sutton, who was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, caused Hylton-Brown's death by consciously disregarding the "extreme risk of death or serious bodily injury" to the young Black man as he pursued him in his police vehicle, according to prosecutors. He was also allowed to remain free on bond while appealing the guilty verdict.

“Public safety requires public trust," former U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves said in a September statement after the officers' sentencing. "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.”

Hylton-Brown's death came on the heels of George Floyd's police killing in Minneapolis and spurred local protests at the time.

Trump in recent days alluded to the clemency he intended to grant the two officers.

"I’m going to be letting two officers from Washington, I believe they’re from from D.C., but I just approved it,” Trump said Tuesday when asked about his loyalty to police after pardoning nearly all Jan. 6 defendants, including those who attacked law enforcement.

"I am the friend of police more than any president who’s ever been in this office," he said.

Topics

Convicted US Capitol rioter turns down pardon

Former "Maga granny" Pamela Hemphill tells the BBC the Trump government is trying to "rewrite history".
BBC News - 15h
Schumer: Trump pardon of people convicted of Jan. 6 crimes 'un-American'

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) on Tuesday blasted President Trump’s sweeping pardon of people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as “un-American.” ...
The Hill - 1d
Why Biden pardoned Mark Milley ahead of Trump taking office

Former President Biden's preemptive pardon for retired Gen. Mark Milley, the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will give the retired military official a shield against any action that ...
The Hill - 2d
What to know about potential Jan. 6 pardons as Trump retakes office

More than 1,000 of the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters have pleaded guilty while hundreds more have been convicted at trial. President-elect Donald Trump has not clarified if he'll pardon all of his ...
CBS News - 2d
DC’s top prosecutor on Trump's potential Jan. 6 pardons: ‘I don't see a basis’

The outgoing top prosecutor for the nation’s capital said that he doesn’t see a basis for President-elect Trump to pardon those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an exit interview with ...
The Hill - 4d
Why Trump's pursuit of Greenland could be cheered on by Russia

President-elect Donald Trump's ongoing pursuit of Greenland may have raised the hackles of Denmark, but his territorial ambitions might find support in Russia.
CNBC - Jan. 8
Proud Boys leader serving 22 years for Jan. 6 conviction asks Trump for a pardon

Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys chairman serving 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy over the Jan. 6 attack, is asking Donald Trump for a pardon.
NBC News - Jan. 6
‘We have our country back’: convicted January 6 rioters anticipate Trump pardons

The president-elect has vowed to hand out pardons to non-violent offenders convicted for the assault on the US Capitol. Brandon Fellows, who broke into the US Capitol on January 6 and smoked ...
The Guardian - Jan. 5
Former Capitol Police officers call Trump’s vows to pardon Jan. 6 rioters ‘a betrayal’

Former Capitol Police officers present during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection said President-elect Trump’s commitment to pardon rioters is “a betrayal.” “It’s a betrayal, a stab in the heart,” former ...
The Hill - Jan. 4