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By Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump issued full and unconditional pardons Wednesday to Andrew Zabavsky and Terrance Sutton, the former Metropolitan Police Department officers sentenced in a deadly 2020 chase of a man on a moped and the subsequent cover-up, a case that sparked protests in the nation's capital.
Newsweek reached out to the MPD Wednesday night via email for comment.
What To Know
Zabavsky and Sutton were sentenced in September for their involvement in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown. Zabavsky was sentenced to four years behind bars for conspiring with Sutton to hide the reckless pursuit of Hylton-Brown. Sutton was sentenced to five years and six months for a murder conviction in the case.
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Despite their sentences, both officers have remained free pending an appeal.
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Why It Matters
The incident that led to these sentences occurred on October 23, 2020, when Sutton pursued Hylton-Brown, who was riding an electric moped on a sidewalk without a helmet. Sutton, driving an unmarked police car, along with other officers and Zabavsky in a marked vehicle, engaged in a high-speed chase that violated police department policies and training.
The pursuit spanned 10 city blocks and ended tragically when Hylton-Brown was struck by an oncoming car as Sutton accelerated without his vehicle's emergency lights and sirens.
Following Hylton-Brown's death, both officers embarked on a cover-up instead of preserving the evidence or properly interviewing witnesses. Their actions included allowing the driver who struck Hylton-Brown to leave and misleading their commanding officer about the incident's severity. Sutton further compounded the misconduct by drafting a false police report.
On Tuesday, the DC Police Union announced that it was collaborating with Trump to secure pardons for the two former District police officers convicted in the 2020 murder case.
"In fact, I'm going to be letting two officers from Washington—I believe they're from from D.C., but I just approved it. They were arrested and put in jail for five years because they went after an illegal, and I guess something happened where something went wrong. They arrested the two officers to put them in jail for going after a criminal," Trump said on Tuesday.
In his comments, Trump said Hylton-Brown was an "illegal." However, no evidence or reporting has suggested that Hylton-Brown was in the country illegally.
What They're Saying
Before the officers were pardoned Wednesday, Hylton-Brown's mother, Karen Hylton, released a statement that said in part: "As a mother, I am asking you don't pardon the murders (sic) of my baby Karon Hylton."
"President Trump as the mother of a baby whom I love, I am requesting to speak with you privately...Please don't pardon Sutton and Zabavsky."
Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a statement after September's verdict: "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."
What Happens Next
Trump's pardons of the D.C. officers come amid sweeping pardons and clemency orders for those convicted of crimes during the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, when a group of his supporters violently protested the 2020 presidential election results.
The pardons were among his first official acts upon returning to the White House on Monday and fulfilled a key campaign promise.
But he is facing scrutiny over some of these pardons, particularly pertaining to those who have been convicted of violent crimes during the riot. Five police officers died in the weeks after the riot. One died of a stroke following injuries sustained at the scene, while four others died by suicide.
Update 1/22/25, 7:24 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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