Trump pardoned former DC police officers who were sentenced to death
Two police officers convicted in the death of a man riding a moped in Washington, D.C., have been pardoned by President Donald Trump, the White House announced Wednesday.
Former Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Lt. Andrew Zabowski, 56, who was convicted in the September 2020 death of Caron Hylton-Brown, was charged with obstruction of justice. Another former MPD officer, Terrence Sutton Jr., 40, was also charged and sentenced in the case.
In a statement, the White House issued a full and unconditional pardon to Zabawski and Sutton.
On Tuesday, the D.C. police union said it was working with the Trump administration to secure pardons for Zabowski and Sutton. That same day, Trump said he had approved pardons for both men.
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President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Trump pardoned two former Washington, D.C. police officers charged in the death of a man killed during a deadly pursuit. (AP Photo/Julia DeMarre Nickinson)
“I just approved it,” Trump said at a press conference. “They arrested the two officers to take them to jail for following a criminal.”
In a statement Tuesday, he said both men were wrongly convicted and charged with fraud.
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“These officers – men of integrity and determination – are corrupt prosecutors who have weaponized the legal system against them,” the union said.
Sutton was sentenced to 66 months in prison for Hylton-Brown’s death, while Zabowski was sentenced to 48 months.
20-year-old Caron Hylton-Brown, who was riding a moped, died during a police chase, authorities said. Two former Washington, D.C., police officers have been found guilty of their roles in the deaths. President Donald Trump pardoned him. (WTG)
Hylton-Brown was riding a moped without a helmet on the sidewalk on Oct. 23, 2020, when Sutton tried to pull him over in an unmarked car, authorities said. The chase happened at speeds over twice the speed limit on residential streets Department of Justice he said.
Hylton-Brown was eventually struck by a vehicle in pursuit. He suffered severe head injuries and died two days later. The chase appears to have violated the Metropolitan Police Department’s policy against stalking.
High-speed chases are prohibited for minor traffic violations.
District of Columbia police have a permanent presence at the intersection of 5th St. NW and Kennedy St. NW. Caron Hylton, 20, was killed in a car crash while driving while police were on a manhunt. Moped in Washington, DC, October 23, 2020 (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Prosecutors allege that both officers conspired to cover up the events that led to Hylton’s death, such as failing to tell superiors about the severity of his injuries.
Prosecutors also said the officers turned off their body cameras minutes after the collision and refused to take witness statements.