On October 23, 2020, 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown was riding a moped in the Brightwood Park area of Northwest Washington, D.C., when Metropolitan Police Department Officer Terence D. Sutton Jr. attempted to stop him. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hylton-Brown was unarmed, riding without a helmet, and drove away after Sutton tried to stop him.
Federal prosecutors said Sutton then chased Hylton-Brown through neighborhood streets for more than 10 blocks, at unreasonable speeds, and at one point the wrong way on a one-way street. In the final moments of the pursuit, prosecutors said Sutton followed Hylton-Brown into a narrow alley, turned off his emergency lights and siren, and accelerated behind the moped. When Hylton-Brown exited the alley, he was struck by an uninvolved driver. He suffered severe head trauma and died two days later, on October 25, 2020.
The case did not end with the crash. Federal prosecutors said Sutton and MPD Lieutenant Andrew Zabavsky, who supervised Sutton’s unit, conspired to hide what happened from police officials. The Justice Department said the officers failed to preserve the crash scene, allowed the driver who struck Hylton-Brown to leave, turned off body-worn cameras, failed to contact MPD’s Major Crash Unit or Internal Affairs, and later misled a commanding officer by denying that a police chase had occurred and downplaying Hylton-Brown’s injuries.
On December 21, 2022, after a nine-week federal trial, Sutton was convicted of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice. Zabavsky was convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice. On September 12, 2024, Sutton was sentenced to 66 months in prison, while Zabavsky was sentenced to 48 months. Each was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
The convictions were historic and controversial. Prosecutors argued that Sutton’s driving showed a conscious disregard for the extreme risk of death or serious injury to Hylton-Brown, and that both officers then participated in a cover-up. Supporters of the officers argued that the prosecution was excessive and politically motivated. But the jury rejected the defense and found the officers guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In January 2025, President Donald Trump granted full pardons to Sutton and Zabavsky while their appeals were pending. Reuters reported that the pardons came after the officers had been sentenced but remained free pending appeal. The pardons effectively ended the criminal consequences of the case, even though the jury had previously returned guilty verdicts.
The aftermath continued inside MPD. In July 2025, the D.C. Auditor released findings sharply criticizing the department’s handling of discipline in the Hylton-Brown case. The auditor said the discipline imposed on Sutton and Zabavsky was “grossly inadequate” given the misconduct detailed in MPD’s own internal investigation. The auditor also said MPD’s Disciplinary Review Division had recommended termination, but Police Chief Pamela Smith rejected that recommendation.
By 2026, Sutton and Zabavsky had taken the fight in another direction. The Washington Examiner reported that the two officers sued the United States, alleging malicious prosecution, false arrest, and false imprisonment. Their lawsuit claims they were unfairly scapegoated and that the prosecution was politically driven. Federal prosecutors, however, had previously argued that the unauthorized pursuit and the alleged cover-up were exactly the kind of abuse of police power that required criminal accountability.
For Karon Hylton-Brown’s family and supporters, the case remains a story of a young man killed after a police chase over a minor violation, followed by an alleged effort to hide the truth. For police accountability advocates, the pardons and reinstatement raised a larger question: what does a conviction mean if officers can be pardoned, returned to public employment, and avoid the punishment a jury and judge imposed?
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice: Two MPD Officers Sentenced for 2020 Murder of Karon Hylton-Brown and Subsequent Coverup
- Reuters: Trump pardons two police officers convicted in murder of Black man in Washington
- D.C. Auditor: Discipline of MPD Officers in Death of Karon Hylton-Brown Was Grossly Inadequate
- WJLA: Audit claims DC Police Chief rejected use of force reforms after Karon Hylton-Brown’s 2020 death
- Washington Examiner: Trump-pardoned MPD officers sue US over fatal pursuit prosecution
