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, was sentenced in September after being found guilty of conspiracy and obstruction of justice in the 2020 death of Karon Hilton-Brown. Another former Metropolitan Police Department police officer, Terrence Sutton Jr., 40, was also convicted and sentenced in the case.
The White House announced in a statement that President Trump granted full and unconditional pardons to Zabowski and Sutton.
The D.C. police union announced Tuesday that it is working with the Trump administration to secure pardons for Zabafsky and Sutton. On the same day, President Trump said he had approved pardons for both men.
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President Donald Trump speaks Tuesday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. President Trump on Wednesday pardoned two former Washington, D.C., police officers convicted in the death of a man who died during a deadly pursuit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nickinson)
“I just approved it,” President Trump said at a press conference. “They arrested two police officers for chasing criminals and put them in jail.”
The union said in a statement Tuesday that both men were wrongfully convicted and maliciously prosecuted.
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“These police officers are honest and dedicated individuals who have become targets of corrupt prosecutors who weaponize the legal system against them,” the union said.
Mr. Sutton was found guilty in Hilton Brown’s death and sentenced to 66 months in prison, and Mr. Zabowski was sentenced to 48 months in prison.
Karon Hilton-Brown, 20, was riding a moped when she died during a police chase, authorities said. Two former Washington, D.C., police officers were convicted of involvement in his death. President Donald Trump pardoned them. (WTTG)
Authorities say Hilton-Brown was riding his moped on the sidewalk without a helmet on Oct. 23, 2020, when Sutton tried to pull him over in an unmarked vehicle. A chase ensued, reaching speeds more than twice the speed limit in a residential area, according to the Department of Justice.
Hilton-Brown was eventually hit by a vehicle in an alley during the pursuit. He suffered severe head injuries and died two days later. The pursuit appears to have violated the Metropolitan Police Department’s policy prohibiting pursuits.
High-speed pursuits are prohibited for minor traffic violations.
District of Columbia police were stationed at most of the time at the intersection of NW Fifth Avenue and NW Kennedy Street, where police began a pursuit that ended in the death of 20-year-old Karon Hilton. He was killed in a collision with a car while riding in a rental car. Mopeds in Washington DC, October 23, 2020. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post, Getty Images)
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Prosecutors argued that both officers conspired to cover up the events that led to Hilton’s death, including failing to tell superiors about the severity of Hilton’s injuries.
Prosecutors also argued that the officers turned off their body cameras minutes after the crash and did not listen to witness statements.
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