President Trump on Wednesday pardoned two Washington, D.C., police officers who were convicted in fatal crashes with their mopeds during law enforcement pursuits.
A jury has found D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Andrew Zabowski conspiring with other officers to cover up the circumstances of a 2020 traffic crash that killed 20-year-old Karon Hilton Brown. He was found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice.
President Trump granted him a “full and unconditional pardon” and vacated his four-year prison sentence. However, Zabowski appealed his conviction and was allowed to be released on bail.
Another officer, Terrence Sutton, was convicted of second-degree murder and obstruction of business. The case marked the first time in the history of the department that a Washington, D.C., police officer was charged with murder. According to local network WUSA.
Federal prosecutors said Sutton chased Hilton-Brown at high speed and in the final moments of the chase, chased her into a narrow alley, turned off her car's emergency lights and siren, and accelerated from behind.
Later, Hilton-Brown is struck by an unrelated oncoming vehicle at the end of an alley and passes out in a pool of his own blood, leading Sutton and Zabafsky to cover up Sutton's actions to avoid further investigation. Agreed. , the government said.
Jurors found that Sutton, who was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison, consciously ignored the “extreme risk of death or serious injury” to the young black man as he pursued him in his police vehicle, and that Hilton-Brown It was determined that he caused the death of Mr. To the prosecutor. He was also allowed to remain free on bond while he appeals his conviction.
“Public safety requires the public's trust,” former federal prosecutor Matthew M. Graves said in a statement in September after sentencing the officers. “Crimes like this undermine that trust.” “It is a disservice to our communities and to the thousands of police officers who work incredibly hard.” Within the bounds of the Constitution to keep us safe. ”
Hilton-Brown's death came on the heels of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which spurred local protests at the time.
President Trump has hinted in recent days that he intends to pardon the two officers.
Asked about his loyalty to law enforcement on Tuesday after pardoning nearly everyone, including the January 6 defendants, President Trump said: “We're going to send two police officers from Washington, D.C., I think. I just approved it.” A person who has attacked law enforcement.
“I'm a friend of the police more than any president who's ever held this office,” he said.
