Trump pardons two officers involved in 2020 death of Black man and cover-up
Jan. 22 (UPI) -- In continuing a stream of controversial pardons, President Donald Trump, on his third day in office Wednesday, issued clemency to two former Washington, D.C., police officers who were sentenced to prison in connection to the death of a Black man in 2020 and attempting to cover up the crime.
The White House issued separate statements Wednesday announcing that Trump had issued "full and unconditional" pardons to former Washington, D.C., police lieutenant Andrew Zabavsky and officer Terence Sutton.
Zabavsky was sentenced to four years in prison, and Sutton to five and a half years, in September for their involvement in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown, 20, on Oct. 23, 2020.
According to evidence shown at trial, Sutton observed an unarmed and helmetless Hylton-Brown driving a moped on a Northwest Washington sidewalk.
Sutton, in his police cruiser, then conducted an unauthorized chase of Hylton-Brown, who had ignored the officer's attempt to stop him, driving across more than 10 blocks at what the Justice Department said was an "unreasonable speed" and going down the wrong way on a one-way street.
Sutton, following Hylton-Brown down a narrow alley, turned off his emergency lights and sirens and accelerated behind the moped. When Hylton-Brown reached the end of the street, he was struck by an uninvolved motorist.
As Hylton-Brown lay unconscious in a pool of his own blood in the street, Sutton and Zabavsky agreed to cover up the crime and took several actions to do so, including turning off their body-worn cameras, misleading their commanding officer about the incident and allowing the other involved vehicle to leave the scene.
Following a nine-week trial, Sutton was found guilty of second-degree murder while he and Zabavsky were found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice on Dec. 21, 2022.
No reason for granting the pardons was given.
Law Enforcement Legal Defense nonprofit, which financially aided the two officers during litigation, celebrated the clemency granted to Sutton and Zabavsky.
"This unprecedented case was a miscarriage of justice from the beginning. Anti-police bias and political expediency drove politicians and prosecutors to pursue these officers with reckless disregard for the facts of the case," it said in a statement.
"This action by President Trump makes clear that our brave law enforcement officers will now be supported by the federal government when they do the right thing in service to their communities."
The announcement came after Trump told reporters they were working on getting pardons for the two officers during a press conference on Tuesday, when he issued pardons for some 1,500 people convicted of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to prevent Joe Biden from being certified as the 46th president of the United States.
Trump was being prosecuted at the time he won election in November for attempting to overturn the 2020 election result, resulting in the Jan. 6 insurrection in which about 140 police were injured.
In explanation, Trump said the two officers, whom he did not mention by name, "went after an illegal and things happened and they ended up putting them in jail. They got five-year jail sentences and we're looking to give them a break."
Hylton-Brown was a U.S. citizen, according to police, CNN reported, and not in the country illegally, as Trump stated.
Following Trump's comments but before the pardons were announced, state Rep. Janeese Lewis George, a Democrat for Washington's 4th District, issued a statement saying she was "devastated" for Hylton-Brown's friends, family and his community.
"The decision to potentially pardon their crimes puts political agenda above the integrity of our justice system and deepens the wounds of our community," she said on Instagram. "Decisions like this make our communities less safe and send a dangerous message that justice can be undermined."
The DC Police Union, which expressed "dismay" over the pardoning of the Jan. 6 insurrections, welcomed the pardons for the two officers on Wednesday.
"This action rights an incredible wrong that not only harmed officer Sutton, but also crippled the ability for the department to function," it said in a statement on Facebook.
On Tuesday night, Trump had also issued a controversial pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the dark web Silk Road marketplace where illegal drugs and other unlawful goods and services were bought and sold by more than 100,000 people.
