2 DC Officers Charged In Fatal Moped Crash; 1 Faces 2nd Degree Murder Charge

WASHINGTON, DC — A federal grand jury indicted two Metropolitan Police Department officers on several charges Thursday in connection with the October 2020 death of Karon Hylton-Brown, according to a U.S. Justice Department of Release.

At around 10:09 p.m., on Oct. 23, 2020, Officer Terence Sutton, 37, and Lt. Andrew Zabavsky, 53, observed Hylton-Brown riding a Revel Electric Moped without a helmet on the sidewalk in the 500 block of Kennedy St., N.W. Flipping their emergency lights on, they tried to make a traffic stop and began to pursue Hylton-Brown. When the moped exited an alley in the 700 block of Kennedy St., N.W., it struck a passenger car traveling on Kennedy Street.

Sutton and Zabavsky performed first aid on Hylton-Brown, until he was transported to an area hospital where he later was profound dead.

Since December 2016, all MPD officers are required to wear body cams. The D.C. government released footage of the incident involving Hylton-Brown and which was part of the department's internal investigation of Sutton and Zabavsky. The video (below) shows the officer riding in their cruiser as they pursed Hylton-Brown down the alley. The video ends with the moped's collision on Kennedy Street.

After a federal judge unsealed the grand jury's indictment, Sutton was charged with second-degree murder and federal charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Zabavsky was also faces federal charge of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

“Police officers are sworn to uphold the law and ensure the safety of the community. The vast majority of officers execute their duties in an exemplary manner, and we are grateful for their dedicated service,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips. “But when a select few violate their oath by engaging in criminal conduct, they cannot do so with impunity and must be held accountable. This indictment seeks to do just that.”

Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, said Sutton and Zabavsky showed a "careless disregard" for Hylton-Brown's life and that they conspired to obstruct the investigation into the incident.

"The FBI has an obligation to ensure that law enforcement officers do not abuse their positions of trust and authority to the detriment of the communities they serve," Jacobs said.

The second-degree murder charge against Sutton carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. The conspiracy charge against both officers cares a maximum sentence of five years and the obstruction of justice charge has a maximum of 20 years.

Sutton and Zabavsky were released under certain conditions on Friday and are scheduled to return to court on Oct. 4 for the next hearing.

Both the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. and the FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated this case. Metropolitan Police Department released the following body cam footage of the Oct. 23, 2020 incident in which Karon Hylton-Brown was fatally injured. The video contains graphic imagery that may be disturbing to some viewers.