Two police officers were sentenced on Thursday to several years in prison for their roles in a deadly chase of a man on a moped and subsequent cover-up. Metropolitan Police Department officer Terence Sutton, 40, was sentenced to five years and six months behind bars for a murder conviction in the October 2020 death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton-Brown. Andrew Zabavsky, a former MPD lieutenant who supervised Sutton, was sentenced to four years of incarceration for conspiring with Sutton to hide the reckless pursuit.
U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman handed down both prison sentences following a three-day hearing. The judge allowed both officers to remain free pending their appeals, according to a Justice Department spokesperson. Prosecutors had recommended prison sentences of 18 years and just over 10 years, respectively, for Sutton and Zabavsky.
Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, emphasized that “public safety requires public trust.” He stated that crimes like this erode that trust and are a disservice to the community and the thousands of officers who work hard to keep us safe within the bounds of the Constitution.
After a nine-week trial, a jury found Sutton guilty of second-degree murder and convicted both officers of conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges. The incident occurred on the night of Oct. 23, 2020, when Sutton chased Hylton-Brown on a moped, resulting in a fatal collision. Prosecutors argued that the pursuit ignored risks to public safety and violated the police department's training and policy for pursuits.
Sutton and Zabavsky were accused of immediately engaging in a cover-up by misleading authorities, allowing key witnesses to leave the scene, and drafting false reports. More than 40 current and former law enforcement officers submitted letters in support of Sutton, while Zabavsky's lawyers requested probation instead of prison time.
Amaala Jones Bey, the mother of Hylton-Brown's daughter, expressed her grief over the loss of her partner due to the actions of the police officers involved in the chase. The case has sparked protests and raised concerns about police accountability and public safety.
