Two police officers convicted in the death of a man riding a motorcycle in Washington, D.C. have been granted court pardon President Donald Trump, The White House announced Wednesday.
Former Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Lt. Andrew Zabafsky, 56, who was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice, was sentenced in September in the 2020 death of Caron Hilton-Brown. Another former MPD officer, Terrence Sutton Jr., 40, was also convicted and sentenced In this case.
The White House said in a statement that Trump granted Zabafsky and Sutton a full and unconditional pardon.
On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police Union said it was working with the Trump administration to secure pardons for Zabafsky and Sutton. On the same day, Trump said he had agreed to pardon the two men.
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US President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Tuesday in Washington. Trump on Wednesday pardoned two former Washington, D.C., police officers convicted in the death of a man killed during a deadly chase. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nickinson)
“I just agreed to it,” Trump said during a press conference. “They arrested the two officers to put them in prison on charges of pursuing a criminal.”
The union said in a statement on Tuesday that the two men were wrongly convicted and unfairly prosecuted.
“These officers — men of integrity and dedication — were targeted by corrupt prosecutors who used the legal system against them,” the union said.
Sutton Convicted He was sentenced to 66 months in prison for Hilton-Brown's death, while Zapawski was sentenced to 48 months in prison.
Authorities said Karon Hilton Brown, 20, died during a police chase while riding a motorcycle. Two former police officers were convicted in Washington, D.C., for their roles in his death. President Donald Trump pardoned them. (and it comes)
Authorities said Hilton-Brown was riding a motorcycle without a helmet on a sidewalk on Oct. 23, 2020, when Sutton tried to stop him in an unmarked car. A chase ensued, reaching speeds at more than twice the speed limit on residential streets Ministry of Justice He said.
Hilton Brown was eventually struck by a car in an alley during the chase. He suffered severe head trauma and died two days later. The chase appears to violate a Metropolitan Police Department policy prohibiting chases.
High-speed chases are prohibited for minor traffic violations.
Columbia County Police have a near-constant presence at the intersection of 5th St NW and Kennedy St NW, where police began a pursuit that led to the death of Karon Helton, 20, who was killed in a single-vehicle crash while riding in a rental car. Scooters in Washington, D.C., October 23, 2020. (Jahi Chikwendeo/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Prosecutors alleged that both officers conspired to conceal the events that led to Hilton's death, such as failing to inform superior officers of the severity of his injuries.
Prosecutors also alleged that officers disabled body cameras minutes after the collision and failed to obtain statements from witnesses.
