Former D.C. officers found guilty in death of 20-year-old during police chase

Two former Metropolitan Police officers were found guilty on all charges brought against them in connection with the death of Karon Hylton-Brown, who was involved in a fatal car crash during a police chase more than two years ago, in Washington, D.C.

Terence Sutton, 38, and Andrew Zabavsky, 54, were previously suspended from the police department as what many believed to be suspicious circumstances surrounding Hylton-Brown's death sparked public unrest and ultimately led to a criminal trial. The jury returned guilty verdicts for both men, the U.S. Department of Justice announced in a news release on Wednesday, convicting Sutton of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice, and Zabavsky of the latter two charges.

Hylton-Brown, a 20-year-old Black man, was pursued by D.C. police while driving a moped on a sidewalk in the city's Brightwood Park neighborhood on Oct. 23, 2020, according to the Justice Department. Authorities have said the attempted traffic stop was prompted by Hylton-Brown's lack of a helmet, although Sutton and Zabavsky — a former officer who was assigned to the department's crime suppression team, and former lieutenant who supervised the team of officers that included Sutton — were also found guilty of conspiring to hide the true circumstances of the chase and traffic collision that caused the young man's death.