D.C. cop charged with murder in 2020 chase that killed Karon Hylton
A Washington, D.C., police officer was charged with murder Friday and his superior was charged with conspiracy after they pursued Karon Hylton, a 20-year-old Black man on a moped, leading to a deadly crash in 2020.
Terence Sutton, 37, is charged with second-degree murder, according to an indictment. His superior, 53-year-old Andrew Zabavsky, is charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Sutton also faces those charges.
Hylton was piloting the moped in D.C.’s Brightwood Park neighborhood on Oct. 23, 2020, when Sutton approached him in an unmarked squad car, the Justice Department said. Hylton wasn’t wearing a helmet and was driving the electric scooter on the sidewalk, which are traffic violations in the nation’s capital.
Sutton attempted to pull Hylton over, but he continued on his way. D.C. police rules prohibit officers from engaging in car chases for traffic violations. But that didn’t stop Sutton, who followed Hylton and reached up to 45 mph in the chase, according to the indictment.
Zabavsky, who was in the area in his marked patrol car, assisted with the chase and was briefly the primary pursuit vehicle, prosecutors said.
After 10 blocks, Hylton turned into an alley and Sutton followed, speeding up behind him, according to the indictment. As Hylton came to an intersection, he was struck by an oncoming civilian van and suffered serious injuries. He died from those injuries two days later.
Sutton and Zabavsky immediately began covering their tracks, prosecutors said. They didn’t report the crash to other officers and instead turned off their body cameras to hold a private conversation.
Once back at the station, they gave a “misleading account” of the crash and didn’t mention Sutton’s pursuit at all, according to the indictment. But they continued receiving updates on Hylton’s condition in the hospital.
Zabavsky learned that Hylton suffered a skull fracture and needed a breathing tube, and only then did he reveal more details to his own superiors. That led to an internal affairs investigation and the Justice Department probe.
Sutton and Zabavsky pleaded not guilty Friday. D.C. police leaders said they will be suspended without pay.
