Karen Hylton shouted in court and clashed with officers as a jury announced its verdict for the officers accused in her son’s death. She now faces charges herself.
A federal charge was filed earlier this month against Hylton, the mother of Karon Hylton-Brown, who died in 2020 after police chased him and his scooter crashed.
Hylton is accused of violating a law that makes it illegal to “assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with a federal law enforcement officer,” court documents say. It wasn’t immediately clear if she has a lawyer.
Hylton-Brown was 20 and the father of an infant when police saw him riding an electric scooter on streets and sidewalks in the Brightwood Park neighborhood of Northwest D.C. Officers chased him, he was hit by a passing van and he died three days later.
In December, Officer Terence Sutton, who was driving a police car, was found guilty of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice. Lt. Andrew Zabavsky, who was driving a second police car, was found guilty of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Sutton’s conviction marks the first time an on-duty D.C. officer was charged and convicted of murder.
As the jury announced its verdict in the officers’ case, Hylton-Brown’s mother screamed, yelled, stomped her feet and snapped her fingers, court documents say. A courtroom security officer told her she had to leave.
“You need to get her out,” another officer said.
Then the judge ordered Hylton to leave.
Two officers began to escort her out of the courtroom as she yelled, including at Sutton and Zabavsky.
Hylton is accused of charging toward a courtroom officer, bumping him with her chest and pushing him with both hands. The officer fell back onto a bench, and Hylton was put in handcuffs.
Two days after Hylton pushed the officer, he went to urgent care because of pain in his chest, the court documents say. His X-rays were negative and he was prescribed a muscle relaxant and naproxen, the active ingredient in Aleve.
Police initially said that officers pursued Hylton-Brown because he was riding the scooter without wearing a helmet.
“These officers chased and hunted my child,” Hylton told News4 after Sutton was indicted.
Hylton-Brown’s relatives and others protested outside the Fourth District police station for days after the chase and crash. Police say the group threw rocks, set fires, smashed windows and injured six officers. Officers deployed pepper spray against them.
