A crowd gathered on Tuesday night outside the Fourth District Station of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to protest the death of a DC man who died after being struck by a vehicle while on an electric scooter, demanding accountability and the release of police camera footage showing the incident.
Karon Hylton-Brown, 20, died Monday after the crash in the Brightwood Park neighborhood of Northwest DC, which was allegedly caused by a police chase for a traffic stop last Friday.
Hylton-Brown’s family and witnesses who say they saw the chase accuse the police of racial injustice, implying that Hylton-Brown was targeted because he was a young Black man.
According to DC police, on the other hand, Hylton-Brown was not wearing a helmet while he rode a moped on the sidewalk and that was the reason they attempted to stop him.
Protesters damaged property, including a police car window and a glass at the police station, during Tuesday night’s demonstration, and four officers were injured.
Hylton-Brown’s mother was among the protesters who demanded answers and insisted that MPD must disclose the body camera footage related to the incident, as well as a full police report. However, the police declined to release the footage.
“Over a moped and some car keys, he lost his whole life,” said Hylton-Brown’s girlfriend, Amaala Jones-Bey, speaking to WUSA9. He was riding to a friend’s house to pick up his car keys, according to her.
Hylton-Brown reportedly died the day his daughter turned three months old.