Shorties Roundup: MPD is under pressure after releasing body cam footage of Karon Hylton’s death

The D.C. area is feeling another period of civil unrest following the death of 20-year-old Karon Hylton earlier this week after a moped crash on Oct. 23.

Hylton was riding a Revel moped when four Metropolitan Police Department officers attempted to stop him for a traffic violation. While driving onto a new road, Hylton collided with another vehicle and ultimately succumbed to his injuries this past Monday. He was a young Black father to a three-month-old child.

MPD and Mayor Muriel Bowser released body camera footage from the officers in the front of the police vehicle, but there isn’t any audio in the initial video. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said in a press conference that all officers should have turned their body cam audio on as soon as the incident began.

The four officers who were inside of the police vehicle have been put on administrative leave while they are under investigation for their involvement in the incident. MPD will be investigating if police offers pursued Hylton during the attempted traffic violation for not wearing a helmet while riding the moped, as District police regulations forbid officers from engaging in high-speed pursuits for minor traffic violations.

Some D.C. councilmembers took to Twitter to express their disappointment with the situation:

Body-cam footage shows an officer chasing #KaronHylton to his death over a nonviolent misdemeanor. This unnecessary loss of life shows how deeply we need full reform of policing. The city’s laws currently prohibit this type of pursuit. This is much deeper than our laws.

— Councilmember_RobertWhite (@CMRobertWhiteDC) October 30, 2020

Released body-cam footage raises troubling questions about @DCPoliceDept protocol & officer conduct. Karon Hylton's family & our community deserve thorough investigation & clear answers. My sympathies to his family and loved ones. This should not happen. https://t.co/jdYHu59YNY

— Elissa Silverman (@tweetelissa) October 29, 2020

Newsham said that the case has been handed over to the U.S. Attorneys office for further review. Meanwhile, protests over the incident have been happening in the city since earlier this week.

Besides this and our regular #dctech reporting, here’s what else happened this week, the shorties from the week:

Thursday, Oct. 29

• The police body camera footage has been released concerning the recent death of 20-year-old D.C. resident Karon Hylton when the Revel scooter he was riding collided with another vehicle during a traffic violation. The footage will be used in an investigation to decide if MPD officers involved in the incident broke any department policies.
• Accenture and Girls Who Code releases research looking at women in tech data. A shocking stat: The percentage of women tech workers was actually higher three decades ago compared to now. Here’s the report summary and full report.
• 1863 Ventures, Walker’s Legacy and Black Girl Ventures were awarded grants from PayPal as part of the company’s plan to help support and sustain Black businesses and communities.

Wednesday, Oct. 28

• On Election Day, Lyft is offering voters free and discounted rides to polling locations and ballot dropboxes in D.C. This offering includes access to bikes and scooters and is part of the rideshare company’s Voting Access efforts.
• Bowie State University is planning to open an entrepreneurship hub that will encompass a new dorm in fall 2021. The university’s Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community is being built to help expand entrepreneurship education.
• Pax Momentum is hosting a Demo Day via Zoom on Nov. 5 for its inaugural cohort. Nine companies will be presented, all of which have received a $70,000 investment from Pax.
• And Zeal Capital Partners is one of eight Black- and Latinx-led venture capital firms in which PayPal is investing as part of a $50 million dispersal.

Tuesday, Oct. 27

• The James Beard Foundation, a New York City-based national nonprofit culinary arts organization named after the prominent food writer, announced 25 fellows for its 2020 Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program. Some DMV entrepreneurs made the class including Iris Jimenez from La Casita Pupuseria Inc in Silver Spring, Maryland; Victoria Lai from Ice Cream Jubilee in D.C.; and Monica Pearce from Tenth Ward Distilling Company in Frederick, Maryland.
• Vista Equity Partners founder and former CEO, Robert F. Smith, has been caught up in an international tax fraud scheme. He’s agreed to pay $139 million and cooperate with a government investigation. Vista Equity Partners is the parent company of Tysons, Virginia-based event management platform company Cvent. The private equity firm acquired Cvent in 2016 for $1.65 billion.
• Alexandria’s City Council approved JBG Smith’s plans for the first phase of Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus. Construction will begin next year and students, faculty and staff could expect to walk the halls of the new building by fall 2024.