(AllHipHop News) Another video of a Black man begging to police that he can’t breathe emerges out of Texas.
While it happened in 2019, Javier Ambler’s voice is just as devastating as Eric Garner’s and George Floyd’s and adds to the ever-growing number of Black people murdered while in the custody of the police.
Body camera footage betrays the police again. Released by the Austin Police Department, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office deputies can be seen in hot pursuit for 22 minutes of the 40-year-old on March 28, 2019 (1 AM) after the police flagged him down.
Oh, so there you go. He was wilding when the cops tried to apprehend him.
Actually, it wasn’t even that deep. Ambler did not dim his car headlights when he passed by the deputy. That was his offense and ultimately why he is not here today.
After the chase, Ambler struck three “fixed objects” on and off the road. The Texas Attorney General stated in the custodial death report.
That’s what the AG says. A 14-minute body camera footage shows that the officers walked up on him (after the accident). Ambler gets out of the car with his hands up. He also was unarmed and not intoxicated, posing no threat to the police.
In reports, the officers assert that Ambler was resisting and didn’t comply when they told him to obey certain commands and so they cuffed him.
The video shows that Ambler was visibly upset, responding to being detained and that he had heart issues. “I have congestive heart failure.”
In addition to bringing attention to his heart issues, Ambler also cries out, “I can’t breathe.” He repeats the health warnings over and over again, the deputies’ body cam shows.
But after a couple of minutes in, Ambler is unresponsive. Once the cops realize this, the camera is taken off him.
Then you see him with the cuffs off and them trying to administer CPR until the EMT arrives.
Ambler’s death was ruled a homicide but the causes of death are as follows: congestive heart failure, hypertensive cardiovascular disease associated with morbid obesity “in combination with forcible restraint.”
“After reviewing the video evidence, OPS concludes the primary deputy ‘JJ’ Johnson and assisting deputies acted in accordance with the guidelines set in the WCSO policy and used objective reasonableness in the level of force used.”
The Office of Professional Standards in the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department said, “OPS also recommends the chain of command review the use of force and complete the RMS Response to Resistance module, in accordance to WSCO policy.”
Surely prompted by the death of George Floyd, the Travis County District Attorney will now look into what really happened during his arrest over a year ago.
DA Margaret Moore says that after seeing the video that was provided by an Austin police officer, she has determined that the case will need a grand jury and the city is preparing for that.
The officer responded to the scene as it came over his monitor and was in essence on his turf. However, because he was not involved, he is not going to be under investigation.
“We have determined that we need to take it to a grand jury,” Moore said, adding that officials with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office have not been cooperative. “This case has been so unusual. It is not typical for us to encounter obstacles to getting evidence especially from another law enforcement agency.”
More information to be forthcoming … unfortunately … This story is all too frequent.
