Black man told Texas cops ‘I can’t breathe’ before he died, newly released video shows

Body camera footage of a 2019 arrest during which a man in Texas said “I can’t breathe” before his death was released over the weekend.

Javier Ambler, 40, was on his way home from a poker game in the early hours of March 28, 2019, when a Williamson County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull him over for not dimming his SUV headlights for oncoming traffic, the Austin-American Statesman reported.

The following video contains graphic and disturbing content.

The deputy, J.J. Johnson, was often featured on the reality television show “Live PD” and had a film crew riding along with him that morning, according to the newspaper.

Johnson began chasing Ambler when he didn’t pull over, KVUE reported. The pursuit lasted about 20 minutes and came to an end when Ambler’s vehicle crashed near downtown Austin, according to the outlet.

Ambler allegedly hit three “fixed objects” both on and off the road, according to a report from the Texas Attorney General’s office, CNN reported.

Police officer body cameras filmed the moments that followed.

Ambler emerged from his SUV with his hands raised and was not armed or intoxicated, documents said, according to CNN. The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office case report said that Ambler resisted officers as they tried to handcuff him and would not follow verbal commands, according to the outlet.

Documents obtained by KVUE and the Statesman said that deputies used a Taser on Ambler “at least three times,” according to KVUE.

In body camera footage posted on YouTube by KVUE, deputies can be heard telling Ambler “I’m going to Tase you again” before Ambler tells them that he has congestive heart failure and says, “Sir, I can’t breathe,” as deputies tell him to lay flat on his stomach. Minutes later, deputies discover Ambler is not responsive. Deputies remove Ambler’s handcuffs and perform CPR, the video shows.

Ambler was taken to an area hospital where doctors worked to save him for 50 minutes before he was pronounced dead, the Statesman reported.

Ambler’s death was “ruled a homicide,” according to a report by the Texas Attorney General, with cause of death listed as congestive heart failure, hypertensive cardiovascular disease associated with morbid obesity and “in combination with forcible restraint,” CNN reported.

Austin Police Department released the camera footage Saturday from an officer who responded when the chase entered Austin, the Statesman reported.

Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore said she intends to take Ambler’s death to a grand jury in an effort to determine whether a crime was committed, KVUE reported.

She added that investigators feel Williamson County officials have caused delays in the case by being uncooperative and that “Live PD” hasn’t released footage from the incident despite investigators’ efforts for months, according to the outlet.

A&E, which produces “Live PD,” did not immediately respond to a request for a comment by McClatchy News.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Moore said grand juries have not been able to meet for months, with some officials estimating an August return, according to the Statesman. Moore said she will seek to permission for a grand jury to meet before August, according to the newspaper.

On Tuesday, two Williamson County commissioners, Terry Cook and Cynthia Long, urged Sheriff Robert Chody to resign, KXAN reported.

Chody posted a statement to Facebook on Tuesday, saying that the sheriff’s office had not been asked to participate in the district attorney’s investigation.

“Commissioner Long has requested that I resign before hearing the full set of facts,” the statement said. “The facts are that our department remains willing to participate in the Travis County D.A.’s investigation, but we have not been asked to do so. We participated in the APD investigation, the results of which are available to the Travis County D.A. Commissioner Long is misinformed.”