Two former Texas sheriff’s deputies are dealing with manslaughter costs in the death of a black man who was tased following a automotive chase filmed by a reality TV movie crew, authorities mentioned.
Javier Ambler, 40, died in March 2019 after Williamson County deputies pursued him for greater than 20 minutes for allegedly failing to dim his headlights — as a crew from A&E’s “Live PD” filmed the encounter outdoors Austin.
Former Williamson County Sheriff’s Deputy James Johnson, 36, and Zachary Camden, 26, have been indicted by a grand jury on second-degree manslaughter costs in Ambler’s death, Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said Tuesday.
“With these indictments, we have taken another critical step towards justice for the Ambler family and for our community,” Garza mentioned. “While we can never take away the pain of the Ambler family, the grand jury has sent a clear message that no one is above the law.”
Bail for Johsnon and Camden was set at $150,000, Garza mentioned. Both have been arrested Tuesday and launched inside an hour after posting bond, a spokesman for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office mentioned.
Ambler, a former postal employee, died after the deputies tased him a number of instances as he begged “I can’t breathe” and mentioned he had congestive coronary heart failure, in response to a federal lawsuit filed by his household alleging now-former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody “encouraged” deputies to be entertaining whereas filming “Live PD.”
The show was canceled by A&E in June following weeks of protests surrounding the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and studies of Ambler’s death.
In an announcement, attorneys for the previous deputies mentioned Johnson and Camden are “neither morally nor legally responsible” for his Ambler’s death.
“We are requesting a trial as soon as possible where we can ensure politics, campaign promises and sensationalized media portrayals will not distort the truth of what occurred,” attorneys Ken Ervin and Doug O’Connell mentioned.
The footage of Ambler by no means aired on the show attributable to its coverage towards exhibiting a fatality.
A death-in-custody report confirmed Ambler by no means tried to assault the deputies or made any threats towards them, the Austin American-Statesman reported final June.
Chody, in the meantime, was indicted in September for allegedly destroying or concealing video footage in the probe into Amber’s death.
With Post wires
