The death of a 40-year-old black man from Texas was captured by a Live PD film crew. On March 28, 2019, Williamson County Deputy J.J. Johnson tried to pull over Javier Ambler for driving with his high beams on.
Ambler refused to pull over and sped away. Johnson chased him through the streets for more than 20 minutes, all while narrating the chase to the camera crew that was tagging along.
Ambler eventually crashed his car, and Johnson rushed over with his gun drawn. He ordered Ambler out of the vehicle. Johnson holstered his gun and told Ambler to get on the ground.
As Ambler appeared to turn towards his car, Johnson fired a stun gun, sending Ambler down to one knee before he fell onto his back.
Another officer, Deputy Zachary Camden, arrived on the scene and shoved his Tazer into Ambler's back. The deputies screamed at Ambler to get on his stomach and tased him multiple times as they struggled to get him in handcuffs.
Ambler pleaded with the officers and said he wasn't resisting.
"I have congestive heart failure," Ambler told them. "I have congestive heart failure. I can't breathe."
After getting tased for a fourth time, Ambler went limp, and the officers managed to place him in handcuffs. A few minutes later, they realized he was unconscious and didn't have a pulse. They began performing CPR until the paramedics arrived. Ambler was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
His death was ruled a homicide, but the officers were not disciplined. An internal affairs investigation concluded that the deputies did nothing wrong and that their actions did not violate use-of-force policies.
An investigation was launched into Ambler's death by the Austin Police Department Special Investigations Unit and the Travis County district attorney's Civil Rights Unit. The investigation has been stonewalled by officials from Williamson County, who refused to provide any information about their internal affairs investigation.
Photo: KXAN-TV