WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — The family of Javier Ambler II, a Black man who died in the custody of Williamson County deputies in March 2019, has sued the county. They lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages for Ambler’s parents as well as his two young sons.
The family is being aided by Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who also represents the family of George Floyd, the man killed in the custody of Minneapolis police and whose death sparked national outcry and protests.
It’s the latest development in the case which has seen Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody indicted, accused of destroying evidence.
A Live PD crew was rolling when deputies engaged in a chase with Ambler. He subsequently told the deputies that he couldn’t breathe, and deputies deployed a Taser on him.
Dash cam video recorded the incident, but the footage captured by Live PD was later destroyed. That was brought to light by a joint report from the Austin America-Statesman and KVUE-TV, the ABC television affiliate for the Austin area.
Live PD, a reality television that gained a great deal of popularity and followed police officers in the course of their patrols, was canceled earlier in 2020.
Chody, who is up for reelection, has described the indictment as politically motivated.
The 29-page lawsuit claims that Chody encouraged his deputies to engage in high-speed pursuits and generally create exciting television for Live PD.
The lawsuit also claims that Ambler was obese and told deputies that he had congestive heart failure.