Detention officers were walking 32-year-old Alexis Cardenas out of jail, but for some reason, he refused to leave and got into an altercation with multiple officers.
HOUSTON, Texas — A 17-minute jail surveillance video released by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office on Friday shows what happened leading up to an inmate’s death.
The video shows Harris County Jail detention officers holding the door open for 32-year-old Alexis Cardenas on July 8. He was being released after a 30-hour stay on misdemeanor warrants.
But instead of leaving, the father of four refused to leave and began struggling with the two officers.
“A physical altercation ensued as Cardenas attempted to force his way back inside the jail’s secured area,” said the narrator in the video.
Cardenas lost most of his clothes and shoes during the altercation that lasted several minutes. He was tased at least once, but that didn’t appear to faze him.
Multiple officers eventually joined efforts to subdue Caredenas, but he still managed to get into a more secure area where other inmates were being processed for release. They watched the struggle until they were ushered out of the room.
RELATED: He was being released from jail but fought his way back inside. The man was dead a short time later.
At least one of the officers was injured when Cardenas swung his handcuffed right arm and struck him in the face. A different officer then began punching him in the face as they rolled him over face-down.
At one point, there were more than a dozen officers in the room as they finally got Cardenas in handcuffs.
More than 12 minutes after the struggle started, the officer holding the suspect’s head down realized he was unresponsive and called for help.
A body camera shows a detention sergeant performing chest compressions and a nurse was called. Cardenas was then rushed to St. Joseph Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Texas Rangers investigating death
“I think the most important thing is for us to have a more complete picture,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said during a news conference before releasing the video.
The Texas Rangers and HCSO Internal Affairs Division are investigating and the evidence will eventually be turned over to the DA’s office to be presented to a grand jury.
The medical examiner is working to determine Cardenas’ cause of death.
Meanwhile, the sergeant and six officers have been temporarily reassigned to areas with no direct contact with inmates.
“I know, at a personal level, I care deeply for what happens in our facilities and for the individual’s loss of life,” Gonzalez said.
The sheriff said he’s never seen someone resist while being let out of jail.
Family responds to video
In a previous interview, Cardenas’ cousin said the family believes he was having a mental episode, and that’s why he didn’t want to leave the jail.
Melissa Cardenas sent us a statement Friday after watching the video herself.
“What I witnessed was murder,” Cardenas said. “Alexis never once threw a punch. He waved his hands in the air, meaning he didn’t want any problems, and he ended up dead.”
An attorney representing the family also released a statement, saying the officers should have responded sooner after Cardenas stopped moving.
“Alexis is then shown as motionless on the floor for several minutes. A shockingly long period of time then elapses on camera—it was at least several minutes—before any medical attention is provided to Alexis,” attorney L. Lee Thweatt said. “Disturbingly, at one point, a senior, uniformed jail officer is seen smiling/laughing on camera, shaking hands with another officer involved—all while Alexis is unresponsive and unconscious on the floor.”