ABC13 previously reported that just before 1 a.m. in July 2025, Alexis Cardenas was being released from the Harris County jail. He had been picked up two days earlier for a 2014 municipal charge, after he didn't show up for court following a crash without insurance. The charge was dismissed before his release.
"Oftentimes, it is these minor kinds of infractions, these traffic violations, these unpaid tickets that result in people being placed in very dangerous jails," Lauren Bonds with the National Police Accountability Project said.
Bonds said her team watched surveillance video from inside the jail that shows a fight between corrections officers and Cardenas during his release.
A new lawsuit alleges that it escalated after Cardenas raised concerns about being released into downtown Houston in the middle of the night with a dead cellphone. That fight ended in Cardenas's death.
"This was an avoidable and preventable death," Bonds said.
Bonds and her team filed the lawsuit on behalf of Cardenas's family against the Harris County Sheriff's Office and several detention officers, which claims there was an excessive use of force, that officers failed to intervene, and that the proper medical care was not given.
"The video is the most important piece of evidence, and it really does speak for itself," Bonds said.
The lawsuit alleges a roughly seven-minute interaction included Cardenas being tased, punched, and stood on, while in multiple parts of the video, you can see him with his hands raised.
The sheriff's office previously told ABC13 that seven employees were reassigned following the death, but the lawsuit claims at least 18 officers were involved.
"There were a number of sergeants on the scene who stood by and watched their subordinates make these decisions and didn't step in and say, 'Hey, can we de-escalate this, can we do something in a different manner?'" Bonds said.
The medical examiner ruled Cardenas's death a homicide, reporting he died of cardiac arrest that was brought on by being tased while having methamphetamine, cocaine, ethanol, and chlordiazepoxide in his system.
ABC13 reached out to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which said it would not comment beyond what it has already said.
Bonds said a lawsuit of this nature can take years to conclude.
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