Family claims special needs inmate beaten in Harris Co. jail

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A family is now fighting for answers after they claim a special needs inmate was beaten nearly to death while being held at the Harris County Jail.

Eddie Taylor is in the ICU at Ben Taub Hospital, facing charges as doctors work to save his life. After the alleged fight with a jail deputy, he was left with a brain aneurysm and infections in both lungs.

"It would be like beating a little kid. I thought officers are trying to subdue people without hurting them," said his sister, Shirley Hardy.

Family member said Taylor, who suffered brain damage after a 1999 car crash, went to Methodist Hospital in Baytown on Feb. 26 after suffering seizures. Taylor allegedly got into an altercation with a security guard, and was arrested and transported to the Harris County Jail.

But within hours of arriving at the jail, Taylor was rushed to the hospital.

"Somebody who is in custody -- why would that person be beaten to the point of having to go to the ICU?" asked attorney Scott Armstrong, who wants to see video of what happened in the jail.

The sheriff's office released a statement, saying in part: "On February 27, 2017, inmate Edward Dale Taylor assaulted a Harris County Detention Officer. While gaining control of the inmate, Taylor was forced to the ground where he was injured."

As Taylor remains in the hospital, his family vows to fight for answers.