Grand jury declines to charge 6 Harris County jailers in connection with man's 2025 death

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A grand jury declined to indict six Harris County detention officers Tuesday in a man's 2025 death, the District Attorney's Office confirms.

Alexis Cardenas had just been released from the Harris County Jail after being arrested on years-old traffic warrants.

Surveillance video released by the Harris County Sheriff's Office shows detention officers trying to escort him out of the building, but Cardenas refuses.

While the video doesn't have audio, a federal lawsuit filed by Cardenas' family states that Cardenas objected to his release in the middle of the night without a working phone or a plan to get safely home.

The video shows jailers attempting to drag Cardenas out of the building. He then tries to access a secure area of the jail, and officers yank Cardenas to the ground by the back of his shirt.

At one point, you can see Cardenas take hold of an officer's leg, pulling him to the ground. He also briefly gains control of an officer's Taser.

The sheriff's office said an attempt to tase Cardenas was unsuccessful.

He's eventually seen breaching the secure area of the jail where an unidentified man pushes him to the ground, and an officer promptly kicks him in the stomach.

Cardenas continues struggling with officers for the next two minutes before falling motionless.

The medical examiner concluded Cardenas died of cardiac dysrhythmia associated with the effects of methamphetamine and cocaine during physical restraint. His death was ruled a homicide.

The National Police Accountability Project, which is representing Cardenas' family, responded to the grand jury's decision on Tuesday.

"The grand jury's refusal to issue indictments does not exonerate the officers ... It is, itself, an indictment of our system," the group wrote.

In its response to the lawsuit, the county's lawyers write, "Essentially, Mr. Cardenas passed from a drug overdose that adversely affected his heart. The autopsy report does not identify any head injuries as the cause of death."

The sheriff's office confirmed Tuesday that five officers involved in the incident remain on temporary assignments that don't put them in contact with inmates pending the conclusion of an internal investigation.