Harris County Sheriff's Office releases surveillance video after man dies upon release from jail

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- He was already let go from jail, but he tried to get back in-- that's what the Harris County Sheriff's Office said happened July 8 before 32-year-old Alexis Jovany Cardenas died moments after his release from the Harris County Jail.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez described how agitated Cardenas appeared in a recently released video from the sheriff's office when a physical altercation broke out.

NOTE: This video may be disturbing to watch.

"A struggle ensued, and at one point, a detention officer deployed a taser, which appeared to not have any effect. At one point, Mr. Cardenas forced his way back into the secure area of the jail where inmates were still being processed for release," Sheriff Gonzalez said.

From that point, you can see multiple officers pinning Cardenas down for several minutes.

At some point, they said he became unresponsive, and a sergeant conducted CPR.

Investigators said Cardenas later died at the hospital, now leaving lingering questions.

"We will not have a complete understanding of all the relevant facts until the investigations are complete. I don't have all the answers yet," said Sheriff Gonzalez.

Right now, Sheriff Gonzalez said a sergeant and six other detention officers are no longer dealing with inmates right now, also adding this is a unique case.

"In the nine years that I've been sheriff here, I've never had a situation where somebody had already exited or was on the verge of exiting, when they wanted to come back in for whatever reason," said Sheriff Gonzalez.

The Cardenas family released a statement about the video itself and the release of it, writing in part:

"We are absolutely devastated by the actions of HCSO leadership today. He did not deserve this, and his family and young children do not deserve this... We saw an excessive and unnecessary use of prolonged force, especially after leg restraints were put on him. There was no need to apply so much force on his neck and back for so long after he had clearly stopped moving and breathing."

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