© RT/Still from youtube video
In 2012, active-duty soldier James Brown reported to the El Paso County Jail to serve a two-day DWI sentence. New video of his time in custody has revealed aggressive force being used on him by officers, who ignored his repeated pleas for breath.
KFOX14
obtained video recorded during Sergeant James Brown's custody, which finally sheds some light on a death the county sheriff's department claims was caused by a "pre-existing medical condition."
Brown, 26, was an active-duty soldier at Fort Bliss in Texas who has served two tours of combat duty in Iraq. He had no previous criminal record.
When he self-reported to the El Paso County Jail in July 2012 to serve a short sentence for driving while intoxicated, he said in writing that he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to jail records.
Shortly after checking in, he spoke by phone to his mother, Dinette Robinson-Scott.
"He said they're trying to make me stay seven days instead of two days, so i just want to pay the court fine and get out of here," she told KFOX14. Robinson-Scott said she sent the money the next morning.
Yet at some point overnight
Brown had an apparent episode that caused him to start bleeding. When he stopped communicating with the jail guard outside his cell, a team of officers in riot gear were sent in. They confronted Brown and pinned him to the ground.
Brown can be heard in the video repeatedly stating that he could not breathe. He claimed he was choking on his own blood. His health appears to wane as the video goes on. He pleaded with the guards to remove a spit guard that restricted his breathing. He begged for water and was given only a small amount. He was at some point laid out on the floor of his cell with shallow breathing and no signs of responsiveness. His family's attorney say the jail didn't called for an ambulance during this period.
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