Defense attorney tased in demonstration on day 8 of Ambler in-custody death trial
One of the attorneys representing two former Williamson County Sheriff's deputies charged with causing an in-custody death was tased in a demonstration for jurors Wednesday morning.
Austin (KXAN) — One of the attorneys representing two former Williamson County Sheriff's deputies charged with an in-custody death was tased in a demonstration for jurors Wednesday morning.
James Johnson and Zach Camden are both charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of Javier Ambler.
Ambler died in March 2019 after leading police on a 20-minute chase, crashing at the intersection of St. John's and Bethune Avenue. The former deputies are accused of acting recklessly while trying to arrest Ambler by using a Taser, despite Ambler telling officers he had a heart condition.
The prosecution rested its case Tuesday morning without bringing in any new witnesses. Soon after, the defense gave its second opening statement to the jury.
In it, they claimed testimony from the state's expert witnesses conflicted with the everyday practices of police officers and findings from experts who also handled the case.
Attorney tased in front of jury
A crew from Axon, a company that makes stun guns like the one used in Ambler's arrest, set up thick black foam pads in front of the jury box in preparation for the demonstration.
Defense attorney Ken Ervin stood with the crew, discussing where they would stand during the demonstration.
Minutes later, the jury was brought in, each given a pair of safety glasses and some moved from the jury box closer to the galley.
Clad in a grey t-shirt and sneakers, Ervin stood in front of Ben Bloodworth, a senior master instructor with Axon, positioned a few feet behind him.
Bloodworth raised his arms, the bright yellow stun gun in his hands. He shouted the warning "Taser, Taser, Taser" before pulling the trigger. The stun gun's probes, attached to the device with thin, shiny wires, flew out of the device, one landing in Ervin's lower back, the other in his leg.
Ervin seized up, his jaw clenched and visibly in pain, standing with the help of two men with an arm hooked under his.
After the circuit finished, Ervin slumped, remaining standing with help from the men. After a few moments, Ervin appeared to recover and walked out of the courtroom with the crew, returning to his seat next to the defendants a couple of minutes later.