El Paso Police releases body cam footage related to in-custody death of El Paso man
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Police Department has released the body cam footage from the arrest of 35-year-old Jonathan Rose Eddens, who died in police custody on April 14.
Police were originally sent to Alameda Avenue and San Marcial Street on a call about a man standing in the street. Upon arriving, officers spot Eddens walking in and out of traffic and claim he had blood on his face. The officers try to speak with Eddens, but he repeatedly tries to walk away. The confrontation grows more aggressive as officers tell him to stop or they will use a stun gun on him, and one officer is heard claiming Eddens said he would stab him.
Eddens eventually stops walking, but then appears to resist as several officers move to detain him. Eddens eventually breaks free from the officers' grasp before being brought down by a stun gun charge. The video appears to show officers punch and kick Eddens as he's held down, also using a stun gun multiple times as they struggle to put him in handcuffs. Blood can be seen coming down Eddens' face, but it is not clear whether it is from the previously mentioned wound or the struggle.
After handcuffing Eddens, officers put him on an ambulance and sent him to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. El Paso Police say the incident is still being investigated.