Dallas sheriff releases video in death of man in jail lobby

The family of a man who died in a Dallas County jail lobby has been shown surveillance video of the panic-stricken man’s erratic behavior before being subdued and handcuffed by deputies and losing consciousness.

Joseph Hutcheson’s family had demanded to see the 40-minute silent video of the 48-year-old Arlington man’s death Aug. 1. Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez later screened the video for reporters.

But she declined to answer any questions, saying the investigation is ongoing. She also asked for any witnesses to the incident to come forward and talk to sheriff’s investigators.

The video, which has no sound, shows Hutcheson rush into the lobby, approach people sitting on a bench, then sits alone of the bench. He gets up and moves erratically around the lobby as deputies follow.

A struggle ensues, Hutcheson is handcuffed, flails his legs, then stops moving. The deputies remove the handcuffs and begin efforts to revive the man that failed.

The video does appear to show one of the deputy's place his knee in Hutcheson's neck area. Witnesses told a sheriff's employee that Hutcheson yelled out, “I can't breathe.”

Autopsy results are pending.

Staff writer John Gravois contributed to this report, which contains material from The Associated Press and WFAA-TV.

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Dallas sheriff releases video in death of man in jail lobby."