Video of 35-year-old Michael Sabbie being pepper sprayed repeatedly and placed in a chokehold by officers in Texarkana has been released.


The jail footage, which resembles the tragic fate of Eric Garner, shows Sabbie pleading with the officers, “I can’t breathe”. Sabbie was held at a private prison owned by LaSalle Corrections, located at the Texas and Arkansas border, where he repeatedly asked for medical help. For three days he complained of difficulty breathing and possible symptoms of pneumonia.


The Huffington Post released the footage Wednesday and detailed what happened in Sabbie’s final days.


A day after being arrested on July 20, 2015, Sabbie a father of four told officers that he was having difficulty breathing while laying down. He was taken to the nurse where she determined that he had a low level of oxygen in his blood and informed him to sit up if he couldn’t breathe. On July 21,2015 he was found on the floor of his cell before being taken to a judge for his court appearance on misdemeanor charges of domestic assault. The nurse once again saw Sabbie where she determined that he did not have pneumonia and sent him back to his cell to be transported. While appearing before the judge, Sabbie again complained of having difficulty breathing and the judge along with the bailiff noticed that he was indeed experiencing a medial emergency. When the judge noticed him breathing heavily and coughing he stated that Sabbie may have asthma or bronchitis. However, Sabbie informed the judge that he had been coughing up blood and asked to be taken to the hospital.


He was taken back to his cell.


According to reports, upon returning back to his cell, Sabbie leaned against a wall and from there a chain of events took place that ended tragically. As officers pepper sprayed him in his face he said, ” I can’t breathe”.  As officers placed him in a chokehold he said, “I can’t breathe”. As officers continued to use excessive force against a man who requested medical attention he said, “I can’t breathe”. He said it 19 times and still no one paid attention to his cry for help. When taken to the nurse after this ordeal she said his symptoms were normal after being pepper sprayed and didn’t bother to report it or leave a note in his medical file because of her personal time constraints.

“Ms. Venable said she wanted to get off work on time because she had to get her daughter to a pitching lesson,” as indicated in a police report. “She said she was going to complete one this morning when she came into work but learned that Mr. Sabbie had passed away.”


From neglect of the nurse to the neglect of the officers, there still remains one startling piece of the puzzle. What caused his death?


Correctional Officer Simone Nash, the officer in charge of doing safety checks on pods and cells along with a count, recounts never hearing Sabbie reply during the checks but claims she saw him breathing. Checks are expected to be completed every 30 minutes. According to a Texarkana Police report, the officer admitted “not all the checks were done and they were only documented” which is similar to Sandra Bland’s jailhouse death. In the report, Nash also said she “didn’t consistently enter and check the cells inside the pods during every one of the 30 minute checks”.


The next morning he was found “cold to the touch” and dead on his cell floor as reported in documents.


A medical examiner concluded Sabbie’s cause of death as “natural” due to obesity and heart muscle damage.


His family is now seeking justice in what is another black life lost in a jail cell. In August, the Department of Justice determined that no federal charges would be brought against the facility or its officers. Meanwhile, family attorneys are working to sue LaSalle Corrections, the private company that owns the Bi State Jail where Sabbie was held.

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