CALIFORNIA – A disturbing video from a jailhouse shows California sheriff’s deputies watching and even laughing as a schizophrenic man who had been strapped naked to a chair for 46 hours writhes on the floor of his cell, loses consciousness, and later dies.
Andrew Holland died on Jan 22, 2017 but the video showing his last moments was shared on Friday. It is nearly 8-minutes long though the newspaper that released the video said it reviewed more than 100 hours of jailhouse surveillance video in all.
In the video shared by the Tribune of San Luis Obispo, sheriff’s deputies are seen periodically entering the inmate’s cell to rotate his arms and legs and offer him food and water. He was strapped into the chair after repeatedly hitting himself. Because he was restrained, he was unable to use a nearby toilet, so he eased himself where he was.
The newspaper reported that Holland was released from the chair and moved to another cell so human waste that collected under his chair, and is visible in the video, could be cleaned up.
Video of him in the another cell shows him lying on a tile floor with just a blanket. At one point, he stands up briefly, appears to be stricken by tremors and lies down again, covering himself with the blanket. Soon after, he appears to have trouble breathing, then loses consciousness.
Several deputies and paramedics enter the cell and attempt to revive him, while one deputy stands smiling and talking to another.
San Luis Obispo County Administrative Officer Wade Horton called the footage “extremely painful to watch.”
“What happened to Andrew Holland was a tragedy that impacts our entire community,” Horton told The Tribune in an email. “Although we can’t bring Andrew back, our county has made and continues to make changes in response to this terrible event.”
Holland, 36, had schizophrenia since his early 20s and was incarcerated on and off over the years, usually for minor offenses. He was taken into custody in 2015 on charges of battery, resisting an officer and probation violations.
His mother, Sharon, told reporters last July: “We had hope that his life would improve, but on January 22nd of this year, our son Andrew died a brutal and tortured death at the hands of the custodial staff at San Luis Obispo County jail.
Last year, the county awarded Holland’s family $5 million for his death, which a medical examiner determined was caused by a pulmonary embolism. The family has said it will use the settlement money to establish a nonprofit to advocate for the rights of mentally ill people in the criminal justice system.
Watch part of the disturbing video below.
