'Live PD' Canceled: Javier Ambler Footage Destroyed, Says A&E; Dan Abrams Discusses Show's End

This week, both "Cops" and "Live PD" were officially canceled amid the ongoing protests that have centered on police brutality and racism after George Floyd's murder on May 25. Now, following the news that the Dan Abrams-hosted cop series will not be filming new episodes in the future, A&E additionally confirmed that footage from the series that showed Javier Ambler's fatal arrest has also been destroyed.

According to Entertainment Weekly, while filming "Live PD" in Austin, Texas, police attempted to pull Ambler over after he failed to dim his headlights when he approached oncoming traffic on March 28, 2019. After a 20-minute pursuit, Ambler crashed his car and was apprehended. During the altercation with law enforcement, the 40-year-old stated that he had congestive heart failure and couldn't breathe. The cops reportedly used a taser on him four times before he died.

Following Ambler's death, the publication reports that an autopsy confirmed that he had died as a result of congestive heart failure and hypertensive cardiovascular disease "in combination with forceable restraint."

While the case was initially dismissed and the footage was not included in episodes of "Live PD," Ambler's case has now resurfaced following Floyd's murder. However, what was actually captured on the day can no longer be viewed as A&E has confirmed that they are no longer in possession of the footage following the case's dismissal.

"Immediately after the incident, the Austin Police Department conducted an investigation using the body cam footage they had from the officers," read A&E's statement to EW.

Continuing, it added, "Contrary to many incorrect reports, neither A&E nor the producers of Live PD were asked for the footage or an interview by investigators from law enforcement or the District Attorney’s office. As is the case with all footage taken by Live PD producers, we no longer retained the unaired footage after learning that the investigation had concluded. As with all calls we follow, we are not there to be an arm of the police or law enforcement but rather to chronicle what they do and air some of that footage and our policies were in place to avoid having footage used by law enforcement against private citizens."

According to the Statesman, Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore has plans to move the case forward and take it to a grand jury in the future.

Following the news that "Live PD" had been canceled, Abrams, who additionally serves as Chief Legal Affairs anchor for ABC News, also spoke out about the decision on Twitter. After saying he was "shocked & beyond disappointed" to learn that the show was coming to an end, he added that he had previously been convinced that the show would continue. However, as seen in the tweet below, there is "more to come" regarding the show's fate.