AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) said it is investigating after a man died in police custody following a disturbance at a southeast Austin convenience store on Monday, June 17.
According to police, officers received multiple 911 calls around 4 p.m. about an incident at the Circle K Convenience Store located at 8801 S. Interstate Highway 35 frontage road. Witnesses reported a man, later identified as 35-year-old Jermaine Joseph Sims, was “acting erratic” and “throwing things” inside the business.
Around 4:05 p.m., Sims allegedly stole a pick-up truck from a gas pump, turned onto the southbound frontage road of I-35 at Slaughter Lane, in the wrong direction, and crashed into multiple vehicles. Sims was taken into custody around 4:10 p.m., according to APD.
Austin-Travis County EMS arrived on the scene and took Sims to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:04 p.m. APD did not provide details on Sims’ injuries or whether police used force when taking him into custody.
Because Sims died after being detained by APD officers, the incident is being investigated as an in-custody death. The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.
The incident was captured on body-worn camera and a private community member’s dash camera, APD said. Per APD policy, the videos will be released within 10 days.
APD will conduct two investigations into the incident: A criminal investigation conducted by the APD Special Investigations Unit and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, and an administrative investigation conducted by the APD Internal Affairs Unit, with oversight from the Office of Police Oversight.
Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to contact APD at 512-974-6840 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 512-472-8477.