A video of a traffic stop that occurred in Jacksonville, Florida, and involved a Black man is circulating across the internet for the egregious behavior exuded by the police officers involved.
As News4Jax reported, Will McNeil Jr. posted a recording from his dash camera of an encounter with authorities at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in February that resulted in him spending two days in jail. What can be seen in the clip is extreme force being used to remove him from his vehicle. He was left with injuries and a concussion due to the event and has hired civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels to represent him in his pursuit of justice.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office pulled over Will McNeil Jr. while he was driving home
The police report stated that McNeil was pulled over at 4:17 p.m. while on his way home because his car “did not have its headlights or tail lights illuminated in inclement weather,” per News4Jax. The 22-year-old said that he was inquiring why he was pulled over before he was attacked.
The report stated, “The suspect refused to comply and shut the driver’s door and locked it. I gave numerous orders to the suspect to provide his identification, which he refused.” Since McNeil couldn’t roll his window down (it was broken), he opened the driver’s door to communicate with the police officer.
The video shows McNeil calmly asking another officer on the passenger side to pull out the law that he was told he had violated.
“There’s multiple people’s headlights off, first of all. And there’s no rain,” McNeil addresses the officer, who is out of frame.
In response, the cop said, “It doesn’t matter, you are required to have your headlights on.”
When McNeil requested to see the law that states it again, the same officer said he’d show it to him after he got out of the car. He then requests a supervisor, prompting the off-camera officer to respond, “Go for it.”
Moments later, another JSO officer approaches and hits the driver’s side window three times, shattering it. As the officer shouts, “Exit the vehicle now! Exit the vehicle!” he strikes the driver in the face and then demands to see his hands.
McNeil exhibits no outward reaction to the punch and complies by showing his hands. The officer then opens the driver’s door, unbuckles the seatbelt, and as he’s being taken out of the car, McNeil asks, “What is your reasoning, sir?” Soon after, more officers come over to assist; he’s slammed to the ground and can no longer be seen.
The first officer who was at McNeil’s window wrote a different version of events in the report: “I gave the suspect several warnings that I was going to break the window and remove him from the vehicle if he did not comply with lawful commands. The suspect continued to refuse to comply, at which time I broke the driver’s window and opened the driver’s door.”
Crump and Daniels confirmed he sustained a concussion, a chipped tooth, needed stitches, and is experiencing short-term memory loss. Following the incident, he was taken to jail and later found “adjudicated guilty” of resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license. Charges related to a seat belt violation and driving without headlights were dismissed. He was sentenced to two days in jail, which he had already served ahead of his arraignment.
“It should be obvious to anyone watching this video that William McNeil wasn’t a threat to anyone,” Crump said regarding the situation. “He was calmly exercising his constitutional rights, and they beat him for it.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released a statement about Will McNeil Jr.
In light of the video making headlines, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office gave News4Jax an exclusive statement: “The video that preceded the statement by the sheriff was brought to our attention earlier today. As it is Sunday, those who are responsible for reviewing instances such as this are not in the office. I am not sure when or where this incident took place, or who is involved – the individual sitting in the driver’s seat or the officers shown,” the spokesperson said. “As the sheriff stated, this incident and the circumstances surrounding what is shown in the released video will be reviewed to identify the questions you have asked below and more. As soon as we have those answers, we will be able to share more.”
After viewing the video, State Rep. Angie Nixon took to Facebook to acknowledge the incident and shared that she had already reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for further information.”
“Hey folks. I’ve been tagged and sent the video regarding the the man getting beat up by JSO a few times today,” she wrote. “I’ve reached out to the Sheriff’s Office. I’ll be sending a formal letter and request to meet about that, the deaths in the jail and other cases related to potential JSO misconduct.”
The cop who struck Will McNeil Jr. was stripped of his duties
The incident remains under review by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Per ABC News, the cop who punched McNeil has been identified as D. Bowers; he’s currently on leave as the investigation is ongoing.
“McNeil was arrested and pled guilty to resisting a police officer without violence,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said, according to ABC News. “Force absolutely looks ugly, and because all force is ugly, whether or not the officer involved acted within outside JSO policy, that’s still what we’re investigating.”
He continued, “I will neither defend nor commend Officer Bowers’ response to resistance until all the facts are known and the investigation is completed.”
Bodycam footage was also released
The bodycam footage was also revealed, and as USA Today reported, shows “officers confronting McNeil – and punching him – after he questioned why he was pulled over and refused to get out of the car.”
Waters said at a news conference, “one video devoid of context can be very misleading,” and claimed that McNeil “was in possession of marijuana and officers found a knife in the vehicle.”
