
Video shows Florida officer punching a Black man during a traffic stop
William McNeil Jr., 22, was pulled over by an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on Feb. 19 for driving without his headlights on during the day, Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference.
In the video posted on Instagram on Saturday, McNeil is seen sitting in his car, asking to speak with a sergeant. He says he was pulled over because his headlights were off even though it was still daylight and not raining.
'It doesn't matter, you're still required to have headlights on,' an officer responds on the video.
McNeil, sitting behind the steering wheel with his seat belt fastened, asks an officer to show him the law the officer was citing and asks to speak with a supervisor.
Five seconds later, another officer breaks the driver's-side window and punches McNeil in the face while instructing him to get out of the car and show his hands.
During the encounter, officers ask McNeil seven times to exit his vehicle.
Waters said at the news conference that McNeil did not follow officers' commands after he was being ordered out of the car, which rose to the level of criminal resistance.
'The law requires that a person comply with a police officer's command during a traffic stop. There are not options,' Waters said. 'Even if that person disagrees with that officer's reason for the stop.'
Waters said McNeil was arrested in connection with driving on a suspended driver's license, resisting a police officer without violence and possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana.
McNeil eventually pleaded guilty to resisting a police officer and driving on a suspended license, Waters said.
During the news conference, sheriff's officials showed three police body camera videos, none of which captured the moment when an officer identified only as "D. Bowers" punched McNeil in the face after he refused to get out of his car.
McNeil recorded the interaction on his cellphone, which was in a holder on his dashboard.
While the state attorney's office cleared Bowers and two other officers of any wrongdoing, it had not seen the punch, Waters said.
The interaction is now under internal review by the sheriff's office, he said.
"I will not commend nor defend Officer Bowers' response," Waters said, adding that Bowers waived his privacy rights to allow the body camera video to be released. "He's been stripped of his law enforcement duties, effective immediately.
'Just because force is ugly doesn't mean that it's unlawful or contrary to public policy.'
Officers can be seen in the video pulling McNeil from his vehicle and punching him in the face again before they shove him to the ground, lacerating his chin.
'What the f–-- is wrong with you?' one of the officers says before another tells McNeil he is being arrested. At least five officers can be seen detaining him.
The Instagram video had received more than 27,000 comments and been shared more than 100,00 times as of Monday afternoon.
Another of McNeil's attorneys, Harry Daniels, said: 'William felt like his rights were being trampled upon by being stopped during the day for not having headlights on. That's a new one.
'The officers could have easily dispatched a sergeant to the scene to de-escalate,' he said.
Waters said McNeil never filed a complaint with the department nor showed the video to authorities.
In 2023, the city of Jacksonville paid $200,000 to the family of Jamee Johnson, a 22-year-old Black student at Florida A&M University, after an officer pulled him over and shot him during a traffic stop for a seat belt violation in 2019.
The department came under scrutiny in 2023 after body camera video showed a detective striking Le'Keian Woods, a 24-year-old Black man, in the face at least twice and a second detective kneeing him as they repeated commands for him to show his hands.
Woods had fled when officers tried to arrest him in connection with drug dealing and officers believed he was armed, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said at the time.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
BBC Strictly star Seann Walsh left shaken as strange man jumps into his car
Comedian and former Strictly Come Dancing star Seann Walsh has recalled a terrifying moment where a stranger jumped into the passenger seat of his car in London Strictly Come Dancing alumni Seann Walsh and Michelle Tsiakkas have both spoken out about separate frightening incidents they recently experienced in London. Comedian Seann Walsh, who appeared on Strictly in 2018, described a disturbing moment when a stranger attempted to get into his car while he was stopped at a red light. Sharing the experience on Instagram, he wrote: 'New in the adventures of living in London: today whilst waiting at the lights in my car, a guy walked up to my car, opened the passenger side door and went to get in.' It comes after Seann, 39, had his phone stolen in london before it travelled across the globe. Of the latest terrifying ordeal, Seann said: "Luckily, the traffic lights had changed and I could drive off. It's beginning to feel like I'm living in Grand Theft Auto.' This happened just weeks after Walsh was mugged. At the time, he posted: "My phone was stolen (yes out of my hand and yes, I live in London) a week or so ago and it is now in China if anyone happens to be passing by,' alongside a screenshot showing his phone's new location. Meanwhile, professional dancer Michelle Tsiakkas, who joined the Strictly cast in 2022, also shared a troubling experience of being mugged in the capital. In a video posted to Instagram, she said: "Hi guys, so I wanted to just make this video to let you know something that happened to me the other day in London. "Now this was a couple of days ago and I've just about mentally recovered from that. It was quite traumatising on the day. It wasted my whole day and made me feel awful, scared, helpless and I don't want the same to happen to you." Tsiakkas explained she had been heading to a dentist appointment near Covent Garden when the incident occurred. She continued: "It was early morning… I whipped out my phone to check the directions. A man on an electric bike came up from behind, swept past me and grabbed my phone." "My heart just sank. I tried to reach for it, which made me fall and graze my knee. I screamed, 'Give me back my phone,' but he just rode off. He was wearing a mask and moving too fast to identify or follow." Tsiakkas said two women nearby helped her afterward, and she thanked them for their kindness during the distressing moment. Meanwhile, Seann competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 where he was partnered with professional dancer Katya Jones. The comedian's time on the show was overshadowed by controversy after he was photographed kissing Katya, who was married at the time, during a night out. The incident caused a media frenzy, leading to public apologies from both Walsh and Jones. Seann later revealed the fallout had a lasting impact on his mental health and career. Despite the drama, the pair continued in the competition for several more weeks before being eliminated. The scandal remains one of the most talked-about moments in the show's history.


Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Clarkson's Farm fans devastated as Kaleb Cooper shares 'soul destroying' news
Kaleb Cooper has taken to social media to share devastating news Kaleb Cooper, the 27-year-old farming sensation, has taken to Instagram with a heavy heart to reveal that thieves have made off with his farm machinery. In a brazen overnight heist, culprits swiped one of his tractors and a post knocker, essential for driving fence posts into the ground. A gutted Kaleb posted this morning: "My post knocker was stolen last night, as well as the John Deere tractor. Can we please make this as hot as possible? What is going on with England at the moment?" The theft occurred on Fulmer Lane, prompting Kaleb to use his social media clout to spread the word and enlist public help, sharing contact details for any sightings of the stolen kit. His online community rallied in the comments, extending their support to the TV star. One sympathiser wrote: "Sorry to hear that mate. A friend of mine who owns a garden centre had their digger nicked last night, and another friend had their two 16 ft trailers nicked the week before. I saw two different companies had vans done over last week, totalling something like £50k worth of tools. It's soul-destroying!" Another expressed shock: "The mankiller 9000? ! Jesus, I hope they get caught. Stealing from farmers is such a wildly despicable move," reports the Express. Someone else commented, echoing the sentiment of hope: "I really hope that everything will be found." Yet another added, "I really hope that everything will be found and the thieves will be brought to justice!" Puzzled by the audacity of the crime, one person asked, "How does one take something so big and no one notices?" One irate fan vented: "Who the f**k would steal a tractor from a world-famous farm... The attention alone makes it a case for the Police to investigate fully and follow up on, lest they be eviscerated on a show with global reach." This distressing revelation follows Kaleb's recent announcement about expecting his third child in just a month's time. Kaleb initially announced his pregnancy on This Morning in May, receiving warm wishes from hosts Cat Deely and Ben Shephard. During the live chat, Kaleb humorously remarked: "The third child is due in August, so I think I may be the most fertile man in Chipping Norton."


Scottish Sun
11 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Strictly star reveals terrifying moment stranger tried to get into his car at stop light – just weeks after being mugged
Seann had to act fast to get away CITY SCARE Strictly star reveals terrifying moment stranger tried to get into his car at stop light – just weeks after being mugged A STRICTLY Come Dancing star has revealed the horrifying moment a stranger tried to climb into his car at a traffic light. The comedian told his fans that he felt like he was "living in Grand Theft Auto" as the incident came just weeks after he was mugged. Advertisement 3 Seann Walsh has spoken about his recent troubles in London Credit: Getty Seann Walsh, who sparked mass controversy after he snogged his pro partner Katya Jones on the show in 2018, took to Instagram to share the startling update. He wrote on his story: "New in the adventures of living in London: today whilst waiting at the lights in my car, a guy walked up to my car, opened the passenger side door and went to get in. "Luckily, the traffic lights had changed and I could drive off," he added. "It's beginning to feel like I'm living in Grand Theft Auto," he said. Advertisement This comes just weeks after he was mugged in London. Taking to his Instagram Stories, Seann revealed: "My phone was stolen (yes out of my hand and yes, I live in London) a week or so ago and it is now in China if anyone happens to be passing by." He shared a picture of his phone's location, which was in China. Seann's mugging came just weeks after fellow Strictly star Michelle Tsiakkas was left "traumatised" after also being mugged in London. Advertisement Pro dancer Michelle, 29, told her followers that the ordeal left her feeling "scared and helpless". The Strictly star - who joined the show three years ago - took to Instagram to share the terrifying incident. Addressing her fans in a video, she said: "Hi guys, so I wanted to just make this video to let you know something that happened to me the other day in London. "Now this was a couple of days ago and I've just about mentally recovered from that. It was quite traumatising on the day. Advertisement "It wasted my whole day and made me feel awful, scared, helpless and I don't want the same to happen to you. "My phone got stolen. My phone got stolen. I mean I see it happening all the time but it's just one of those things that you just never think it's gonna happen to you. and then it does." Recounting the story, Michelle said: "So it was early morning. I was on my way to the dentist in London. "It was around Covent Garden so the streets were really quiet. I think I was just the only person around so maybe I was an easy target and I whipped out my phone to have a look at the directions to see where my dentist was. Advertisement "I was on the actual street of the dentist and what happens? A man comes on a bike behind me, sweeps past me and grabs my phone. "So he's grabbed my phone. He's on an electric bike and my heart just sank. I tried to I think like reach for it and that made me fall on my knees on the floor and graze my knee. "I think my reflex was just to swear and then scream give me back my phone and clearly you know that didn't work. "He just left. He was wearing a mask so there was no way that I could have seen what he looked like and he was going really fast on that electric bike so there was no way on earth I could have caught up with him. Advertisement "Thankfully there were two really lovely and helpful women there and they'd seen that I was a bit distressed." 3 He shared his experience on Instagram Credit: Instagram / @seannwalsh