William McNeil Jr.'s SUV spotted at home under surveillance for drugs before traffic stop, SAO says
McNeil Jr. was arrested on February 19 following a traffic stop conducted by Officer D. Bowers of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. In McNeil's video, Bowers can be seen striking McNeil after breaking his window.
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McNeil is now being represented by prominent civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Harry Daniels.
The February incident began when Officer Donald Bowers initiated a traffic stop after observing McNeil's SUV parked at a house under surveillance for drug activity, according to a memo released Wednesday by State Attorney Melissa Nelson's office.
The traffic stop occurred after Bowers observed McNeil driving without headlights and not wearing a seatbelt, the memo said.
RELATED: Jacksonville Sheriff releases officer body-cam video from viral traffic stop video
The State Attorney's Office said McNeil opened his door, claiming his window was broken, and questioned the reasons for the stop. After being informed of the violations, McNeil did not comply with Bowers' requests for his license, registration, and proof of insurance and continued to argue, demanding a supervisor.
The SAO said the situation escalated when McNeil locked himself inside the vehicle and buckled his seatbelt after Bowers stopped him.
Bowers eventually broke the window after giving McNeil multiple warnings.
RELATED: First hit to man's face by JSO officer omitted in all police reports related to controversial arrest
On July 21, the SAO said the JSO Integrity Unit interviewed Bowers about the stop. In the memo is Bowers' recollection of what happened after he broke McNeil's window and why his first strike of McNeil wasn't mentioned in the police report:
'Officer Bowers told investigators that after he broke the window, he delivered a 'distractionary' blow to McNeil (Exhibit G). Officer Bowers described the distraction strike as a tactic he was taught during his time as a narcotics officer when conducting the arrest of a vehicle's occupant. Officer Bowers explained that when evaluating how they would remove McNeil from the vehicle, he knew he would need to both unlock the door from the inside and unbuckle McNeil's seat belt. Officer Bowers stated his intended purpose in using this tactic was not to injure McNeil, but to distract him so that they could take control of McNeil.
'When asked why he did not report Use of Force 1 in his Response to Resistance report, Officer Bowers explained he considered his use of the distraction strike as a tool and did not consider it as the deployment of force. Officer Bowers' explanation is credible considering his stated training and the fact that he wrote a Response to Resistance report memorializing his closed fist punch to McNeil.'
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Following the arrest, officers discovered marijuana in McNeil's pocket and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle's center console. A large knife was found at McNeil's feet, although Bowers was unaware of these items at the time of the stop, the SAO said. McNeil later pleaded guilty to resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license.
The SAO stated that McNeil's video from the arrest did not capture the full context of the encounter, which was documented by the officers' body-worn cameras.
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When the SAO reviewed the incident, it concluded that Bowers' actions did not constitute a crime.
'Officer Bowers conducted a lawful traffic stop and gave McNeil 12 individual lawful commands, which McNeil refused to obey,' the memorandum stated.
You can look at the SAO's full memo on the McNeil investigation below:
William McNeil SAO4 Legal Memoranda Final by ActionNewsJax
Action News Jax's Jake Stofan is digging into the details of the SAO's memo and will have the latest updates on FOX30 Action News Jax at 4.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
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7 hours ago
Officer involved in violent arrest of William McNeil in Jacksonville won't face criminal charges: Prosecutors
A Jacksonville, Florida, sheriff's deputy seen on video striking William McNeil Jr. in the face during an arrest that began with a traffic stop will not face criminal charges in connection with the Feb. 19 incident, prosecutors announced on Wednesday. The announcement came in an 16-page memo released by the State Attorney for the 4th Judicial Circuit Court, which serves Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties in Florida. "The State Attorney's Office has reviewed this matter to determine whether any of Officer [D.] Bowers' actions constitute a crime. We conclude they do not," the memo stated. "Officer Bowers conducted a lawful traffic stop and gave McNeil 12 individual lawful commands, which McNeil refused to obey. Repeatedly requesting a supervisor and arguing the merits of the traffic stop did not absolve McNeil from following lawful orders," the memo continues. "McNeil's refusal to provide his identification, registration, and proof of insurance, followed by his refusal to exit the SUV, show his hands, and obey the officers' orders, created a dangerous situation for all involved." The 22-year-old man's arrest by sheriff's deputies in Jacksonville, Florida, was captured in a viral cell phone video that McNeil recorded. Following the release of that video, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into the arrest and released body camera footage from three separate officers of the incident. The announcement that the Bowers will not be charged comes more than three weeks after Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters announced during a press conference that "the State Attorney's Office has determined that none of the involved officers violated criminal law." At the time, the state attorney's office told ABC News that its memo on McNeil was not complete. It is unclear when the decision not to charge the officers was made. ABC News reached out to the state attorney's office and the sheriff's office for additional comment. McNeil's attorneys, Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, criticized the state attorney's decision not to press charges in a statement on Wednesday and called on the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the incident "Frankly, we expected nothing less especially after Sheriff Waters announced their conclusions more than three weeks before the report was issued," the statement said. "Since they are unwilling to seek justice, we will have to request that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate this incident and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office." McNeil was pulled over by a sheriff's deputy at 4:15 p.m. local time on Feb. 19 for allegedly not having his headlights on due to "inclement weather" and not wearing a seat belt, according to a police report obtained by ABC News. In the cell phone and body camera videos, sheriff's deputies are seen beating McNeil during the traffic stop after he repeatedly questioned why he was being pulled over and refused to exit his vehicle. McNeil told ABC News in an interview that aired on ABC News Live Prime on July 23 that he feared for his life. "I was scared, frightened. I grew up being told that officers protect us, but that wasn't the case," McNeil said. The state attorney's memo characterized what appeared to be a punch to McNeil's face that was captured by the cellphone video as a "a one-time, open-handed strike to McNeil's face." The memo stated the move "had a legitimate tactical purpose — to get McNeil out of the SUV and to show his hands, which McNeil did after the strike." "Officer Bowers' second strike occurred during McNeil's arrest and was in response to McNeil's physical resistance to the arrest," the memo stated. Authorities later said they found marijuana in McNeil's pocket, a large sporting knife on the vehicle's floorboards and drug paraphernalia in the center console. McNeil's attorneys, Crump and Daniels, said that prosecutors never interviewed McNeil about the incident and criticized Bowers for not mentioning the "punch" to McNeil's face in his police report, which was reviewed by ABC News. "Let's be clear, the State Attorney's Office never interviewed William McNeil. They did, however, try to excuse the fact that Officer Bowers failed to disclose his unlawful 'distractionary strike,'" Daniels and Crump said. "They also tried to decriminalize Officer Bowers punching Mr. McNeil outside the vehicle and completely failed to mention the officers slamming Mr. McNeil's face into the asphalt while he was under control and in custody." 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Action News Jax is getting new details from the State Attorney's Office about its investigation into the February arrest of William McNeil Jr., which got national attention after McNeil released a video in July from the arrest that went viral. McNeil Jr. was arrested on February 19 following a traffic stop conducted by Officer D. Bowers of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. In McNeil's video, Bowers can be seen striking McNeil after breaking his window. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< McNeil is now being represented by prominent civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Harry Daniels. The February incident began when Officer Donald Bowers initiated a traffic stop after observing McNeil's SUV parked at a house under surveillance for drug activity, according to a memo released Wednesday by State Attorney Melissa Nelson's office. The traffic stop occurred after Bowers observed McNeil driving without headlights and not wearing a seatbelt, the memo said. RELATED: Jacksonville Sheriff releases officer body-cam video from viral traffic stop video The State Attorney's Office said McNeil opened his door, claiming his window was broken, and questioned the reasons for the stop. After being informed of the violations, McNeil did not comply with Bowers' requests for his license, registration, and proof of insurance and continued to argue, demanding a supervisor. The SAO said the situation escalated when McNeil locked himself inside the vehicle and buckled his seatbelt after Bowers stopped him. Bowers eventually broke the window after giving McNeil multiple warnings. RELATED: First hit to man's face by JSO officer omitted in all police reports related to controversial arrest On July 21, the SAO said the JSO Integrity Unit interviewed Bowers about the stop. In the memo is Bowers' recollection of what happened after he broke McNeil's window and why his first strike of McNeil wasn't mentioned in the police report: 'Officer Bowers told investigators that after he broke the window, he delivered a 'distractionary' blow to McNeil (Exhibit G). Officer Bowers described the distraction strike as a tactic he was taught during his time as a narcotics officer when conducting the arrest of a vehicle's occupant. Officer Bowers explained that when evaluating how they would remove McNeil from the vehicle, he knew he would need to both unlock the door from the inside and unbuckle McNeil's seat belt. Officer Bowers stated his intended purpose in using this tactic was not to injure McNeil, but to distract him so that they could take control of McNeil. 'When asked why he did not report Use of Force 1 in his Response to Resistance report, Officer Bowers explained he considered his use of the distraction strike as a tool and did not consider it as the deployment of force. Officer Bowers' explanation is credible considering his stated training and the fact that he wrote a Response to Resistance report memorializing his closed fist punch to McNeil.' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Following the arrest, officers discovered marijuana in McNeil's pocket and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle's center console. A large knife was found at McNeil's feet, although Bowers was unaware of these items at the time of the stop, the SAO said. McNeil later pleaded guilty to resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license. The SAO stated that McNeil's video from the arrest did not capture the full context of the encounter, which was documented by the officers' body-worn cameras. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] When the SAO reviewed the incident, it concluded that Bowers' actions did not constitute a crime. 'Officer Bowers conducted a lawful traffic stop and gave McNeil 12 individual lawful commands, which McNeil refused to obey,' the memorandum stated. You can look at the SAO's full memo on the McNeil investigation below: William McNeil SAO4 Legal Memoranda Final by ActionNewsJax Action News Jax's Jake Stofan is digging into the details of the SAO's memo and will have the latest updates on FOX30 Action News Jax at 4. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Solve the daily Crossword
