Latest news with #SheriffTKWaters
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Washington Post
No charges for officers after man was punched during arrest, sheriff says
Prosecutors will not bring criminal charges against sheriff's officers who wrestled a Black man out of a car during a traffic stop and punched him multiple times, the local sheriff said Monday. Jacksonville, Florida, sheriff's officers stopped William Anthony McNeil Jr. on Feb. 19, telling him he didn't have his headlights on and wasn't wearing a seat belt, body-camera footage released by the sheriff's office shows. After McNeil, 22, questioned the reasons for the stop and refused to get out of the car, an officer smashed his window and punched him in the face. Police wrote in a report that before he was pulled out of the car, McNeil reached for the floorboard, where an unsheathed knife was later found. Publicly available video footage does not show him leaning down toward it. Sheriff T.K. Waters said Monday that local prosecutors 'have determined that none of the involved officers violated criminal law.' The state attorney's office for the 4th Judicial Circuit did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. An investigation is ongoing into whether the officers violated department policy, Waters said. He said the officer who initiated the stop 'has been stripped of his law enforcement authority' in the meantime. The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for more information. Waters said cellphone video of the arrest, recently shared on social media, did not tell the full story. 'Moreover, cameras can only capture what can be seen and heard,' he said at a news conference Monday. 'So much context and depth are absent from recorded footage because a camera simply cannot capture what is known to the people depicted in it.' Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, attorneys for McNeil, said in a statement that the incident was a 'disturbing reminder that even the most basic rights — like asking why you've been pulled over — can be met with violence for Black Americans.' 'William was calm and compliant,' they said. 'Yet instead of answers, he got his window smashed and was punched in the face, all over a questionable claim about headlights in broad daylight. This wasn't law enforcement, it was brutality.' Footage from officers' body cameras, as well as video from McNeil's cellphone, show what happened during the arrest: As an officer approached McNeil's car, McNeil opened the door and looked out. The officer told him he was pulled over for not having his headlights on during 'inclement weather' and not wearing a seat belt. McNeil responded that it was daylight and not raining. When the officer asked to see McNeil's license, registration and proof of insurance, McNeil told him to call the officer's supervisor and asked again why he was pulled over. The officer radioed for backup and told McNeil to get out of the car. McNeil instead closed the door, the video shows. The officer then told McNeil that he was under arrest for resisting. The longer McNeill took to comply, the officer said, 'the worse it's going to be.' The officer repeatedly ordered McNeil to get out of the car and warned that he otherwise would break a window, according to the video. Another officer arrived and spoke with McNeil through the passenger-side window. McNeil again refused to get out of the car, the video shows. Then the first officer smashed the driver-side window and struck McNeil across his face, according to the video. McNeil presented his hands when asked, lifting them a second time as officers pulled him out of the car, the video shows. Multiple officers surrounded McNeil, and the first officer punched him in the face again as they pinned him to the ground, the footage shows. The officers told McNeil to 'stop fighting' and put his hands behind his back as they handcuffed him. McNeil said that he had suffered a chipped tooth and that officers saw blood on his mouth, according to a police report. Asked about the claim that McNeil had reached toward the knife, Waters said he couldn't see from the video where McNeil's hands were at that point in the arrest. 'All I can go by when I read those things is what's stated in the report,' Waters said at the news conference. 'I'm not saying whether it's true or whether it's not. I'm saying no one sees his hands at that point.' McNeil later pleaded guilty to resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license. He was sentenced to two days of time served. On Monday, Waters acknowledged that officers used force during the arrest and said that 'force absolutely looks ugly.' 'And because all force is ugly, whether or not the officer involved acted within or outside of JSO [Jacksonville Sheriff's Office] policy, that's still what we're investigating,' he said. Waters added that motorists are required to comply with officers' commands during traffic stops. 'There are not options,' he said. 'If you disagree, take care of it someplace else, but not on the side of the road.' The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has experienced other allegations of excessive force in recent years and has maintained that officers acted appropriately. Crump and Daniels said in their statement that McNeil's arrest was reminiscent of that of Le'Keian Woods, who was slammed to the ground in 2023. Waters previously said that officers in that case 'acted appropriately,' but he acknowledged that the incident was 'ugly.'
The Sun
7 days ago
- The Sun
Bodycam of William McNeil Jr arrest released after cop punched driver during traffic stop for not having headlights on
COPS have released bodycam footage following the arrest of a 22-year-old man in Florida - during which an officer smashed a car window and punched the driver. A shocking video taken of the arrest by driver William McNeil Jr showed the cop breaking the window, hitting him and dragging him to the ground in Jacksonville. 6 6 6 6 But the sheriff's office says a state prosecutor has found no misconduct by the cops involved - although an internal review is also in process. The new bodycam footage released shows the 22-year-old had been pulled over for reportedly not having his headlights on or wearing a seatbelt. He refuses to get out of his car when asked to by the officer and locks the door. "It's daylight, I don't need the lights," he says. The cop then proceeds to smash the window after warning him for three minutes to exit the vehicle. Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said: "The State Attorney's Office has determined that none of the involved officers violated criminal law, even though the administrative review has yet to be completed." However, he added that one officer had been suspended pending a review. "A person must comply with an officer's commands, even if that person disagrees with that officer's reasons for the stop," the sheriff added. According to a police report obtained by ABC News, McNeil was pulled over by cops at 4.15pm local time on February 19 this year. Video shows him telling officers that he didn't need to have his lights on as it wasn't raining and asked to speak with a supervisor. Shocking moment Marbella cop slaps sunbather as two people are arrested The cop calls for backup and repeatedly threatens to break the window before doing so. The arrest claims: "The suspect was reaching for the floor board of the vehicle where a large knife was sitting." However, Sheriff Waters acknowledged at a news conference that it is unclear if this was true based on the videos, People has reported. Footage posted by McNeil shows him with his hands up and visible as cops drag him out of the car. He pleaded guilty to resisting a police officer without violence and driving with a suspended license, according to court records. The 22-year-old was sentenced to two days in jail. "McNeil was arrested and pled guilty to resisting a police officer without violence," Sheriff Waters added. "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." In a social media video following the arrest, McNeil said he suffered a concussion and that his tooth was chipped and needed stitches to his mouth. "This was very hard to do I'm not mentally healed from this but I had to get the word out eventually," he posted in the video caption. Harry Daniels, an attorney representing McNeil, told ABC News on Monday that the 22-year-old is now mulling legal action. He told the broadcaster: "This officer broke his window and just punched him in his face. Mr. McNeil suffered very significant injury. "We are planning to do everything we can do to secure justice. "We are seeking all options to ensure accountability." 6 6
CNN
7 days ago
- CNN
Florida police under fire as video of Black man punched, dragged by deputies during traffic stop goes viral
A cell phone video showing a white Jacksonville, Florida, police officer striking a Black man in the face during a February traffic stop before he's dragged from his car has gone viral, sparked outrage and led to conflicting accounts of the incident from civil rights lawyers and law enforcement. William McNeil Jr.'s lawyers Ben Crump and Harry Daniels say the video, which McNeil took from inside his car, is a clear depiction of brutality, coming as law enforcement officials – from masked ICE agents to local police officers – have been scrutinized for their use of force, particularly against people of color. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office argued the viral video doesn't show the full context of the situation. 'Yes, there absolutely was force used by the arresting officers, and yes, that force is ugly,' Sheriff TK Waters said Monday at a news conference. 'Just because force is ugly does not mean it's unlawful or contrary to policy.' He said he wouldn't stay silent while 'facts and information are buried to advance an anti-police agenda.' Here's what we know: New police bodycam video released Monday shows McNeil, 22, opening his car door to speak to an officer, who tells him he was pulled over for driving without his headlights or seatbelt on. 'It's daylight, I don't need the lights. And it's not weather – it's not raining,' McNeil says in the video. McNeil asked the officer to call his supervisor, refused to give him his license, and closed his door. He locked it as the officer asked him to step out of the vehicle, bodycam video shows. 'Open the door and exit, or we are going to break the window,' the officer says as another patrol car pulls up in front of McNeil's vehicle. McNeil was warned seven times that he was under arrest and needed to open his door, Waters said. The video from inside McNeil's car begins with him sitting in the driver's seat, talking to another officer through the passenger side window. He asks the officer to show him the law stating that he must have his headlights on. One officer then says he's going ahead with breaking the window, according to body camera footage. 'All right, go for it,' a second police officer is heard saying. Seconds later, the driver's window is smashed in, McNeil is punched in the face, and officers open the door and pull him to the ground next to his car, striking his face again, McNeil's video shows. McNeil's lawyers say he sustained a tooth fracture, concussion and a traumatic brain injury. He also had cognitive impairment and short-term memory deficits after the traffic stop, they added. The body camera footage released Monday didn't show the initial strike between the arresting officer and McNeil, Waters admitted. McNeil was arrested following the incident on February 19 and charged with resisting a police officer without violence, driving on a suspended license and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, Waters said. The next day, he pleaded guilty to the resisting and suspended license charges. D. Bowers, the arresting officer who pulled McNeil over, made no mention of McNeil being punched in his police report. He wrote that the suspect, McNeil, refused to comply, which led him to break the window to open the driver's door. 'Physical force was applied to the suspect and he was taken to the ground,' Bowers continued. A second officer, however, described in a separate report six punches to McNeil's leg before he stopped resisting, according to the Associated Press. 'He simply asks for a supervisor and then they break his window and beat him yet, somehow, the report failed to mention that,' McNeil's lawyers said in a statement. Bowers' report also claimed McNeil was 'reaching for the floorboard of the vehicle where a large knife was sitting,' as he was removed from the car. Deputies found a knife while they searched McNeil's vehicle after taking him into custody, according to police reports. Crump and Daniels said Bowers' report that McNeil reached toward the knife was a 'fabrication,' according to the AP. 'The only time he moves at all is when the officer knocks him over by punching him in his face,' they said. 'Then this young man calmly sits back straight and holds his empty hands up.' When asked Monday about what he saw in the footage, Waters, the sheriff, said he couldn't see where McNeil's hands were. Waters said McNeil hadn't filed a complaint or shared his video with the department before it was released on social media. Had he done so, he said, the department would have started an investigation. The sheriff said the cell phone footage showed there were aspects of the arrest the department needed to investigate, but said he assumed the video was 'intended to inflame the public.' 'The context of this video should tell you everything you need to know,' he said. A criminal investigation at the sheriff's office began Sunday, as soon as it became aware of the viral footage, Waters said, adding the State Attorney's Office determined Monday no officers involved in the arrest violated any criminal laws. An administrative review over whether the deputies violated department policies is also ongoing, Waters said. The arresting officer has been 'stripped of his law enforcement authority' pending the outcome of the administrative review, according to the sheriff. McNeil's attorney Daniels said he was disgusted but not surprised by the actions of the officers. 'The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has a long history of this kind of needless violence and brutality,' Daniels said in a press release. 'It should be obvious to anyone watching this video that William McNeil wasn't a threat to anyone,' Crump added. 'He was calmly exercising his constitutional rights, and they beat him for it.' CNN's Jillian Sykes, Isabel Rosales, Meridith Edwards, Devon Sayers, and Jason Morris contributed to this report.
Fox News
22-07-2025
- Fox News
Jacksonville, Florida police investigating 'viral' video showing officer punching driver in the face
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Police in Jacksonville, Florida are investigating a "viral" video in which an officer is seen punching a male driver in the face during a traffic stop. Footage that began circulating on social media over the weekend showed William McNeil Jr. staring at the camera on Feb. 19 as an officer is seen smashing his driver's side window and demanding that he "exit the vehicle now!" The officer then strikes McNeil in the face before he is dragged out of the car and taken into custody. "At my direction, the agency immediately began both a criminal and administrative review of the officers' actions. These administrative reviews are ongoing, but the state attorney's office has determined that none of the involved officers violated criminal law," Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Monday while releasing a longer bodycam video of the incident. "I want to be clear about something. Yes, there absolutely was force used by the arresting officers. And yes, that force is ugly. But as I've said many times before, the reality is that all force, all violence is ugly, and just because force is ugly does not mean it's unlawful or contrary to policy," he added. DRAMATIC VIDEO SHOWS HERO COPS DRAG DAZED DRIVER FROM CAR BEFORE TRAIN SMASHES INTO IT Waters said the arresting officer involved in the incident, whom he identified as D. Bowers, has been "stripped" of his law enforcement authority pending the outcome of the administrative review. He also said "officers found a large unsheathed serrated knife on the driver's side floorboard" of McNeil's vehicle. "After this traffic stop on February 19, 2025, McNeil was arrested for resisting a police officer without violence, driving on suspended driver's license, and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. On February 20th, 2025, McNeil pled guilty to and was adjudicated guilty of resisting a police officer without violence and driving on a suspended driver's license," the sheriff also said. Waters noted that despite McNeil receiving his cell phone back in early March, which "he presumably used to record the footage that was shared on social media," he never filed a complaint with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office or shared the video with authorities. BODYCAM FOOTAGE SHOWS CHAOTIC MOMENTS LEADING UP TO FATAL OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING The viral footage begins with McNeil talking to an officer about why he was pulled over, recounting how an officer told him his headlights were off during apparent inclement weather. "It doesn't matter -- you are still required to have headlights on," the officer says. "Can you pull that law up?" McNeil then asks him. "Yeah, when you step out of the car I will," the officer then says. "Can you call your supervisor?" McNeil says. "Alright, go for it," the officer is heard saying before McNeil's driver's side window is busted open and he is dragged out of the car. As McNeil is being taken into custody, he asks an officer "what's going on man?" "You're under arrest, that is what is going on," a voice says. CALIFORNIA OFFICER'S GUN STOLEN BY HALF-NAKED SUSPECT WHO WAS LATER SHOT DEAD BY ANOTHER OFFICER: BODYCAM In the bodycam footage released by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, McNeil is seen refusing to hand over his license, registration and proof of insurance to Officer Bowers. "No. Call your supervisor," he says, before refusing a command to step out of the vehicle. "Sir this is your last warning to open the vehicle and exit before we are going to break the window," Bowers tells him. "Open the door and exit, you are under arrest for resisting." WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT: McNeil remains in the vehicle and the window was eventually smashed. Attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels announced they are now representing McNeil after the video sparked "outrage across the country." "What happened to William McNeil Jr. is a disturbing reminder that even the most basic rights — like asking why you've been pulled over — can be met with violence for Black Americans. William was calm and compliant. Yet instead of answers, he got his window smashed and was punched in the face, all over a questionable claim about headlights in broad daylight," they said in a statement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "This wasn't law enforcement, it was brutality. All video from JSO should be released to ensure there is transparency for McNeil and the community. We demand full accountability from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and justice for William McNeil Jr.," the lawyers added.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Yahoo
JSO: Robbery suspect shoots officer, who returns fire killing him
A Family Dollar robbery suspect shot a Jacksonville sheriff's officer who then returned fire, killing the man on Soutel Drive near Norfolk Boulevard early on July 9. The Sheriff's Office said the officer was able to strap a tourniquet onto his leg and is expected to be OK. 'If a person will shoot at a policeman for doing his job after he just committed an armed robbery, he'll shoot at anyone," Sheriff T.K. Waters said at the scene. This is at least the third time an officer was shot at this year in Jacksonville, and the second wounded. Chief Alan Parker said it started with store employees observing a man walking around outside about 7 to 7:30 a.m. and in their opinion was casing it out. Once the store opened about 8 a.m., some customers entered and soon the man also was inside wearing a mask and hoodie. He tells a clerk, 'Give me the money or I'll shoot you," Parker said. She gave him all the cash, about $100, and he left, according to the incident report. One of the witnesses who had already been suspicious of him called police with his description. Officer Luis Mercado III spotted him running and began to chase him. He gave him repeated commands to stop and finally caught up to him, the chief said. More on the shooting: Jacksonville police officer shot in gunfight responding to robbery. What we know 'He takes him down on the ground. The suspect is dropping the money and stuff there at the scene. As the officer is on top of him getting ready to secure him, the suspect kind of moves to his right and fires two rounds," Parker said. "One of the rounds does hit our officer in the leg. … The officer returns fire and shoots the suspect.' The 20-year-old suspect did not survive. Parker said he has a lengthy criminal history. For the four-year officer, it was his first police shooting. It marks the Sheriff's Office's 10th police shooting this year. Six have been fatal. Last year had a total of eight, with three being fatal, according to Times-Union records. What happened to the other Jacksonville officer who was shot? On March 12, Officer Adam Gaulding was conducting a traffic stop at about 9 a.m. when the driver pulled into what turned out to be his own driveway on Ribault Avenue. As the officer was getting out of the vehicle, the suspect opened his driver door. The officer gave him commands to stay in the vehicle, and at that point the suspect leaned out and began firing rounds at the officer striking him in the foot. Officers down: Three Jacksonville sheriff's officers have been shot this year. Here's what we know. Gaulding returned fire, hitting him multiple times. The suspect, 33-year-old Brandon Timothy White, was wearing a bulletproof vest and had a rifle and a second pistol on the seat. (This story has been updated with new details.) This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Suspect shoots Jacksonville officer, who returns fire killing him
