A cell phone video showing a White police officer in Jacksonville, Florida, striking a Black man in the face during a February traffic stop before officers dragged the driver from his car has sparked outrage online as conflicting accounts of the incident have emerged.
The video, which 22-year-old driver William McNeil Jr. took from inside his car, is a clear depiction of brutality, say his civil rights lawyers, Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, and comes 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.
“I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,” McNeil, an undergraduate student and church musician, said at a news conference Wednesday. “I know I didn’t do nothing wrong.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office argues the video doesn’t show the full context of the incident. “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.”
The sheriff said he wouldn’t stay silent while “facts and information are buried to advance an anti-police agenda.”
