JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Florida lawmaker and notable civil rights attorneys are calling out Jacksonville Sheriff's Office after a video showing an officer repeatedly striking an unarmed Black man in the face during a traffic stop.
The video shows a deputy breaking through 22-year-old William McNeil Jr.'s driver side window, striking him, pulling him out of the car, where he is then held by multiple officers and struck repeatedly and taken down forcefully to the ground.
WATCH: Civil rights attorneys, Florida lawmakers call out officers after Black man struck during stop
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded, saying it has launched a criminal and internal investigation into the officer's actions.
Watch video of JSO officers' violent encounter with William McNeil Jr.:
The video has since spread online, and McNeil Jr. has hired civil rights attorneys Harry M. Daniels and Ben Crump over the Feb.19 incident when they say "JSO officers violently smashed his window and punched him in the face multiple times after he asked to speak to a supervisor."
In the video, McNeil is heard asking the JSO officers about the reason for the stop. They said it was over him having headlights on. McNeil said it was daylight and it wasn’t raining, when the officer said it didn’t matter, according to Daniels and Crump.
“It should be obvious to anyone watching this video that William McNeil wasn’t a threat to anyone,” said Crump. “He was calmly exercising his constitutional rights and they beat him for it.”
ABC Action News Reporter Annette Gutierrez spoke with Daniels about the incident.
"I'm not surprised, I've seen a lot of videos like this,” said Daniels. “He gets pulled over for a bogus allegation that he did not have headlights on, and to be subjected to this type of brutality is so inhuman[e]."
Daniels said a traffic infraction such as this one creates unwarranted fear in people, especially those of color.
"I can see if it was dark night, no taillights, no headlights, and that's a safety concern," said Daniels. "It's not like a safety concern, not having your headlights on during the day where your vision is not obstructed."
Michele Rayner is a local civil rights attorney and the State Representative for House District 62. She saw the video, and said it was difficult to watch.
"It's disturbing," said Rayner. "It is incumbent upon law enforcement officers to de-escalate a situation. They're the ones that have training. They're the ones that know how to de-escalate the situation, and there were so many ways that that officer could have de-escalated that situation that it did not have to rise to this level."
ABC Action News reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for comments. And they responded saying:
"We are aware of the video circulating on socials media showing a traffic stop from February 19, 2025. We have a launched an internal investigation into it and the circumstances surrounding this incident. We hold our officers to the highest standards and are committed to thoroughly determining exactly what occurred."
In a press conference Monday evening, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters responded to the viral video, saying he believes in transparency.
"The reality is that all force, all violence is ugly," said Waters. "And just because force is ugly does not mean it's unlawful or contrary to policy."
The sheriff said McNeil was arrested in February, he posted the video in March, and it went viral this weekend.
McNeil faced charges of resisting an officer without violence, driving with a suspended license, and possessing drugs. He was found guilty to the first two.
Waters said McNeil never filed a complaint, and had he known about this video, his administration would have looked into it.
"I assume that he intended to inflame the public," said Waters.
The State Attorney has deemed the officer's actions as not criminal, but Waters said that Officer D. Bowers is still being reviewed to determine whether he violated JSO policy.
Waters said no one is above the law, and he will take appropriate action against his own if it's warranted. And he said that can’t happen without having all the facts.
So, he shared some of the body worn camera footage from that day to help offer perspective and context to the video posted on social media.
In the BWC video, you can hear the officer repeating his commands, saying, "Open the door and exit or we are going to break the window....Open the door and exit, you are under arrest for resisting arrest."
"You're not allowed to resist a police officer when he's doing his lawful duties," said Waters.
"I applaud him for putting out the body cam, but I think that the context it provided, it showed that officers used excessive force," said Rayner.
We posted this story on Facebook, and hundreds of people spoke out in the comments section.
One person said, “This breaks my heart.”
Another Facebook user said, “Seems extreme for a routine stop.”
And another commenter said, “How many times does someone ignore a lawful command … This isn’t about race its about disrespect towards Law Enforcement only!”
Sheriff Waters responded to the reference of race.
"I wouldn't work here if we're after black men or black people, period," said Waters. "I can tell you he wouldn't. I can tell you any other African American or black male or female that works here, wouldn't work here if we're after if our, if our black citizens are under siege. Not the case, not the case at all."
He went on to say, "If I was ever stopped by the police, which I was when I was a young man, and they asked me to do something, I did it. Simple, simple compliance. It doesn't rise, it doesn't get out of control. That stuff doesn't happen then."
Waters said out of an abundance of caution, Officer Bowers has been stripped of his law enforcement authority pending the outcome of the administrative review.
Florida lawmaker Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-34) said the following on the matter:
"Once again, we are faced with a sickening reminder of the systemic issues that plague our law enforcement. The video coming out of Jacksonville is deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable. To witness an officer assault an unarmed Black man during what should have been a routine traffic stop is a stark demonstration of the continued racial bias and excessive force that far too many Black individuals experience in our communities. Never mind the fact that the driver was baselessly stopped for not using headlights during broad daylight. This incident is not isolated; it is part of a painful pattern that further erodes trust between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect. We must demand accountability for this officer's actions and work tirelessly to reform our justice system to ensure such egregious acts never happen again. My heart goes out to the victim, and I stand in solidarity with all those who demand justice and an end to police brutality. "
State Representative Angie Nixon (D–Jacksonville) announced sending a formal letter Monday to JSO Sheriff T.K. Waters demanding immediate action. The following statement was released:
“My office has received multiple complaints about the lack of response to people’s inquiries concerning their mistreatment by officers on the street, as well as JSO correctional officers. Further, public records requests are frequently denied or ignored, and crucial updates regarding incarcerated individuals are either concealed or distorted. This is not simply bureaucratic failure - it reflects a broader pattern of neglect and an alarming disregard for safety and public trust.”
Representative Nixon added, “My office demands truth, transparency, and accountability from your office and from every official charged with upholding the law in Duval County.”
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