Latest news with #WilliamMcNeilJr
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Florida officer who broke car window, punched 22-year-old black man suspended: ‘Disturbing reminder of racial violence'
'Disturbing reminder of racial violence': The Florida cop who broke the car window and punched a 22-year-old black man in the face during a traffic stop in a viral video has been suspended. However, the sheriff's office said that a state prosecutor had found no misconduct by the officers, but an internal review is underway. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the 22-year-old man, William McNeil Jr, said the incident was "a disturbing reminder" of historical racial violence by police against black Americans. In the viral Instagram video posted by McNeil, the police officer can be seen smashing the window of his car. The officers then punched him in the face, pulled him out of the car and pinned him to the ground. McNeil said his tooth was chipped and he required stitches to his mouth after the arrest, and suffered a concussion. 'This was very hard to do. I'm not mentally healed from this, but I had to get the word out eventually,' he wrote in the caption. Soon after, another clip, a police bodycam footage, began circulating online. In this video, McNeil can be seen refusing the officer's demands to exit the vehicle after being told he has been pulled over for traffic violations. The incident is reportedly from 19 February 2025 in Jacksonville. In a news conference on Monday, Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters said that one of the officers involved in the incident, D Bowers, had been stripped of law-enforcement duties until a review determines whether he violated any of the sheriff's office policies was completed. However, he added, '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.' Sheriff Waters also noted that a person is obligated to comply with an officer's commands, 'even if that person disagrees with that officer's reasons for the stop.' In the viral video, the officer can be seen telling McNeil that he has been pulled over for not wearing his seatbelt or having his headlights on in inclement weather, to which the 22-year-old calmly replied, 'It's daylight, I don't need the lights.' But McNeil refused to leave the vehicle and asked to speak to the officer's supervisor before locking the doors. After warning him to get out of the car for about three minutes, the officer told his colleague he was going to break the window. Another officer responded, 'All right, go for it.' In his arrest report, the policeman wrote that he called for backup after McNeil refused requests to show his driver's license, registration and proof of insurance. 'The suspect was reaching for the floor board of the vehicle where a large knife was sitting,' Officer Bowers wrote. However, in the viral video, McNeil's hands are up and visible as police unlock his seatbelt to drag him from the car. It is unclear if his seatbelt was fastened at the time police pulled him over. William McNeil Jr had pleaded guilty to resisting a police officer without violence and driving on a suspended driver's licence. He was sentenced to two days in jail.
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Black student dragged from his car and punched by Florida officers says he was scared and confused
A Black college student shown on video being punched and dragged from his car by Florida law officers during a traffic stop faces a long recovery from injuries that include a concussion and a broken tooth that pierced his lip and led to several stiches, his lawyers said Wednesday. At a news conference in Jacksonville, 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. spoke softly as he made a few brief comments with his family and civil rights attorneys by his side. 'That day I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,' he said. 'I knew I didn't do nothing wrong. I was really just scared.' McNeil is a biology major who played in the marching band at Livingstone College, a historically Black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina, Livingstone President Anthony Davis said. The encounter with law enforcement happened in February, but the arrest didn't capture much attention until the video from McNeil's car-mounted camera went viral over the weekend. That's when the sheriff said he became aware of it and opened an internal investigation, which is ongoing. The sheriff said a separate probe by the State Attorney's Office cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing — a finding fiercely criticized by McNeil's lawyers. Video from inside the car captures him being punched Footage of the violent arrest has sparked nationwide outrage, with civil rights lawyers accusing authorities of fabricating their arrest report. The video filmed by McNeil's camera shows him sitting in the driver's seat, asking to speak to the Jacksonville officers' supervisor, when they broke his window, punched him in the face, pulled him from the vehicle and punched him again. He was then knocked to the ground by an officer who delivered six closed-fist punches to the hamstring of his right thigh, police reports show. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended law enforcement officers and implied the video was posted to advance a 'narrative' and generate attention on social media. 'That's what happens in so many of these things,' DeSantis said. 'There's a rush to judgment. There's a, there's a desire to try to get views and clicks by creating division.' DeSantis says he hasn't seen the video, but backs law enforcement DeSantis said he hasn't reviewed the viral video but has 'every confidence' in Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, who has urged the public not to cast judgment based on the footage alone. 'If people get out of line, he's going to hold them accountable,' DeSantis said. Body camera footage of the encounter shows McNeil had been repeatedly told to exit the vehicle. And, though he earlier had his car door open while talking with an officer, he later closed it and appeared to keep it locked for about three minutes before the officers forcibly removed him, the video shows. The vantage point of the body camera footage that was released makes it difficult to see the punches. The cellphone footage from the Feb. 19 arrest shows that seconds before being dragged outside, McNeil had his hands up and did not appear to be resisting as he asked, 'What is your reason?' He had pulled over and had been accused of not having his headlights on, even though it was daytime, his lawyers said. On Wednesday, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said his client had every right to ask why he was being pulled over and to ask for a supervisor. Report that McNeil reached toward a knife is disputed A point of contention in the police report is a claim that McNeil reached toward an area of the car where deputies found a knife when they searched the vehicle after taking him into custody. 'The suspect was reaching for the floorboard of the vehicle where a large knife was sitting,' Officer D. Bowers wrote in his report. Crump called that police report a 'fabrication,' saying McNeil 'never reaches for anything.' A second officer observed that McNeil kept his hands up as Bowers smashed the window. 'After Ofc. Bowers opened the door, the subject refused to exit the vehicle, but kept his hands up,' the second officer wrote. Sheriff says officers have been cleared of committing any crimes The State Attorney's Office determined that the officers did not violate any criminal laws, the sheriff said. No one from the State Attorney's Office ever interviewed McNeil, Crump said. Daniels called their investigation 'a whitewashing.' 'But for that video, we would not be here,' Daniels said. 'And we thank God Mr. McNeil had the courage to record.' Asked about the criticism of the State Attorney's review, a spokesperson for the office said Wednesday that 'a memo to McNeil's file will be finalized in the coming days that will serve as our comment.' Shortly after his arrest, McNeil pleaded guilty to charges of resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license, Waters said. Civil rights attorneys call for accountability 'America, we're better than this, we're at a crossroads,' Crump said. 'We are a Democracy, we believe in the Constitution. We are not a police state where the police can do anything they want to citizens without any accountability.' Crump said his client remained calm while the officers who are trained to deescalate tense situations were the ones escalating violence. He said the case harkened back to the Civil Rights movement, when Black people were often attacked when they tried to assert their rights. 'What he exhibited was a 21st century Rosa Parks moment where an African American had the audacity to say 'I deserve equal justice under the law. I deserve to be treated like a human being with all the respect that a human being is entitled to.'' The sheriff has pushed back on some of the claims by Crump and lawyer Harry Daniels, saying the cellphone camera footage from inside the car 'does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident.' 'Part of that stems from the distance and perspective of the recording cell phone camera,' the sheriff said in a statement, adding that the video did not capture events that occurred before officers decided to arrest McNeil. Cameras 'can only capture what can be seen and heard,' the sheriff added. '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.' Many of the speakers at Wednesday's news conference said they hope the Florida case results in accountability so that what happened to McNeil doesn't happen to others. 'It's incumbent upon everyone to understand that this could have been us, this could have been me, this could have been you,' civil rights lawyer Gerald Griggs said.
CTV News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Black student dragged from his car and punched by Florida officers says he was scared and confused
William McNeil Jr., centre, listens as his attorney Ben Crump, right, speaks during a news conference in Jacksonville, Fla., Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (WJAX via AP) A Black college student shown on video being punched and dragged from his car by Florida law officers during a traffic stop faces a long recovery from injuries that include a concussion and a broken tooth that pierced his lip and led to several stiches, his lawyers said Wednesday. At a news conference in Jacksonville, 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. spoke softly as he made a few brief comments with his family and civil rights attorneys by his side. 'That day I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,' he said. 'I knew I didn't do nothing wrong. I was really just scared.' McNeil is a biology major who played in the marching band at Livingstone College, a historically Black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina, Livingstone President Anthony Davis said. The encounter with law enforcement happened in February, but the arrest didn't capture much attention until the video from McNeil's car-mounted camera went viral over the weekend. That's when the sheriff said he became aware of it and opened an internal investigation, which is ongoing. The sheriff said a separate probe by the State Attorney's Office cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing — a finding fiercely criticized by McNeil's lawyers. Video from inside the car captures him being punched Footage of the violent arrest has sparked nationwide outrage, with civil rights lawyers accusing authorities of fabricating their arrest report. The video filmed by McNeil's camera shows him sitting in the driver's seat, asking to speak to the Jacksonville officers' supervisor, when they broke his window, punched him in the face, pulled him from the vehicle, and then punched him again. He was then knocked to the ground by an officer who delivered six closed-fist punches to the hamstring of his right thigh, police reports show. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended law enforcement officers and implied the video was posted to advance a 'narrative' and generate attention on social media. 'That's what happens in so many of these things,' DeSantis said. 'There's a rush to judgment. There's a, there's a desire to try to get views and clicks by creating division.' DeSantis says he hasn't seen the video, but backs law enforcement DeSantis said he hasn't reviewed the viral video but has 'every confidence' in Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, who has urged the public not to cast judgement based on the footage alone. 'If people get out of line, he's going to hold them accountable,' DeSantis said. Body camera footage of the encounter shows McNeil had been repeatedly told to exit the vehicle. And, though he earlier had his car door open while talking with an officer, he later closed it and appeared to keep it locked for about three minutes before the officers forcibly removed him, the video shows. The vantage point of the body camera footage that was released makes it difficult to see the punches that were thrown. The cellphone footage from the Feb. 19 arrest shows that seconds before being dragged outside, McNeil had his hands up and did not appear to be resisting as he asked, 'What is your reason?' He had pulled over and had been accused of not having his headlights on, even though it was daytime, his lawyers said. On Wednesday, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said his client had every right to ask why he was being pulled over and to ask for a supervisor. Sheriff: Officers have been cleared of committing any crimes The State Attorney's Office determined that the officers did not violate any criminal laws, the sheriff said. No one from the State Attorney's Office ever interviewed McNeil, said Crump. Daniels called their investigation 'a whitewashing.' 'But for that video, we would not be here,' Daniels said. 'And we thank God Mr. McNeil had the courage to record.' Asked about the criticism of the State Attorney's review, a spokesman for the office said Wednesday that 'a memo to McNeil's file will be finalized in the coming days that will serve as our comment.' Shortly after his arrest, McNeil pleaded guilty to charges of resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license, Waters said. Civil rights attorneys call for accountability 'America, we're better than this, we're at a crossroads,' Crump said. 'We are a Democracy, we believe in the Constitution. We are not a police state where the police can do anything they want to citizens without any accountability.' Crump said his client remained calm while the officers who are trained to deescalate tense situations were the ones escalating violence. He said the case harkened back to the Civil Rights movement, when Black people were often attacked when they tried to assert their rights. 'What he exhibited was a 21st century Rosa Parks moment where an African American had the audacity to say 'I deserve equal justice under the law. I deserve to be treated like a human being with all the respect that a human being is entitled to.'' The sheriff has pushed back on some of the claims by Crump and lawyer Harry Daniels, saying the cellphone camera footage from inside the car 'does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident.' 'Part of that stems from the distance and perspective of the recording cell phone camera,' the sheriff said in a statement, adding that the video did not capture events that occurred before officers decided to arrest McNeil. Cameras 'can only capture what can be seen and heard,' the sheriff added. '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.' Many of the speakers at Wednesday's news conference said they hope the Florida case results in accountability so that what happened to McNeil doesn't happen to others. 'It's incumbent upon everyone to understand that this could have been us, this could have been me, this could have been you,' civil rights lawyer Gerald Griggs said. —- Jeff Martin, The Associated Press Associated Press writer Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Black student faces long recovery after police beat him at traffic stop in Florida, lawyers say
A Black college student shown on video being punched and dragged from his car by Florida law enforcement officers during a traffic stop faces a long recovery from injuries that include a concussion and a lip punctured by one of his teeth, his lawyers said on Wednesday. At a news conference in Jacksonville, 22-year-old William McNeil Jr spoke softly as he made a few brief comments with his family and civil rights attorneys by his side. 'That day I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,' he said. 'I knew I didn't do nothing wrong. I was really just scared.' McNeil is a biology major who played in the marching band at Livingstone College, a historically Black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina, the school's president, Anthony Davis, said. Footage of the violent arrest has sparked nationwide outrage, with civil rights lawyers accusing authorities of fabricating their arrest report. The video shows that McNeil was sitting in the driver's seat, asking to speak to the Jacksonville officers' supervisor, when they broke his window, punched him in the face, pulled him from the vehicle, punched him again and threw him to the ground. An officer then delivered six closed-fist punches to the hamstring of his right thigh, police reports show. Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, on Wednesday defended the law enforcement officers and implied the video was posted to advance a 'narrative' and generate attention on social media. 'That's what happens in so many of these things,' DeSantis said. 'There's a rush to judgment. There's a, there's a desire to try to get views and clicks by creating division.' DeSantis said he hasn't reviewed the viral video of the police encounter. Body camera footage of the encounter shows McNeil had been repeatedly told to exit the vehicle. And, though he earlier had his car door open while talking with authorities, he later closed it and appeared to keep it locked for about three minutes before the officers forcibly removed him, the video shows. The vantage point of the body camera footage that was released makes it difficult to see the punches that were thrown. The cellphone footage from the 19 February arrest shows that seconds before being dragged outside, McNeil had his hands up and did not appear to be resisting as he asked, 'What is your reason?' He had pulled over and had been accused of not having his headlights on, even though it was daytime, his lawyers said. On Wednesday, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said his client had every right to ask why he was being pulled over and to ask for a supervisor. 'America, we're better than this, we're at a crossroads,' Crump said. 'We are a democracy, we believe in the constitution. We are not a police state where the police can do anything they want to citizens without any accountability.' Local law enforcement has pushed back on some of the claims by Crump, saying the cellphone camera footage from inside the car does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Sun
19 hours 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
