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CNN
23-07-2025
- 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.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
Police watchdog clears Edmonton officer who hit man multiple times during 2023 arrest
Alberta's main police oversight agency has cleared an Edmonton police officer who punched a man multiple times during an arrest in 2023. The man had tried to punch the officer after they spoke for a moment, so the seven punches the officer landed were reasonable to defend himself and make the arrest, according to a decision by Matthew Block, assistant executive director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), that was released Tuesday. As a result, Block found there are no reasonable grounds to believe an offence was committed, the decision says. An Edmonton Police Service (EPS) spokesperson issued a statement Tuesday, thanking ASIRT for the review and its findings. A video of the incident, which triggered the investigation, lacked context, the statement said. But EPS appreciates that ASIRT found evidence that "provided this context and subsequently confirmed there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence was committed." ASIRT investigates incidents where police may have caused serious injury or death, as well as "serious and sensitive" allegations of police misconduct, such as sexual assault, fraud and obstruction of justice. Its investigation into this incident, which occurred Feb. 22, 2023, started after EPS learned a video of the arrest was circulating online and then informed the Alberta director of law enforcement. According to the ASIRT decision, police had caught the man speeding significantly and ignored speed bumps. Video shows a white vehicle parking smoothly into a parking spot. A police cruiser parks behind it seconds later. A man gets out of his vehicle and walks toward the cruiser. The officer behind the wheel, who was the subject of the ASIRT investigation, gets out too. They appear to talk with each other. WATCH | Video of Edmonton police officer's use of force during 2023 arrest: The decision notes that, at this point, the man and police officers provided conflicting accounts. The man, during an interview with ASIRT just over a year after the incident, said he approached the vehicle calmly, asking what was going on and how he could help, before the officer ordered him to return to his vehicle. The officers told ASIRT that the man was confrontational and told them to leave the property. The subject officer declined an interview, as is his right, but supplied ASIRT with multiple reports and his notes. The witness officer did an interview and provided her notes and reports. The video shows the man return to his vehicle. The decision says he told ASIRT he was taking the keys out of the ignition. But the subject officer, who followed him, said the man seemed to be reaching under the seat or console, which led him to believe he may be getting a weapon or hiding something. The officer put his hand on his gun and ordered the man to show his hands, the ASIRT decision says. He said the man complied but kept acting aggressively, so he told him that they had to discuss the driving pattern. The man eventually steps away from the officer again until he is hidden in the frame by a pillar. Another officer steps out of the cruiser. The man had told ASIRT that the first officer permitted him to leave, and he didn't hear the officer tell him to stop. But the officer said he had told the man he was not allowed to leave, the decision says. When the man reappears in the video, he is walking away. The first officer jogs up to him. According to the decision, the officer then grabs the man's left arm and spins him video shows a struggle, during which the man puts his hands up, either to punch the officer or to shield himself. The officer then lands at least four punches before the man drops to the ground. He hits him four more times before he and his partner make the arrest. The man's injuries included a concussion and marks on his face, a left-shoulder injury, cuts from the handcuffs and post-traumatic stress disorder, the decision says. Man swung first: ASIRT Whether or not the man tried to punch the police officer was a major factor in this investigation, said Block, from ASIRT, in the decision. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, police officers have the right to use as much force as is necessary to perform their duties, and that force must be reasonable and proportionate given the perceived threat. Officers, like anyone else, also have the right to defend themselves. The man and officer accused each other of throwing the first punch, according to the decision, and the witness officer told ASIRT she may have missed that part of the conflict while reaching for her stun gun. Block found, however, that the video showed the man took what "appears to be a fighting stance" and clearly tried to punch the officer at least once, the decision says. He also noted that the officer's punches happened within several seconds. As a result, the reasons for using such force would likely succeed in this case, the decision says. So there is no reason to believe the officer committed an offence. Lawyer disagrees The man's lawyer Heather Steinke-Attia, however, disagrees with Block's assessment. "It determines — and focuses on — my client reaching his arm out in front of him, and determining that that was an attempted punch at the officer," Steinke-Attia told CBC News. "He instinctively put his arms up in anticipation that he was about to get punched — which anyone would do — and ASIRT refused to give any consideration to that possibility," she said. The man was charged with obstruction and assaulting a police officer, and issued two traffic tickets — although the charges were withdrawn on Jan. 12, 2024, the decision says. Steinke-Attia felt the decision unfairly weighed the length of time between the incident and when her client spoke with ASIRT. He likely would have been instructed by his then-lawyer to exercise his right to remain silent until the charges were withdrawn, she said. The EPS professional standards branch will review the decision and determine next steps, per the provincial Police Service Regulation, its statement said. Shortly after the incident, the officers' duty status was under review. An EPS spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that they are both on active duty.
CNN
23-07-2025
- 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.
CNN
23-07-2025
- 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.
CBS News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Activists call for city to remove Minneapolis police officer who killed Amir Locke as use of force training instructor
Community activists are demanding accountability after learning a police officer behind the controversial killing of a Black man in Minneapolis is training other officers how to use force. The Minneapolis police chief confirmed Tuesday that Sgt. Mark Hanneman is instructing "use of force" training with the department through August. Hanneman shot and killed Amir Locke during a no-knock raid at a downtown Minneapolis apartment in 2022. "It's like they're trying to erase what happened to my son — to promote the man who took Amir's life and put him in a position of leadership is beyond disrespectful," Amir Locke's father, Andre Locke, said. "It's more than a slap in the face. It's so hard to turn the other cheek. It's a blatant disrespect to our entire community... We want truth, transparency, and real accountability — not cover-ups and closed-door promotions." During Tuesday's press conference, community groups called on the city to immediately remove Hanneman from any training or leadership position. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said in a statement that Hanneman's work was reviewed and approved by the city's independent evaluator. "What he does next will continue to be based on the needs of the department and our continued goal to build community trust," O'Hara said. While prosecutors declined to criminally charge Hanneman in Amir Locke's death, federal judges recently ruled that a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Amir Locke's family against Minneapolis and Hanneman can move forward despite the city's appeal. Hanneman is accused of violating Amir Locke's Fourth Amendment rights to be free from unreasonable seizures, while the city is accused of not properly training its officers. The court also ruled Hanneman is not entitled to qualified immunity. Amir Locke's death prompted calls for an overhaul in search warrant application and execution in the city, including a ban on no-knock warrants. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey limited the practice, with room for exceptions, following the shooting, though he had falsely claimed he had "banned" no-knock warrants during his reelection campaign months Leone and Stephen Swanson contributed to this report.
