Traffic stop turns violent, video prompts internal investigation and possible legal action
A man injured during a February stop has hired civil rights attorneys; viral video questions officer conduct
JACKSONVILLE, Florida (41NBC/WMGT/CNN) — A traffic stop that turned violent in February is now the subject of a viral video, an internal police investigation, and a potential legal battle.
William McNeil Jr., 22, has retained civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels following an incident involving Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) officers. The arrest, which occurred on February 19, began after McNeil was pulled over and accused of failing to turn on his headlights in cloudy weather.
Viral video prompts scrutiny of officer conduct
Footage from the scene shows McNeil calmly questioning the reason for the stop and requesting to speak with a supervisor. The situation escalated when an officer smashed McNeil’s car window and punched him in the face. McNeil raised his hands and asked, “What’s going on?” before being struck again.
Attorney Chris Carson, who is not representing McNeil but reviewed the video, said, “It doesn’t really seem there was any criminal behavior alleged on the part of the gentleman. It’s a traffic stop. It happens hundreds of times a day.”
McNeil later said he suffered a chipped tooth, nine stitches to his lips, a concussion, and short-term memory loss.
Arrest report questioned by legal team
Attorneys for McNeil say the arrest report filed by JSO Officer G.D. Kerce is inconsistent with what’s shown in the video. They claim the report omits key details, including the use of force and McNeil’s visible compliance during the stop.
“The narrative in this report isn’t just suspicious. It is completely divorced from reality,” the attorneys said in a joint statement. “He simply asks for a supervisor, and then they break his window and beat him.”
A man with McNeil’s name was arrested that day and later pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license and resisting an officer.
Investigation launched by Sheriff’s Office
On Sunday, July 20, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office acknowledged the video and confirmed an internal investigation.
“We are aware of a video circulating on social media showing a traffic stop represented to be from February 19, 2025,” said Sheriff T.K. Waters. “We have launched an internal investigation… We hold our officers to the highest standards and are committed to thoroughly determining exactly what occurred.”
Attorney Carson added that, depending on the findings, the case could go beyond policy violations.
“There are cases where officers are actually charged with crimes for things they did in the course of their police work,” he said. “It is rare, but it certainly can happen.”
Video shows Florida deputies punching and dragging a Black man from his car
A video showing Florida deputies punching and dragging a Black man from his car during a traffic stop has sparked nationwide outrage, with civil rights lawyers accusing authorities of fabricating their arrest report.
William McNeil Jr., 22, was sitting in the driver’s seat, asking to speak to the Jacksonville deputies’ supervisor, when authorities broke his window, punched him in the face, pulled him from the vehicle, punched him again and threw him to the ground.
But Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters says there’s more to the story than the cellphone video that went viral on the Internet. He warned the public about “a rush to judgment” that could lead to faulty conclusions. McNeil’s lawyers say the video clearly depicts police brutality.
The 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 accused of not having his headlights on, even though it was daytime, his lawyers said.
“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,” lawyers Ben Crump and Harry Daniels said in a statement. Crump is a Black civil rights attorney who has gained national prominence representing victims of police brutality and vigilante violence.
“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.”
The sheriff said 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.”
A key point of contention in the police report is a claim that McNeil was reaching toward an area where a knife was. Deputies later found the knife on the driver’s side floorboard of his car when they searched it after taking McNeil 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. “The suspect continued to attempt to pull away from officers and refused to place his hands behind his back.”
Bowers does not mention any punches being thrown in his report, and describes the force this way: “Physical force was applied to the suspect and he was taken to the ground.”
Crump and Daniels called that report a “fabrication,” saying that “he never reaches for anything.”
“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.”
“He’s never combative, never raises his voice and he certainly never reaches for a knife,” they added. “He simply asks for a supervisor and then they break his window and beat him yet, somehow, the report failed to mention that.”
McNeil was charged with resisting a police officer without violence; driving with a suspended license and having less than 20 grams of marijuana, Waters said. He pleaded guilty to the charges of resisting an officer and driving with a suspended license, Waters said.
McNeil was warned seven times that he needed to open his car door and get out, or officers would be forced to break his car window, the sheriff said.
Waters said the sheriff’s office on Sunday became aware that the cellphone video was circulating on social media. Investigations then began, and the State Attorney’s Office determined that no officers violated any criminal laws, he said at a news briefing. An “administrative review” to determine whether officers violated any department policies is still ongoing, he said.
