JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BN24) — A viral cellphone video showing Florida deputies punching and forcibly removing a 22-year-old Black man from his car during a traffic stop has ignited national outrage and renewed scrutiny over law enforcement’s use of force and transparency.
The incident, which occurred on Feb. 19 in Jacksonville, shows William McNeil Jr. seated in the driver’s seat asking to speak to a supervisor when deputies suddenly shattered his window, punched him in the face, dragged him from the car, and appeared to strike him again before forcing him to the ground.
The cellphone video, shared widely on social media, has prompted civil rights attorneys to accuse deputies of excessive force and of omitting crucial details in their arrest reports. “William was calm and compliant,” attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels said in a joint statement. “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.”
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters defended his deputies, cautioning against drawing conclusions based solely on video captured from inside the vehicle. He said the footage lacks important context and doesn’t reflect everything officers experienced during the stop. “Cameras can only capture what can be seen and heard,” Waters said, “but so much context is absent because a camera simply cannot record what the people involved know.”
Body camera footage released by authorities shows deputies repeatedly ordering McNeil to exit the vehicle. At one point, McNeil had opened his car door but later closed and locked it, remaining inside for several minutes. The bodycam’s limited angle makes it difficult to clearly see the blows that were allegedly delivered.
Authorities say McNeil was reaching toward the driver’s side floorboard where a large knife was later found, an assertion sharply disputed by his lawyers. “The only time he moves at all is when the officer knocks him over by punching him in his face,” said Crump and Daniels. “Then this young man calmly sits back straight and holds his empty hands up.”
Officer D. Bowers, in his arrest report, claimed McNeil reached down toward the floor, where the knife was later discovered. He stated McNeil refused to exit the vehicle and attempted to pull away. However, Bowers did not acknowledge any punches being thrown, describing the interaction only as involving “physical force.”
A second officer provided more detail in a supplemental report, writing that after helping pull McNeil from the vehicle, he delivered six closed-fist punches to the back of McNeil’s right thigh in an effort to subdue him. “After delivering the six closed fist strikes, the subject stopped resisting,” the report said.
McNeil’s legal team flatly denies any attempt by their client to resist. “He’s never combative, never raises his voice, and he certainly never reaches for a knife,” they said, accusing Bowers of fabricating details to justify the aggressive response. “He simply asks for a supervisor — then they break his window and beat him. Yet somehow, the report failed to mention that.”
McNeil was arrested and later pleaded guilty to resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license. He was also cited for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. Sheriff Waters said an internal administrative review is underway, though the State Attorney’s Office has already concluded that no criminal charges against the deputies are warranted.
The controversy has added to ongoing national conversations about policing and racial bias, especially surrounding traffic stops involving Black drivers. Civil rights advocates say the footage underscores the risks Black Americans face even during routine encounters with law enforcement.
