Daytona Beach Police Officer Joel Llinas has been fired after an Internal Affairs investigation found he used excessive force in arresting a Tennessee man over an open bottle of tequila during spring break, an Aug. 18 department news release stated.
“Based on that determination, (Llinas’) employment with the Daytona Beach Police Department has been terminated,” stated Police Chief Jakari Young in the news release.
What did former Daytona officer do that cost him his job?
According to an incident report and body camera video, Llinas encountered David L. Anderson, 27, of Madison, Tennessee, near Bethune-Cookman University on March 12 at 12:36 a.m. with an open bottle of Patron Tequila.
Llinas ordered Anderson to pour out the alcohol, but Anderson told Llinas to do it himself, reports show.
Llinas took the tequila bottle and poured out its contents, the police report stated.
Flipped cork puts Daytona officer into use-of-force mode, reports show
As Llinas poured out the tequila, Anderson tossed what appears to be a cork underhanded toward Llinas. It’s unclear whether the cork hit Llinas, according to reports.
Llinas then jumped Anderson from behind as he walked away and tried to arrest him. When Anderson resisted, Llinas activated his Tazer 7 and told Anderson if he continued to resist, he would get tased. Anderson was then placed in handcuffs, the report states.
Anderson, who remained handcuffed on the hood of Llinas’ patrol car, “began to push back on officers as they attempted to search him,” the report states.
The report said Anderson bit Llinas on the wrist, and that was when Llinas threw Anderson to the ground. Llinas punched Anderson in the head, and when Anderson taunted him that he was weak, the officer punched Anderson three more times, police said.
Minor enforcement encounter escalated into a use-of-force encounter, Daytona police report says
Llinas was not criminally charged, and in April the Daytona Beach Police Department said that decision was made in conjunction with the State Attorney’s Office.
In the Internal Affairs report released Aug. 18, it was determined that “a relatively minor enforcement encounter escalated into a use-of-force encounter” after Anderson resisted arrest.
“The internal investigation determined that Officer Llinas violated multiple department policiesrelated to his conduct and use of force,” Chief Young stated in the news release.
In the less than three years that Llinas was with the department, the encounter with Anderson was the second time Llinas initiated a forceful arrest, the news release pointed out.
In April, Daytona Beach police released information that detailed how Llinas was reprimanded in 2025 for putting his rifle barrel against a man’s back and threatening to shoot him even though the man posed no threat.
Llinas was trained in de-escalation tactics but failed to use them when arresting Anderson, Daytona Beach police said. “How an officer responds in difficult situations requires sound judgment and emotional control,” Young stated in the news release. “After reviewing the totality of the circumstances, I determined that Llinas’ judgment and emotional control did not meet the standards expected of a Daytona Beach police officer.”
― Patricio G. Balona is a crime and public safety reporter covering Volusia County and occasionally Flagler County. His coverage areas include Daytona Beach, DeLand, Ormond Beach and beyond.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona police officer fired for use of force in cork arrest, cops say
Reporting by Patricio G. Balona, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Patricio G. Balona, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
