A viral video showing a Jacksonville police officer punching a driver during a February arrest has ignited public backlash and drawn nearly 2,000 comments on Instagram. The clip, filmed from inside William McNeil Jr.’s car, shows officers breaking a window, punching him and subduing McNeil on the ground.
Sheriff T.K. Waters addressed the incident at a press conference on July 21, stating he was unaware of the arrest until the video surfaced online. He emphasized that “one video devoid of context can be very misleading” and released bodycam footage from three officers to provide a fuller picture of the Feb. 19 encounter.
The video Waters released followed Officer D.J. Bowers’ engagement with McNeil. The arrest stemmed from a traffic stop around Commonwealth Avenue, where McNeil was pulled over for not having headlights on during “inclement weather,” leading to a resisting arrest charge.
Waters said McNeil had not filed a formal complaint during the time of the arrest, noting that if he had, “we would have been all over that,” Waters said.
According to the news conference, the incident remains under internal review. The sheriff declined to either condone or condemn the officers’ actions pending the investigation.
(This story has been updated with a gallery.)
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Watch Florida police officer punching driver in arrest video
Reporting by Doris Alvarez Cea and Steve Patterson, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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