Photo: Harry Wedzinga / iStock / Getty Images
Florida prosecutors have declined to pursue charges against the sheriff's deputy caught on video violently arresting William McNeil Jr., a 22-year-old Black college student, per Newsone.
McNeil was initially pulled over on February 19 for allegedly failing to turn on his headlights and wear a seatbelt. Now-viral video showed McNeil questioning why he was stopped and asking to speak to a supervisor before Officer D. Bowers smashed his window, pulled him from the vehicle, and punched him in the face.
McNeil, who suffered a concussion, a broken tooth, and facial lacerations, was not charged with a crime.
“William was calm and compliant,” attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels said in a statement, calling the traffic stop "dehumanizing." “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 the officers’ actions, arguing that “cameras can only capture what can be seen and heard,” and dismissed suggestions that racism played a role.
“Do I believe the entire world is racist? No,” he said during a town hall. “I absolutely believe [racism exists], but … if that was the case, I would not be standing before you right now.”
In a memo released this week, the State Attorney’s Office concluded that Bowers made a lawful stop and used justified force. Officer Bowers remains under internal review, but he hasn't been disciplined.
Attorneys for McNeil said they plan on filing a civil lawsuit and are pushing for federal accountability.
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