JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WFLA)—A Jacksonville man whose video gained widespread attention on social media following an encounter with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has retained civil rights attorneys Harry Daniel and Ben Crump.
William McNeil Jr., 22, hired the attorneys after a Feb, 19 incident.
“JSO officers violently smashed his window and repeatedly punched him in the face after he requested to speak to a supervisor,” stated a press release.
The video, which has now gone viral, depicted McNeil inquiring about the reason for the traffic stop, with the officer responding that his headlights were not on.
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McNeil said to JSO officers that it was daylight and wasn’t raining, but the officer said, “It doesn’t matter.”
“It should be obvious to anyone watching this video that William McNeil wasn’t a threat to anyone,” said Crump. “He was calmly exercising his constitutional rights, and they beat him for it.”
In the video, you can hear an officer, who is not on camera, asking McNeil to get out of the car. McNeil then asked to speak to a supervisor before another officer smashed the driver’s side window and punched McNeil in the face.
“I am absolutely disgusted by the actions of these officers but, unfortunately, I’m not surprised,” said Daniels. “The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has a long history of this kind of needless violence and brutality.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released a statement:
We are aware of a video circulating on social media showing a traffic stop represented to be from February 19, 2025. We have launched an internal investigation into it and the circumstances surrounding this incident. We hold our officers to the highest standards and are committed to thoroughly determining exactly what occurred.
