Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said he released the video to show the public the “full account” of the viral encounter from Feb. 19 with context.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sheriff T.K. Waters of Jacksonville is set to discuss the now widely-circulated footage from a February traffic stop on West Palm Avenue. The video captures the moment officers forcibly removed a man from his vehicle.
The incident took place Feb. 19 and involved William McNeil Jr.
In a police report, officers said they pulled McNeil over for not having his headlights on in inclement weather, and for not wearing his seatbelt.
The initial cell phone recording of this event accumulated hundreds of thousands of views online, igniting a wave of national disapproval. The footage shows JSO officers striking McNeil in the face during the effort to extract him from his car.
Waters said he released the video in the interest of transparency, wanting to show the full context of the incident to the public.
You can watch the full press conference with Sheriff T.K. Waters, including the body camera footage, here:
