In the arrest report of William McNeil Jr., the arresting officer stated that McNeil reached for a knife.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Questions continue to linger after Jacksonville Sheriff T. K. Waters released body camera footage from the arrest of a 22-year-old man in February, which has now gone viral.
On February 19, 2025, William McNeil Jr. was stopped by police. He was eventually arrested and charged with resisting an officer. Five months later, McNeil uploaded a video of his encounter with the officers that day. In the footage, which has attracted national attention, an officer is seen breaking his car window and punching him in the face.
First Coast News accessed McNeil’s arrest report. It indicates that McNeil did not comply with officers and refused to exit the vehicle. The report also notes that McNeil “was reaching for the floorboard of the vehicle where a large knife was located.”
Waters released three body camera videos from three different officers on scene, along with a picture of the knife that was found. McNeil could not be seen in any of the videos reaching for the knife. Waters was asked about this during a press conference Monday. He said he did not see McNeil’s hands and did not want to make assumptions.
“I don’t see where his hands are. I can’t assume, Jake. No one can assume. I operate and we operate off facts and facts alone. I can’t make assumptions. All I can go by when I read those things is what’s stated in the report. I’m not saying whether it’s true or whether it’s not, I’m saying no one sees his hands at that point. He says, put your hands up, then his hands come up, but after the after the strike to the face, like I said again, I’m not trying this case in front of the public. I’m trying to give the public the information in context of what happened. No one saw his hands at that point. Don’t know what happened from there, but that’s part of the investigative process,” Waters explained.
The incident is now under administrative review. In a statement, McNeil’s attorney said “the narrative in this report isn’t just suspicious. It is completely divorced from reality.”
