Disturbing dashboard camera footage has captured Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers smashing a car window and repeatedly punching a driver in the face during a routine traffic stop, prompting an internal investigation and calls for accountability.
William McNeil Jr., 22, was pulled over by JSO officers on February 19, 2025, allegedly for not having his headlights on during what police claimed was inclement weather. The shocking video, shared on social media on Sunday, shows officers breaking McNeil’s window, striking him multiple times, and forcefully removing him from his vehicle.
The incident has drawn immediate condemnation from civil rights attorneys and sparked comparisons to previous excessive force cases involving the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The Traffic Stop
According to a police report obtained by News4Jax, officers pulled McNeil over at approximately 4:17pm near Jacksonville’s Woodstock neighbourhood. The report states his vehicle “did not have its headlights or tail lights illuminated in inclement weather.”
McNeil’s dashboard camera video begins with him discussing the stop with an officer positioned at the passenger side of his car. When he pulled me over, he walked up and I opened my door because my window doesn’t work, and I said, ‘What did I do wrong?'” McNeil can be heard saying in the video.
“He said, ‘Well, for one, your headlights are off under this weather.’ I’m like there’s multiple people with their headlights off first of all, and then there’s no rain.”
The officer responded: “It doesn’t matter. You’re still required to have headlights on.”
When McNeil asked to see the law requiring headlights and requested a supervisor, another officer suddenly smashed his driver’s side window and punched him in the face whilst shouting at him to exit the vehicle.
Discrepancies in Police Report
The police report claims McNeil was given “multiple warnings” that officers would break the window. However, the video shows only one officer saying “Alright, go for it” seconds before the glass was smashed—a comment that appeared directed at other officers rather than McNeil.
The report also claimed McNeil was not wearing his seatbelt. The video clearly shows McNeil wearing his seatbelt, which an officer had to unbuckle to remove him from the vehicle.
According to the police report, the officer alleged he believed McNeil was “reaching for a knife under his seat” and was “continuing to pull away from officers” during the arrest. The video shows McNeil complying when asked to show his hands.
Violent Arrest
After the window was smashed, McNeil was pulled from the car and punched by a second officer as multiple officers forced him to the ground. Whilst McNeil lay on the ground, an officer shouted, “What is wrong with you?” When he tried to respond that he was putting his hands behind his back, officers told him to stop talking.
McNeil told News4Jax he suffered significant injuries during the arrest. “I suffered a chipped tooth; my tooth went through my lip, and they slammed me on the ground and on the concrete. I had to get nine stitches. I also had a concussion and now I suffer from short-term memory loss,” he said.
Official Response
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters issued a statement on Sunday acknowledging the video: “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.”
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan called the video “disturbing” on Monday, stating: “I understand that JSO is investigating this incident. I’ll await the results of that investigation.”
The Jacksonville Branch of the NAACP released a statement calling for “immediate answers” from Sheriff Waters, stating: “This troubling behaviour from law enforcement highlights the very reasons why many African Americans, especially African American men, feel fear during traffic stops. Mr McNeil posed no threat to the officers and certainly did not deserve such severe treatment.”
Legal Representation
McNeil has hired nationally renowned civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Ben Crump to represent him in seeking justice for the incident.
I am absolutely disgusted by the actions of these officers, but, unfortunately, I’m not surprised,” Daniels said. “The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has a long history of this kind of needless violence and brutality.”
Crump added: “It should be obvious to anyone watching this video that William McNeil wasn’t a threat to anyone. He was calmly exercising his constitutional rights and they beat him for it.”
History of Excessive Force
The incident is the latest in a series of controversial uses of force by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. In September 2023, the department faced national scrutiny after video showed officers severely beating 24-year-old Le’Keian Woods during an arrest following a traffic stop.
Woods suffered a ruptured kidney, swollen eyes, and facial injuries after being struck 17 times by officers. He later filed a federal lawsuit against the officers involved, with his attorney stating the JSO has “a long history of this kind of needless violence and brutality.
Legal Analysis
Attorney Chris Carson, who reviewed the McNeil video, said the officers’ behaviour raises serious concerns. I will say that video seems very over-the-top in terms of the officer’s behaviour,” Carson said. “There are definitely circumstances where force can be warranted, but from everything that we’re seeing in the context of this video, I just really don’t see it there, and frankly it seems unnecessary.”
Carson noted that the implications could extend beyond internal discipline. “We have seen cases over the years. I have handled cases where enforcement officers were actually charged with crimes for things that they did in the course of their police work. It is rare, but it certainly legally can happen,” he said.
Next Steps
Court records show a man with McNeil’s name was arrested that day and later pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended licence and resisting an officer. He was also charged with marijuana possession, not having headlights on, and not wearing a seatbelt.
As the internal investigation continues, civil rights advocates and the Jacksonville community await answers about whether the officers involved will face disciplinary action or criminal charges for their conduct during the traffic stop.
The incident has reignited discussions about police accountability and the use of force, particularly during routine traffic stops involving Black motorists in Jacksonville and across Florida.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
