An officer for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office could face criminal charges after viral video shows the officer making a rough arrest, according to an attorney.
Attorney Chris Carson is one of thousands of people reacting to a video that sparked JSO to open an investigation into one of their own officers.
“I will say that video seems very over-the-top in terms of the officer’s behavior,” said Carson.
The video starts with William McNeil Jr. being pulled over by officers on Feb. 19.
McNeil claims he was being pulled over for not having his headlights on during the cloudy conditions that day.
“I said, ‘So, what did I do wrong?’ He said, ‘Well, for one, your headlights are off under this weather,’” McNeil told officers in the video.
When he locked himself in the car and asked for a supervisor, things quickly escalated.
An officer standing outside McNeil’s window breaks the window and hits McNeil in the face.
Moments later, multiple officers can be seen forcing McNeil to the ground, with one officer throwing another punch that struck him near the jaw.
Carson, after watching the video, believes the officer’s use of force appears to be unjustified.
“It doesn’t really seem there was really any criminal behavior that was alleged on the part of the gentleman. It’s a traffic stop. It happens hundreds of times a day,” said Carson.
Following the rough arrest, McNeil posted on social media saying he suffered a chipped tooth, a concussion, required nine stitches in his lip and suffered short-term memory loss.
“There are definitely are circumstances where force can be warranted, but from everything that we’re seeing in the context of this video, I just don’t really see it there and, frankly, it seems unnecessary,” said Carson.
Carson said the legal issues could go beyond policy violations for the sheriff’s office; he believes civil action may be possible, as well as possible criminal charges against that officer.
“We have seen cases over the years, I’ve handled cases where law enforcement officers were actually charged with crimes for things that they did in the course of their police work. That is something, albeit it is rare, but it certainly legally can happen,” said Carson.
Authorities said they found a large unsheathed serrated knife inside of McNeil’s custody and ultimately took him into custody.
McNeil plead guilty to resisting a police officer without violence and driving on a suspended license.
JSO said the officers have been cleared of all criminal wrongdoing by the State Attorney’s Office, however their internal review is ongoing.
The sheriff also said at no time since the February incident has McNeil filed a complaint.
Source:: News Miami – Fox News
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