JACKSONVILLE, FL - AUGUST 27: A Jacksonville Sheriff's officer helps keep the perimeter secure as law enforcement investigates a shooting at the GLHF Game Bar which uses the same entrance as the Chicago Pizza place (seen in the center to the rear) at the Jacksonville Landing on August 27, 2018 in Jacksonville, Florida. The shooting occurred at the GLHF Game Bar during a Madden 19 video game tournament, with initial reports indicating three people dead, including the gunman, and several others wounded. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A viral video involving the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is sparking renewed conversations about police brutality on social media. William ‘Will’ McNeil Jr. first uploaded the video on his Instagram feed on July 20. Since then, it has received over 104,000 likes and more than 20,000 comments. His caption revealed that McNeil suffered multiple serious injuries after a standard traffic stop turned into a chaotic restraint by at least three officers. In the latest update, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has responded to the trending, yet triggering incident.
Editor’s Note: This article is being updated in real-time. Scroll and check the subheadings for the latest updates, including details from the arrest report and JSO press conference.
The incident with Jacksonville officers happened on February 19. McNeil’s video starts with the 22-year-old speaking to an off-camera officer seemingly standing by his passenger window. The officer seemed to be listening, interjecting with “yeah” a few times. Will seemed to be explaining his confusion about why officers picked him for a traffic stop. He explained that the officer told him the stop was over his headlights being off. Eventually, the same cop responded, “It doesn’t matter,” and said Will was still required to have his headlights on. The officer then asks him to step out of the car, agreeing that he’d explain the related “law” about headlights afterward. William McNeil Jr. reacts by asking the cop to call his supervisor twice.
Meanwhile, the video’s background shows another officer, a Caucasian with black-framed glasses, positioned near his driver’s side window. According to CBS News, his name is D. Bowers. He is the officer who initiated the traffic stop and later called for backup. When McNeil asked for the supervisor the second time, the cop he was talking to seemingly told Bowers, “Alright go for it.”At that point, Bowers shattered Williams’ car window and punched him in the face while yelling, “Exit the vehicle now.”
Then, another Jacksonville officer joined them on the driver’s side. Will immediately showed his hands when asked, and then the cops proceeded to open his car door, yank him out, and tackle him to the ground with broken glass on it. Will McNeil Jr. did not appear resistant while sitting in his car, and only screamed “no” after officers tried to wrestle him to the ground outside of it. Officers can be heard saying things like, “F*ck’s wrong with you,” “Ain’t no talking now,” “You’re under arrest, that’s what’s going on.” Meanwhile, William repeatedly says he did nothing wrong and was trying to have a conversation.
Editor’s Note: The video below may contain sensitive or triggering material.
As mentioned, Will explained in his caption that the incident happened on February 19 at about 4 p.m. He again said he was pulled over for his headlights being off, despite no rainy, smoky, or foggy weather. Additionally, McNeil Jr. said he could see the “blue sky” before explaining his injuries.
“I simply asked for a supervisor and things escalated quickly as you can see. A chipped tooth and 9+ stitches in my lips ( my tooth went through my lip ) were the results from them slamming me on the ground for no reason when I was trying to put my hands behind my back,” Will McNeil Jr. revealed.
Will added that he suffered a concussion and short-term memory loss. He also said that sharing the footage was “very hard” for him, and that he’s not “mentally healed” from the interaction, which has impacted his relationships.
“…I had to get the word out eventually and if I pushed you away or changed more than likely this is why or I just dfwy,” William wrote on IG.
After Will McNeil Jr.’s video went viral, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident on social media, namely X. It acknowledged the viral footage but gave a blanket statement. The agency did not reveal who the officers in the video are or whether they are still employed and on active duty with the JSO. Additionally, it did clarify whether the force used by its cops was excessive. At this time, the update appears to be an “internal investigation.”
“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,” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office shared.
According to News4JAX, a spokesperson for JSO said on Sunday that the employees in charge of reviewing such instances were unavailable. “As soon as we have those answers, we will be able to share more,” the spokesperson said.
Multiple outlets, from New4JAX to PEOPLE, have also reported details from the February 19 arrest, confirming that the video was a real-life situation. The arrest report cites the reason for McNeil’s traffic stop as “driving without headlights or taillights in inclement weather.” In the video Will recorded, they spoke of headlights and weather as the reasons for the pull-over.
The report also claims he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and “immediately became combative.” However, when McNeil’s footage begins, he is wearing a seatbelt and sitting calmly in his seat, speaking to one officer. Will McNeil Jr. also refused to listen to the cop’s reasoning, declined to provide ID, refused to exit his vehicle, and locked his door, per the report. It also claimed officers gave the 22-year-old “several warnings” before the window.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest report also claimed that they found marijuana in the car. There was also a large knife on the driver’s seat floor. Additionally, the report says McNeil reached toward the floorboard where the knife was as officers yanked him ot of the car, an allegation seemingly not depicted on camera.
PEOPLE reports that court records show the 22-year-old was “adjudicated guilty” of resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license. However, citations were dismissed for not wearing a seatbelt and driving without headlights.
On Monday (July 21) evening, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office again addressed the viral traffic stop video that put its department in the hot seat. Two out of three policemen from the incident remain unidentified, but Sheriff T.K. Waters ran down the arrest details in a press conference. He confirmed McNeil’s arrest earlier this year for resisting an officer without violence, driving with a suspended license, and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. The day after the arrest, McNeil pled guilty to said charges, and a judge accepted the voluntary plea on a “factual basis.” The 22-year-old served two days in jail for the resistance and his suspended license.
“At no time, February ’til now, did McNeil contact JSO to share a complaint nor file the cell phone footage that has circulated on social media,” Sheriff Waters said, adding that JSO began investigating the incident immediately after the footage went viral.
Additionally, Waters said JSO would’ve started an investigation after Will McNeil Jr.’s arrest if he had made a formal complaint. He said the agency was unaware of any allegations or improper use of force until this past weekend. “Multiple levels of supervision” reviewed the bodycam footage, per the sheriff, who also said neither footage from his cops nor McNeil shows the full picture.
McNeil’s alleged resistance is “pending administrative review” to determine whether the officers’ use of force was excessive. During this review, Bowers, who smashed the car window and punched McNeil in the face, has been stripped of his law enforcement authority, per ABC News. The status of two other officers from the clip is unknown.
“McNeil was arrested and pled guilty to resisting a police officer without violence,” the sheriff said. “Force absolutely looks ugly, and because all force is ugly, whether or not the officer involved acted within outside JSO policy, that’s still what we’re investigating.”
Later, Waters refused to “defend [or] commend” Officer Bowers’ actions during the traffic stop, citing the pending investigation. Meanwhile, the State Attorney’s Office has already cleared the officers of violating any criminal laws. Ultimately, Waters emphasized the importance of not resisting an officer’s demands while on duty.
“A person must comply with an officer’s commands, even if that person disagrees with that officer’s reasons for the stop,” Sheriff Waters said. He added that the sheriff’s office had not received a complaint from McNeil and was unaware of the allegations prior to him posting the video.”
News4JAX reports that Williams’ new representatives are civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Ben Crump. Daniels said in a news release on Sunday that the JSO officers’ behavior is not unusual, but a pattern instead.
“This is only the latest in a long line of excessive force incidents involving the JSO, attorney Daniels wrote. “In September 2023, the department was the focus of a national outcry after a video of JSO officers violently beating 24-year-old LeKeian Woods while he was unarmed went viral. In 2019, JSO officers faced a federal lawsuit for killing 22-year-old Jamee Johnson after pulling him over for an alleged seat belt violation.”
Crump added that their client was attacked for exercising his rights. In the statement, he wrote, “It should be obvious to anyone watching this video that William McNeil wasnt a threat to anyone. He was calmly exercising his constitutional rights, and they beat him for it.”
