JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump is taking on another high-profile case in Jacksonville, this time representing Erika McGriff, a local mother who says she was violently arrested in front of her young daughter.
The incident, caught partially on body camera, has raised legal and ethical questions about the use of force by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers.
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The arrest happened on October 7, outside McGriff’s daughter’s school. According to JSO, McGriff had allegedly left her car running in an intersection. Officers said she struck an officer first, which led to her arrest on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting with violence, and driving on a suspended license.
But criminal defense attorney Chris Carson, who reviewed the footage made public so far, said it’s still unclear whether the level of force used was legally justified.
“I think the main question in most of these cases is what caused the resulting escalation in force, and was that something that was legally allowed under the law?” Carson said.
The released body camera footage does not show the full interaction from start to finish. Carson noted that this missing context leaves significant questions unanswered.
“However, based on the footage and what we’ve seen so far, I think it’s kind of hard to tell exactly whether that force was warranted and exactly what resulted in the escalation because there’s a gap in the video,” he said.
“And really, until the entirety of the video is out there or until we have more information, it’s probably going to be hard to say.”
Ben Crump, along with co-counsel Harry Daniels, has issued a strong response, calling the officer’s actions not only excessive but traumatic for McGriff’s young daughter, who witnessed the arrest.
In a statement, Crump said:
“This disturbing video shows yet another example of unnecessary and excessive force used against a Black woman during what should have been a routine encounter. No mother should be brutalized in front of her child and community for something as minor as a parking issue. We will fight to hold the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office accountable for this inexcusable aggression just like we are fighting to hold them accountable for the excessive force we saw in the video that was inflicted upon Black college student, William McNeil Jr.”
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Crump also linked McGriff’s arrest to a broader pattern of alleged aggressive behavior by JSO, pointing to another recent case involving William McNeil Jr., a Black college student who was also arrested under controversial circumstances.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters defended his department’s handling of the incident, saying:
“If you violently resist our officers, if you punch them, if you bite them, you will be arrested.”
Still, Carson emphasized that determining whether the force was appropriate will require a complete legal review, including a closer look at all available evidence.
“Anytime there is force utilized in the course of an arrest, they will reference those reports, they will look at things like body-worn camera footage, possibly other testimony from, you know, civilian or other law enforcement witnesses, and then based on the totality of that, they will attempt to make a determination on whether legally the officer was justified in acting the way that he or she did.”
Crump and Daniels are now calling for the full, unedited release of the body cam footage.
Action News Jax reached out to McGriff’s attorney for further comment, but did not receive a response before airtime. ,
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