JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — William McNeil Jr., a 22-year-old Black man, spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday morning after a viral video showed McNeil forcibly taken out of his car by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officers.
He was joined by his legal representation, civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Harry Daniels.
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The incident involving McNeil occurred on February 19 when he was pulled over by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers for allegedly not having his headlights on.
During the stop, McNeil, a student at Livingstone College, requested to speak with a supervisor.
“That day I just wanted to know why I was getting pulled over. Why I needed to step out of the car. I knew I didn’t do anything wrong,” McNeil said. “I was really just scared.”
This led to officers smashing his window and punching him with an open hand multiple times in the face.
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“To the sheriff, respectively. You can’t justify this. You cant condone this. You have to condemn this! This doesn’t reflect training or values. Terminate that officer immediately! Immediately!” Crump said.
The video of the incident has gone viral, drawing national attention to the actions of JSO during the traffic stop.
McNeil’s case has sparked discussions about police conduct and accountability, particularly in interactions with Black individuals. The involvement of high-profile civil rights attorneys suggests the case may have broader implications for civil rights advocacy.
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After the news conference concluded, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters issued the following statement:
“In light of William McNeil Jr.’s public announcement that he has retained counsel, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will not offer any further comment regarding the circumstances surrounding McNeil’s February 19th arrest. Our agency has publicly released body-worn camera footage pertaining to this matter, and I provided a briefing on the status of the investigation earlier this week. This publicly shared information is currently available on all JSO’s social media platforms and our transparency portal. However, in anticipation of litigation, our agency will not speak further on this matter.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Jacksonville on Wednesday morning and Action News Jax had asked him if he had seen the video of McNeil’s traffic stop.
RELATED: Jacksonville Sheriff answers community questions on viral traffic stop at town hall meeting
He said he hadn’t but expressed confidence in Waters, saying “if people get out of line, he’s going to hold them accountable.”
DeSantis said, “in so many of these things, there’s a rush to judgment, there’s a there’s a desire to try to get views and clicks by creating division.”
You can watch the news conference from Wednesday morning at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in the video above.
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