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William McNeil Jr.’s SUV spotted at home under surveillance for drugs before traffic stop, SAO says

Florida Police Beating In this image made from cell phone video provided by the Law Office of Harry M. Daniels via TMX, William McNeil Jr. is seen sitting in his car after an officer broke his car window during a traffic stop on Feb. 19, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (The Law Office of Harry M. Daniels/TMX via AP) (Uncredited/AP)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax is getting new details from the State Attorney’s Office about its investigation into the February arrest of William McNeil Jr., which got national attention after McNeil released a video in July from the arrest that went viral.

McNeil Jr. was arrested on February 19 following a traffic stop conducted by Officer D. Bowers of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. In McNeil’s video, Bowers can be seen striking McNeil after breaking his window.

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McNeil is now being represented by prominent civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Harry Daniels.

The February incident began when Officer Donald Bowers initiated a traffic stop after observing McNeil’s SUV parked at a house under surveillance for drug activity, according to a memo released Wednesday by State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office.

The traffic stop occurred after Bowers observed McNeil driving without headlights and not wearing a seatbelt, the memo said.

RELATED: Jacksonville Sheriff releases officer body-cam video from viral traffic stop video

The State Attorney’s Office said McNeil opened his door, claiming his window was broken, and questioned the reasons for the stop. After being informed of the violations, McNeil did not comply with Bowers’ requests for his license, registration, and proof of insurance and continued to argue, demanding a supervisor.

The SAO said the situation escalated when McNeil locked himself inside the vehicle and buckled his seatbelt after Bowers stopped him.

Bowers eventually broke the window after giving McNeil multiple warnings.

RELATED: First hit to man’s face by JSO officer omitted in all police reports related to controversial arrest

On July 21, the SAO said the JSO Integrity Unit interviewed Bowers about the stop. In the memo is Bowers’ recollection of what happened after he broke McNeil’s window and why his first strike of McNeil wasn’t mentioned in the police report:

“Officer Bowers told investigators that after he broke the window, he delivered a “distractionary” blow to McNeil (Exhibit G). Officer Bowers described the distraction strike as a tactic he was taught during his time as a narcotics officer when conducting the arrest of a vehicle’s occupant. Officer Bowers explained that when evaluating how they would remove McNeil from the vehicle, he knew he would need to both unlock the door from the inside and unbuckle McNeil’s seat belt. Officer Bowers stated his intended purpose in using this tactic was not to injure McNeil, but to distract him so that they could take control of McNeil.

“When asked why he did not report Use of Force 1 in his Response to Resistance report, Officer Bowers explained he considered his use of the distraction strike as a tool and did not consider it as the deployment of force. Officer Bowers’ explanation is credible considering his stated training and the fact that he wrote a Response to Resistance report memorializing his closed fist punch to McNeil.”

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Following the arrest, officers discovered marijuana in McNeil’s pocket and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle’s center console. A large knife was found at McNeil’s feet, although Bowers was unaware of these items at the time of the stop, the SAO said. McNeil later pleaded guilty to resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license.

The SAO stated that McNeil’s video from the arrest did not capture the full context of the encounter, which was documented by the officers’ body-worn cameras.

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When the SAO reviewed the incident, it concluded that Bowers’ actions did not constitute a crime.

“Officer Bowers conducted a lawful traffic stop and gave McNeil 12 individual lawful commands, which McNeil refused to obey,” the memorandum stated.

Daniels and Crump issued the following statement on the memo:

“The Investigative Memo from the State Attorney’s Office from the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida is little more than an attempt to justify the actions of Officer Bowers and his fellow officers after the fact. Frankly, we expected nothing less especially after Sheriff Waters announced their conclusions more than three weeks before the report was issued. Since they are unwilling to seek justice, we will have to request that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate this incident and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

“Let’s be clear, the State Attorney’s Office never interviewed William McNeil. They did, however, try to excuse the fact that Officer Bowers failed to disclose his unlawful ‘distractionary strike.’ They also tried to decriminalize Officer Bowers punching Mr. McNeil outside the vehicle and completely failed to mention the officers slamming Mr. McNeil’s face into the asphalt while he was under control and in custody. Furthermore, they ignored the multiple injuries including a broken tooth, a concussion and multiple stitches caused by the officers’ use of force.

“Finally, the memo asks us to ignore our own eyes by accepting the officers’ excuse that Mr. McNeil was reaching for a knife in the floorboard when he is never seen reaching for anything in either the bodycamera video or the video posted on social media.

“The simple fact is that this memo ignores exactly the kind of excessive force and false reporting that resulted in the United States Department of Justice indicting Camden County Sheriff’s Deputy Buck Aldridge. It only further illustrates why use of force cases involving the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office need to be conducted by an independent agency that is not beholden to either the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office or the State’s Attorney.”

You can look at the SAO’s full memo on the McNeil investigation below:

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