A cell phone video showing a white Jacksonville, Florida, police officer striking a Black man in the face during a February traffic stop before he’s dragged from his car has gone viral, sparked outrage and led to conflicting accounts of the incident from civil rights lawyers and law enforcement.
William McNeil Jr.’s lawyers Ben Crump and Harry Daniels say the video, which McNeil took from inside his car, is a clear depiction of brutality, coming as law enforcement officials – from masked ICE agents to local police officers – have been scrutinized for their use of force, particularly against people of color.
Maybe he was not totally innocent, maybe the may even had a valid reason for breaking his window, since he said it would not roll down. However punching him in the face, dragging him out and the violence that followed was completely unjustified and unnecessary.
Cops should be accountable for what they do. They ore meant to enforce the law and are not above it