JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A February traffic stop in Jacksonville continues to spark national attention after police body camera and cellphone videos showed officers breaking 22-year-old William McNeil Jr.’s car window and forcibly removing him from the vehicle.
Curtis Fallgatter, a former federal chief assistant prosecutor with more than 30 years of legal experience, reviewed the footage and called the officers’ actions disturbing.
“It’s a traffic stop,” said Fallgatter. “To have them bust out a window and then smack the young man in the jaw when he’s got his hands up and he’s being polite. It’s a clear case of police brutality on what should have been a simple traffic stop, if at all.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says McNeil was stopped for not having headlights on in inclement weather and not wearing a seatbelt.
Body camera video shows officers telling McNeil several times to exit the vehicle and warning him they would break his window. McNeil is seen asking for a supervisor before the window is shattered.
“The punch through the window is incredibly violent,” Fallgatter added. “Then they keep punching him when he gets out. Why? READ MORE…
Editor’s Note: Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters stated that “the State Attorney’s Office has determined that none of the involved officers violated criminal law.” This is the type of criminal police thuggery that is allowed by so-called “law enforcement,” with a wink and nod from unprincipled prosecutors and politicians. Also, this Black sheriff decided to introduce irrelevant information regarding Mr. McNeil’s supposed criminal record to make him look like a repeated offender. This tactic is offensive. And, of course, the police never lie, or frame, Black men right?
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