JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Le’Keian Woods, a man whose arrest sparked outrage online and raised questions about the use of force at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, is planning to file a federal lawsuit.
A JSO body-worn police video last year captured a foot chase in a Jacksonville neighborhood showing JSO officers telling Woods to stop fighting, following attempts to escape as police conducted a traffic stop.
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Bystander video of the incident showed Woods' face down on the ground, surrounded by several officers as they forcefully placed him in handcuffs. A mugshot that showed him bloody and bruised garnered strong reactions from the local community and beyond, but the Department of Justice cleared officers of any wrongdoing.
In the days after Woods’ arrest, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters responded to the criticism, saying a video of the incident was manipulated and did not tell the full story.
Many people said it appeared to look like an officer intentionally kicked Woods while he was in handcuffs sitting on the curb.
Several of the charges against Woods were either downgraded or dropped. He was originally facing two counts of armed trafficking and drug charges, but those charges were dropped, and his original charge of resisting an officer with violence was replaced with resisting without violence, and he later pleaded guilty.
Woods will join his attorneys and community activists for a news conference on Thursday at 1 p.m. in front of the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse to announce the lawsuit that has yet to be filed.
Woods is represented by well-known civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and John Burris as well as Norman Harris.
Attorneys said officers involved in the incident have been the subject of multiple complaints and investigations including Hunter Sullivan who was suspended after an altercation with a woman outside of a Jacksonville bar in 2019.
Another officer involved in arresting Woods, Josue Garriga, pleaded guilty to the sexual enticement of a child he met at Clay County church earlier this year. Garriga was fired by JSO following his arrest.
JSO said in a statement it “does not comment on pending litigation.”
