JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters held a news conference on Monday to address the viral video showing a violent traffic stop between officers and Will McNeil Jr on Feb. 19.
At the briefing, Waters showed body-camera footage from two officers who were involved in the arrest, Officer Bowers and Officer Miller, after announcing that the State Attorney’s Office found the officers’ actions did not violate criminal law, but added that Bowers has been stripped of his law enforcement authority.
“I have vowed to be open and transparent with the public that we serve, whether this information shared reflects well on this agency or not,” Waters said. “I have always done my best to tell the public exactly what’s going on within the agency when there are allegations of misconduct.”
Watch the full news conference, including the bodycam footage, in the video above
The footage from Bowers’ body-camera primarily shows the interaction that took place between him and McNeil Jr., which isn’t captured in the video that has circulated social media.
In the footage, which begins with Bowers in his vehicle, no rain can be seen falling on his windshield, nor are his windshield wipers active. In his arrest report, he writes that McNeil Jr. was pulled over for not having his headlights on in inclement weather.
As Bowers approaches McNeil Jr.’s vehicle, McNeil opens his driver’s side door to inform the officer that his driver’s side window doesn’t work before asking the officer why he is being pulled over.
Bowers explains to McNeil Jr. that he is being pulled over for not having headlights on in inclement weather and mentions that McNeil Jr. isn’t wearing a seatbelt.
McNeil Jr. replies that it’s daylight, (in JSO’s arrest report, it is written that the incident occurred at 4:17 p.m.), so he doesn’t need to have his headlights on and tells Bowers that it isn’t raining.
Bowers begins to say that it is, in fact, inclement weather, but McNeil Jr. tells him again that it’s not raining.
“I’m not arguing with you, I’m telling you why I’m pulling you over,” Bowers says, before asking to see McNeil Jr.’s driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance.
McNeil Jr. says, “No...No, call your supervisor.”
Bowers responds, “Excuse me?”
McNeil Jr. says, “Call your supervisor.”
At that moment, Bowers requests backup and then asks McNeil Jr. to step out of his vehicle.
McNeil Jr. says, “No.”
Bowers repeats the command, “Step out of the vehicle.”
McNeil Jr. then closes his door and appears to lock it. Bowers is then seen attempting to open it, but is unable to.
The footage then shows Bowers reporting that McNeil Jr. slammed his door and locked it as McNeil Jr. can be heard saying, “Call your supervisor.”
Bowers then requests that anyone who responds for backup block McNeil Jr.’s vehicle while asking him to also keep his hands within the officer’s line of vision.
They continue a brief back-and-forth, and what McNeil Jr. is saying cannot be fully interpreted, but Bowers can be heard saying that McNeil Jr. is now under arrest for resisting, saying “the longer you take, the worse it’s going to be.”
As backup arrives, Bowers says, “Sir, this is your last warning to open the vehicle and exit before we are going to break your window.”
Bowers then repeats the sentence multiple times, attempts to open the door one more time, and repeats the sentence a few more times.
McNeil Jr.’s response cannot be heard.
Bowers then says, “Open the door and exit. You are under arrest for resisting.”
He repeats the statement two more times.
What is said by McNeil Jr. and officers at that point cannot be heard from Bowers’ point of view, but can be heard from Miller’s point of view, which is the moment that can be seen in the beginning of McNeil Jr.’s viral video.
Following a conversation between Miller and McNeil Jr., Bowers can be seen with a device in his hands before he is heard saying, “I’m about to break the window.”
Officer Miller can be heard saying, “Go for it.”
Bowers then breaks McNeil Jr.’s window and says, “Exit the vehicle, exit the vehicle now!” and “Show me your hands.”
The body-cam footage does not show the two moments where Bowers strikes McNeil Jr. in the face, which is shown in the viral video circulating social media.
McNeil Jr. is then seen being pulled out of his vehicle and brought to the ground. Bowers can also be seen placing both of his hands on the back of McNeil Jr.’s head as he is on the ground with his hands behind his back.
In Miller’s body-cam footage, again, no rain is seen on his windshield, nor are his windshield wipers active.
He informs McNeil Jr. that he has been pulled over for a traffic stop and needs to comply. The moment Bowers says that McNeil Jr. is under arrest for resisting can also be heard in the video.
The moment shown in the viral video where McNeil Jr. is conversing with an officer by his passenger side window is then shown from Miller’s perspective.
After McNeil Jr. is placed in handcuffs, an officer can be heard saying, “There’s a knife right there,” referring to a knife that was found under McNeil Jr.’s seat.
Then, as Bowers walks past Miller, Miller says, “His camera’s rolling in there,” referring to McNeil Jr.’s cellphone, which was still actively recording. Miller then walks to McNeil Jr.’s car and turns off the recording.
When McNeil Jr. asks if Miller took his phone off, Miller responds, “I did.”
Waters added that a full administrative review of the incident has yet to be completed and that the body camera footage will be available on all of JSO’s social media platforms and its transparency page.
The sheriff also said that McNeil Jr. never filed a complaint with JSO, adding that had he done so sooner, an investigation would’ve been launched earlier than it was.
“We were not aware of this allegation or of improper use of force before this weekend,” he said.
News4JAX asked Waters if he thought it was appropriate for the officer to punch McNeil Jr. after he had already broken the window.
“It depends on the circumstance,” Waters said. “It’s already been determined that it was not criminal, so now we will see if it was a JSO policy violation.”
We asked the same question to John Burris, a civil rights attorney who represented Rodney King after a video caught King being beaten by officers with the Los Angeles Police Department in 1991.
“Minor traffic with police can turn into deadly consequences for you, and certainly, if not deadly, a severe beating, as we know from Rodney King and others,” Burris noted. “That’s what I saw when I saw that video. Totally uncalled for. Break the window, yank him out of the car, and then pounce upon him as if he committed some violent act.”