The Florida officers who forced a Black man out of a car at a traffic stop and punched him multiple times will reportedly not face any charges, according to a local sheriff.
Reported by The Washington Post, Sheriff T.K. Waters told prosecutors that none of the officers’ actions “violated criminal law.” No comment has been made by the 4th Judicial Circuit. The sheriff will continue to investigate whether they violated the department’s policy.
As of now, the officer who first started the stop has had his “law enforcement authority” taken away from him.
Since its publication online on social media, the video of William McNeil Jr.’s arrest has drawn national outrage.
On Feb. 19, McNeil was pulled over by the officers due to the fact that his headlights were off, according to the officers. In the video, the 22-year-old can be seen telling the officers that other drivers also had their headlights off, asking to see their supervisor for more clarification.
In the next event, an officer can be seen smashing McNeil’s window, demanding that he get out of the car before repeatedly hitting him in the face. The door to his car is then opened and McNeil is dragged out.
“What happened to William McNeil Jr. is a disturbing reminder that even the most basic rights – like asking why you’ve been pulled over- can be met with violence for Black Americans,” said McNeil’s attorney, Ben Crump. “William was calm and compliant. Yet instead of answers, he got his window smashed and was punched in the face, all over a questionable claim about headlights in broad daylight.”
In a police report obtained by CBS News, the officers claimed that McNeil was reaching down where an unsheathed knife was found in a search done afterwards.
The report also claims that McNeil was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of his stop. When he was asked for his driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance, the 22-year-old reportedly didn’t comply.
Body camera footage shows that McNeil was stopped due to the lack of headlights in “inclement weather” and not wearing his seatbelt, to which he responds that it is daytime and not raining.
When asked for information, the 22-year-old can be seen requesting the supervisor’s assistance and clarification on why he was pulled over. The officer then calls for back-up and tells McNeil to get out of the car, to which he closes the door instead.
Afterwards, the officer can be seen warning McNeil that he is under arrest for resisting and that, if he does not get out of the car, he will break the window.
As McNeil refuses to leave the car, the first officer can be seen smashing the window and hitting the driver in his face. As McNeil presents his hands when he is asked, the officers are shown pulling him out of his car and punching him as they pin him to the ground.
After the arrest, the 22-year-old was left with a chipped tooth and required stitches. McNeil also said he was left with short-term memory loss and a concussion.
