Jacksonville mayor says viral police punch video 'disturbing' as probe moves forward

The mayor of a Florida city where a viral video was recorded showing an officer punching a male driver in the face during a traffic stop has described the incident as disturbing and called on due process to run its course.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said she understands the public's frustration and emphasized she is taking a pragmatic approach to it.

"I understand the angst," Deegan told local news outlet News4Jax. "I understand the upset. I get all of that. But at the end of the day, let's wait and see where it all goes. Hopefully, there's a good resolution."

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The video, which was taken in February, began circulating on social media last week and shows William McNeil Jr. staring at the camera as an officer is seen smashing his driver's side window and demanding that he get out.

"Exit the vehicle now!" the officer says.  

The officer then strikes McNeil in the face before he is dragged out of the car and taken into custody. 

The viral footage began with McNeil talking to an officer about why he was pulled over, recounting how an officer told him his headlights were off during apparent inclement weather. In the bodycam footage released by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, McNeil is seen refusing to hand over his license, registration and proof of insurance.

McNeil remains in the vehicle and the window was eventually smashed. Officers said they found a large unsheathed serrated knife on the driver's side floorboard of McNeil's vehicle.  

Deegan said that some people have expressed frustration that she hasn't expressed more outrage.

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"I am a very pragmatic thinker when it comes to how these things go, and it's not to diminish whatever happened there, I'm simply saying there has to be an investigative process, Deegan said. "I have faith that that process will be carried out and we'll see where it goes. But I can't really say much beyond that because there is a lawsuit that may happen."

Deegan reminded viewers that Jacksonville has a consolidated government meaning she and the sheriff, Sheriff T.K. Waters, are independently elected and have separate responsibilities.

"It is my job to run the city. It is his job to run the police department."

She credited Waters for releasing the bodycam video and attempting to be transparent, though she stopped short of making judgments.

"He shows the video. He shows the bodycam videos. However you feel about this, I think that the sheriff has come out and tried to be as transparent as he can with the process," Deegan said. "I think that I would just ask people to be a little patient.

Waters said Monday while releasing a longer bodycam video of the incident that he had instructed his agency to immediately began both a criminal and administrative review of the officers' actions. 

"These administrative reviews are ongoing, but the state attorney's office has determined that none of the involved officers violated criminal law," Waters said.

Attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels announced they are now representing McNeil after the video sparked "outrage across the country." They said there was a racial component to the incident, given that McNeil is a Black man and the officers are white.

"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," they said in a statement. "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," 

"This wasn't law enforcement, it was brutality. All video from JSO should be released to ensure there is transparency for McNeil and the community. We demand full accountability from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and justice for William McNeil Jr."