Attorneys for the Black college student beaten by police in viral video of a questionable traffic stop have condemned police reporting of the incident as "divorced from reality."
On February 19, Jacksonville police pulled William McNeil Jr. over for driving without headlights, despite the fact that it was daytime and it was not raining. McNeil calmly asked to speak to a supervisor and refused to exit his vehicle, rolling up his window and locking his door when deputies ignored his request.
A deputy then shatters his window and punches him in the face. McNeil puts his hands up as he is forcibly removed from the car, surrounded by officers and beaten.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office official report tells a sharply different story, describing McNeil as "verbally combative" and claiming he reached for a knife. According to the report, physical force was applied only after McNeil refused to comply. But McNeil's attorneys—Ben Crump and Harry Daniels—say the video proves otherwise.
"The narrative in this report isn't just suspicious. It is completely divorced from reality," their statement said Monday.
The attorneys accuse officers of fabricating details to justify excessive force, noting the report fails to mention key moments from the video—like the window being broken and McNeil being punched in the face.
"He's never combative, never raises his voice and he certainly never reaches for a knife," the statement continued. "He simply asks for a supervisor and then they break his window and beat him yet, somehow, the report failed to mention that."
McNeil was arrested and charged, with officers claiming they recovered a small amount of marijuana, paraphernalia, and a knife from the car. His lawyers are calling those claims a distraction from the violence captured on video.
"This wasn't law enforcement, it was brutality," the attorneys said, demanding the release of all video from the incident for public review.
The footage went viral over the weekend, followed by prominent civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Henry Daniels announcing their representation of McNeil.
JSO Sheriff T.K. Waters held a press conference Monday evening, defending the use of force as lawful and releasing bodycam footage from multiple officers involved.
McNeil's legal team says the footage further confirms their account and plan to pursue justice through the courts. A press briefing will be held Wednesday, with McNeil expected to make his first public statement on the incident.
"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," the legal team stated.
Originally published on Latin Times
