Key Takeaways
- McNeil’s lawsuit cites bodycam and cellphone footage showing officers breaking his window and using force during the February stop.
- Attorneys allege racial profiling and say the incident reflects broader issues with Jacksonville policing.
- The legal team is urging the Department of Justice to investigate, citing a lack of local accountability.
William McNeil Jr., a 22-year-old college student, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Jacksonville police after a viral traffic stop in February during which officers shattered his window, dragged him from his car, and beat him.
Filed Wednesday (Sept. 10) in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the lawsuit was announced at a press conference where McNeil stood alongside civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Harry Daniels, and Gerald Griggs.
As REVOLT previously reported, McNeil, a biology major and marching band member at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, said he was pulled over for allegedly driving without headlights. Tensions escalated when he questioned the legitimacy of the stop and requested a supervisor. Officers then shattered his window, struck him in the face, and dragged him to the ground.
A prosecutor’s report cited by The Associated Press stated that no charges would be filed, concluding that Officer D. Bowers’ actions did not meet the threshold for criminal conduct.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters claimed the viral cellphone video does not capture the full context of the incident, stating that McNeil repeatedly refused to exit his vehicle when ordered.
At Wednesday’s press conference, Daniels said McNeil was “unjustly” stopped for not having his headlights on during what officers claimed was daytime rain. However, he noted that it wasn’t raining and said they have bodycam and cellphone footage showing that the officers themselves didn’t have their headlights on.
“This is what you call an unlawful stop,” Daniels said.
McNeil’s lawsuit names Waters, officers Bowers and D. Miller, the City of Jacksonville, and Duval County.
At Wednesday’s press conference, Crump said the sheriff’s policies “ignore the facts” and highlighted a broader pattern of racial profiling in Florida. The attorneys said the lawsuit simultaneously seeks justice for McNeil and a change in local policing.
“Because if we let this stand...We’re saying that the Constitution of the United States isn’t right,” said Crump. He added, “We’re saying that the founding fathers who espouse equal justice under the law isn’t right, but we know we are on the right side of history. That Sheriff Waters and Jacksonville is on the wrong side of history. If they’re going to say that racial profiling is right, it wasn’t right then, and it’s not right now.”
According to his attorneys, McNeil suffered a chin and lip laceration, a fractured tooth, and a traumatic brain injury from the assault.
What are McNeil’s attorneys demanding?
The lawsuit follows a letter sent Monday (Sept. 8) to the Department of Justice, in which his attorneys urged a formal investigation, citing “excessive force” and “systemic failures” by Jacksonville officials.
“What happened to William McNeil Jr. is not only a personal tragedy, but also sends a devastating message to Jacksonville residents,” the attorneys wrote.
“When police brutality is caught on video and prosecutors still look the other way, it tells the community their lives don’t matter,” they added. “That is why we are calling on the Department of Justice to intervene, because federal oversight is the only path left to restore trust and deliver justice.”
McNeil’s legal team says this case is about more than one traffic stop. They argue it reflects a broader failure of accountability in law enforcement. As the lawsuit proceeds, attention remains on Jacksonville and the case’s outcome.