Traffic Stop Turns Violent: Video Shows Florida Officer Punching Driver — “This Wasn’t Law Enforcement, It Was Brutality”
A viral video showing a Jacksonville, Florida, officer hitting a Black driver during a February traffic stop has sparked public outrage and prompted an internal investigation. The two-minute video, posted […] The post Traffic Stop Turns Violent: Video Shows Florida Officer Punching Driver — “This Wasn’t Law Enforcement, It Was Brutality” appeared first on Essence.
Black News 
By Melissa Noel ·Updated July 22, 2025 < /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… A viral video showing a Jacksonville, Florida, officer hitting a Black driver during a February traffic stop has sparked public outrage and prompted an internal investigation.
The two-minute video, posted July 20 on Instagram, shows William McNeil Jr. calmly asking why he was pulled over before another officer breaks the driver’s window and hits him. An officer then unbuckles McNeil’s seatbelt and pulls him from the car as he repeatedly asks, “What is your reason?” As McNeil is forced to the ground, the same officer punches him again while another yells, “Stop fighting.”
McNeil’s attorneys condemned the incident and demanded accountability from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
“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,” attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels said in a joint 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.”
According to the arrest report, first shared by NBC Affliate First Coast News, an officer claimed McNeil was driving without headlights or taillights in bad weather and not wearing a seatbelt. The report says McNeil immediately became verbally combative, refused to exit, provide ID, or listen to the stop’s explanation, locked the door, and ignored several warnings before the window was broken.
The report also claims marijuana was found in the vehicle, along with a large knife on the driver’s floorboard, which police said McNeil allegedly reached for as he was pulled from his vehicle. The report does not mention the force used or officers striking him inside the vehicle.
After being handcuffed, McNeil reported a chipped tooth, and an officer noted blood on his mouth, the report says.
“We are aware of a video circulating on social media showing a traffic stop represented to be from February 19, 2025,” Sheriff T.K. Waters said in a statement. “We have launched an internal investigation into it and the circumstances surrounding this incident. We hold our officers to the highest standards and are committed to thoroughly determining exactly what occurred.”
TOPICS: Police BrutalityThe post Traffic Stop Turns Violent: Video Shows Florida Officer Punching Driver — “This Wasn’t Law Enforcement, It Was Brutality” appeared first on Essence.
