What started as a routine traffic stop has spiraled into a viral controversy and yet another flashpoint in the debate over police use of force.
In Jacksonville, Florida, 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. posted a shocking video of himself being punched.
He was dragged from his car and arrested by police during a February traffic stop.
The clip, which quickly spread across social media, shows the chaos unfold—his window smashed, his body pulled out.
A punch to the face left him needing stitches and suffering a concussion.
Police say McNeil refused repeated commands to exit the vehicle after being stopped for traffic violations.
Why He Was Charged?
The violations included not wearing a seatbelt and not having headlights on in bad weather.
McNeil, calm but defiant, asked to speak to a supervisor and locked his doors. Three minutes later, the officer broke the window.
Though prosecutors say no criminal laws were broken, Officer D. Bowers has been suspended while internal reviews continue.
Sheriff TK Waters defended the officers, stressing, “A person must comply with an officer’s commands, even if that person disagrees.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing McNeil, called it a “disturbing reminder” of racial injustice in policing.
McNeil, now healing, said: “This was very hard to do. I’m not mentally healed… but I had to get the word out.”
