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Jacksonville Driver Beaten in Viral Traffic Stop Files Federal Civil-Rights Suit

The complaint says sheriff’s office policies permit excessive force through tactics like “distractionary blows” and allow some uses of force to go unreported.

FILE - William McNeil Jr., third from right, looks on while his attorney Ben Crump, center, speaks during a press conference Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File)
William McNeil Jr., flanked by his attorney Ben Crump and his mother Latoya Solomon.
William McNeil Jr. speaks alongside members of his legal team during a press conference at the National Bar Association's annual convention on July 29, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
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Overview

  • The Sept. 10 filing in federal court names Officer D. Bowers, Officer D. Miller, Sheriff T.K. Waters, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the City of Jacksonville, and seeks damages.
  • The case centers on a Feb. 19 stop captured on video showing Bowers smashing a driver’s-side window and punching 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. after he refused to exit his SUV.
  • McNeil alleges injuries including facial lacerations, a fractured tooth and a traumatic brain injury diagnosed after the encounter.
  • Prosecutors announced on Aug. 13 that they would take no action against the officers, citing a dozen ignored lawful commands and Bowers’ characterization of an initial strike as a “distractionary blow.”
  • The sheriff’s administrative review remains open and Bowers has been stripped of law-enforcement authority, and McNeil’s attorneys have also asked the DOJ Civil Rights Division to open an investigation.