FL Officer Accused Of Punching Man During Traffic Stop Under Review

JACKSONVILLE, FL — A Jacksonville officer has been stripped of his law enforcement authority after cell phone video circulating social media seemingly shows him punching a driver during a traffic stop, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Monday at a news conference.

Though the traffic stop happened on Feb. 19, 2025, the violent interaction between William Anthony McNeil Jr. and Officer D.J. Bowers was not brought to light until cell phone footage was posted to social media over the weekend.

Authorities on Monday, a day after being made aware of the social media video, released three angles of body camera footage to show what they say ultimately led to McNeil's arrest and the actions that took place beforehand. Bowers consented to the body camera footage release and waived his Officers' Bill of Rights, authorities said.

Waters said McNeil was pulled over and accused of failure to wear a seatbelt and not having his headlights on during inclement weather.

“William felt like his rights were being trampled upon by being stopped during the day for not having headlights on," Harry Daniels, McNeil's attorney, told NBC News. "That’s a new one. The officers could have easily dispatched a sergeant to the scene to de-escalate."

McNeil failed to comply with commands after being told he was being placed under arrest for resisting, authorities said.

In the social media video, an officer who Waters identified as Bowers, can first be heard saying he intended to break McNeil's window.

After shattering the glass, the social media video appears to show Bowers punching McNeil in the face before pulling him out of the car; after which, officers can be seen taking McNeil to the ground.

Waters told reporters while he does not excuse the punch administratively, the State Attorney's Office found the officers involved during the stop did not violate criminal laws.

The sheriff's office is conducting internal reviews to determine if any administrative policies were violated during the stop, Waters said.

"In this case, the cell phone camera footage that began viral circulation over the weekend does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident. And that is to be expected," Waters said.

"Part of that stems from the distance and perspective of the recording cell phone camera. Another part of it stems from the fact that the cell phone camera did not capture the events that preceded Officer Bowers’s decision to arrest McNeil. Moreover, cameras can only capture what can be seen and heard. So much context and depth are absent from recorded footage because a camera simply cannot capture what is known to the people depicted in it."

What Happened?

Body camera footage seemingly shows McNeil opening a door to speak with Bowers as the officer approaches his car. He opened the door because his window cannot roll down, McNeil is heard telling Bowers.

During the conversation, McNeil is seen closing the door, and Bowers says the door is locked before he calls for backup. Sometime after his fellow officers arrive, the body camera footage appears to show Bowers breaking McNeil's window and taking him into custody.

While the social media video seemingly shows a punch during the interaction, the angles from the body camera footage appear to not show a punch though Waters acknowledged the punch at the news conference.

By the sheriff's account, McNeil refused to give Bowers his driver's license and registration within 21 seconds of being stopped. He locked the door 14 seconds later and refused to leave the vehicle, Waters said.

McNeil was told seven times to open the door or exit the vehicle "because he was under arrest for resistance or an officer would have to break his window," Waters said.

After officers were able to get McNeil out of his vehicle, Waters said they found a "large unsheathed serrate knife" on the driver's side floorboard of the vehicle.

An arrest report stated McNeil tried to reach for the knife, the released body camera and social. media videos does not to appear to show, NBC News reported.

McNeil was arrested on charges of resisting a police officer without violence, driving on a suspended license and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, Waters said.

The next day, McNeil pleaded guilty, and a judge accepted his plea, Waters said.

McNeil's cell phone was not able to returned to him until March 5, more than two weeks after his arrest. Waters said he believes McNeil's cell phone was used to capture the circulating social media video.

Waters said McNeil did not contact officers or show the sheriff's office the cell phone video.

"Had McNeil filed a complaint, JCSO would have started this investigation at that time, but we were not aware of this allegation or improper use of force before this weekend," Waters said. "... The law is clear, a person must comply with the officer's commands, even that if that person disagrees with that officer's reason for the stop."

Waters vowed to be transparent in the matter, requesting the public be patient while the administrative reviews are completed.

"Force absolutely looks ugly, and because all force is ugly, whether or not the officer involved acted within outside JCSO's policy, that's still what we're investigating," Waters said.

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