Man Punched By Florida Officer Speaks Out After Viral Arrest: “I Was Really Just Scared”
The man who was the subject of a violent arrest in a viral video is speaking out about the disturbing incident. William McNeal Jr. held a press conference with his family, attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, and additional advocates, to explain his perspective. The traumatic video showed McNeal being punched by a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer during a traffic stop before being removed from his vehicle and arrested. The press conference was livestreamed by local news station Action News Jax.
“That day, I just wanted to know why I was getting pulled over [and] why I needed to step out of the car. I knew I didn’t do anything wrong,” McNeil detailed. “I was really just scared.”
His stepfather, Alton Solomon, also spoke on behalf of his “son” and explained, “I’ve been through what he’s been through. To see that moment made me go back to when I was 22. It hurt. It made me upset.” He continued emotionally, fighting back tears, “To see that is a hurting feeling.”
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Crump, who also spoke at the press conference, expanded on his thoughts with CNN News Central anchor Kate Bolduan.
“Do not listen to justification. Believe your eyes. Believe your ears with this. Ocular proof — there’s audio proof. And the sheriff cannot justify this,” explained the famed legal professional.
“He cannot condone this. You must condemn this. I mean, there is no way you can say this reflects your policies, your training, your values. This is very disturbing on every level […] He literally was having a 21st-century Rosa Parks moment where an African American asked that they be respected as citizens with all the constitutional guarantees that are promised to all American citizens. That’s what this was.”
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Following McNeal’s press conference, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters issued the following statement per Action News:
“In light of William McNeil Jr.’s public announcement that he has retained counsel, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will not offer any further comment regarding the circumstances surrounding McNeil’s February 19th arrest. Our agency has publicly released body-worn camera footage pertaining to this matter, and I provided a briefing on the status of the investigation earlier this week. This publicly shared information is currently available on all JSO’s social media platforms and our transparency portal. However, in anticipation of litigation, our agency will not speak further on this matter.”
