Ben Crump Demands DOJ Investigate Viral Beating of 22-Year-Old by Jacksonville Police [Video]

Civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Ben Crump are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into the violent beating of 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) officers.

The assault, which was captured on video and spread across social media this summer, showed McNeil being repeatedly struck in the face and body, then slammed to the pavement while unarmed and not posing a threat. The attack left him with lacerations, a fractured tooth, and a traumatic brain injury.

VIDEO

According to McNeil’s attorneys, JSO Officer Bowers failed to report his first strike to McNeil’s face. Instead, he claimed he only hit McNeil outside of the car because the 22-year-old was trying to flee. The video evidence, however, told a different story.

Daniels and Crump also criticized the State Attorney’s Office for failing to hold the officers accountable. They say prosecutors abandoned standard legal practices, including not interviewing McNeil himself.

“It’s clear they knew no one was going to hold them accountable,” Daniels said. Crump added that the state’s failure to act is “as appalling as the beating itself.”