The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has launched an investigation after video showed officers surrounding a handcuffed Black man with swollen eyes and a bloody face, per NBC News.
In the video, officers appeared to pile on 24-year-old Le'Keian Woods, who was facing chest down on the grass beside a car. One officer appeared to slam Woods' head into the ground. A handcuffed Woods appeared to struggle to sit and stand up on his own, video shows.
The video was taken by a bystander during a traffic stop and released by Woods' attorney, Harry Daniels.
“If this video of the officers repeatedly assaulting Le’Keian, slamming his head in the ground and tossing him around like a ragdoll while he’s handcuffed and defenseless isn’t enough to convince you that these officers need to be off the street, just look at Le’Keian’s face,” Daniels said. “He looks like he just went 12 rounds with a professional boxer.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office confirmed that force was used while Woods was taken into custody on Friday (September 29). The agency said it launched an internal review to see if any policies were violated during the arrest.
“The agency takes all allegations of inappropriate use of force by JSO officers seriously,” the sheriff’s office said.
Following the arrest, Woods was taken to a hospital where he was treated for a severe concussion, Daniels said. The attorney noted that Woods was lucky to be alive.
As of Sunday (October 1), Woods was in custody on charges including armed traffic of methamphetamine, armed traffic of cocaine, armed possession of a controlled substance, resisting an officer with violence, and violation of probation, according to online records.
See the video here.
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