JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday afternoon released five new body-worn camera videos following the viral arrest of Le’Keian Woods.
The video shows the moments one of the officers punches Woods over and over again.
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National civil rights attorneys are calling for a federal investigation into JSO after Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said the use of force seen by officers in body-worn camera video was appropriate.
Lawyers for Woods’ family say he was brutally beaten. As of Monday afternoon, he was being held in the Duval County Jail.
His attorneys say he has a ruptured kidney after he was arrested Friday.
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Waters said the officers in the video are back on the job.
Woods’ family and civil rights activists gathered outside JSO headquarters downtown announcing they sent a petition for the Department of Justice to investigate.
That’s after a police report shows Woods was struck 17 times, which can be seen in the body camera video.
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According to an arrest report, Woods was originally pulled over after officers noticed a seatbelt violation.
Woods’ attorneys said he had a right to run. The body-worn camera video shows the moment Woods was Tasered a second time.
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“Several knees to the head. Elbows to the head. Punches to the face. Basically, it’s like a UFC pound and ground beat down,” attorney Marwan Porter said.
Attorneys say the injuries are clear in Woods’ most recent mugshot.
“I didn’t see anything on that video that warranted any type of force -- let alone deadly force,” attorney Harry Daniels said.
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Waters said on Monday, “there was force used by arresting detectives. And yes that force was ugly. But the reality is all force and all violence is ugly.”
The report said a JSO gang unit was conducting surveillance when it pulled over a pickup truck because the driver wasn’t wearing his seatbelt properly.
“You don’t bring out guns on a seatbelt violation,” Daniels said.
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Waters said Woods is connected to an undocumented group known for violent crime. According to the report, Woods was resisting arrest.
“When the police start talking about the person’s past, you need to be concerned about their present. Gang affiliation past charges has nothing to do with the deadly force they used on that day,” Daniels said.
RELATED COVERAGE:
- JSO investigating arrest amidst allegations of police brutality, according to family
- JSO investigating use of force by officers on injured suspect in custody seen in viral video
- Protesters gather outside Jacksonville police headquarters in response to viral video
- Jacksonville police release report, mugshot for suspect apparently slammed to ground during arrest
- INVESTIGATES: Documents reveal previous complaints against JSO officers involved in bloody arrest
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