JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One day after the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released partial body cam footage of the forceful arrest that was caught on video and went viral online, the agency released another video that offers a different perspective to the arrest video that has prompted accusations of police brutality.
During a news conference Tuesday out of JSO headquarters, attorneys for Le’Keian Woods said their client suffered a ruptured kidney, throws up whenever he eats and has migraine headaches following the confrontation with police on Friday.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said the officers’ actions were justified because Woods resisted arrest even after he was tased and pinned to the ground.
The new video shows an officer arriving at the confrontation while Woods is pinned to the ground by other detectives.
The officer can be seen holding down Woods’ back as another detective punches him in his ribs. The officer then elbows Woods in his head several times as Woods breathes heavily.
Once handcuffed, Woods is turned on his side and the officer walks away. Within seconds, the same officer walks back to Woods and tries to tighten the handcuffs. The video then shows Woods being slammed on his stomach while handcuffed for moving.
MORE: Jacksonville sheriff releases body cam video of viral arrest to shed light, combat accusations against JSO | Attorneys for family of man seen in viral arrest video call for DOJ to investigate incident, other issues at JSO
The officers sit Woods back up and you can hear him telling them he cannot see. Moments later, his dad arrives at the scene and emotions are high.
“Why the [expletive] you did my son like that,” the father questions.
“Aye, man, go,” an officer can be heard responding. Then the two exchange more words.
Woods was later taken into custody on several charges drug charges and for resisting police with violence.
Other newly released footage shows the detectives finding drugs inside the truck Woods and others were first spotted inside.
Attorney Randy Reep, who is not affiliated with this case, explained what constructive possession is.
“Constructive possession is when it’s not necessarily in your hand or on your body, but where you’re able to exercise dominion or control over it. You and I are in a car and the drugs are in the car. If it’s my car, do I have more possession of it than you do? If it’s sitting in their center console, it means you had it, but it may not have been literally in your pocket,” he said.
Reep said that even though the drugs were found in the car and not on Woods, he could still be charged.
“I think what you see in the police report is that there’s going to be witnesses who see a transaction occur that looked like a drug transaction. So I think you’re going to see that the exercise of Dominion or control was perfected over the different narcotics and may or may not have been so,” Reep said.
Retired JSO Director Tom Hackney said this is just the beginning of a long investigation.
“As you go back from internal affairs and within to response to resistance boards as they look at force within the sheriff’s office. Those are some of the things they’re looking at just those bright line things. What happened? Was the subject in control? And did something happen after that,” he said.
Records show Woods was released from the hospital and booked into the Duval County jail.
If he’s granted bond and posts it, he would be transferred to a jail in Tallahassee to resolve a probation case tied to a robbery conviction.
Woods’ mother, Natassia Woods, who has been vocal against JSO issued a statement after seeing the additional footage.
The Jacksonville Sheriffs officer, lead by Sheriff T.K. Waters in an effort to avoid responsibility for the brutal beating executed by members of the Gang Unit of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, has chosen to put the victim, my son, on trial as opposed to holding his officers accountable. These officers are clearly seen on video mercilessly beating, kneeing in the face, punching in the face, a man who has already been subdued and is in handcuffs. Le’Keian is Clearly incoherent and NOT violently resisting as he has alleged. While Sheriff T K Waters felt it appropriate to bring up my sons history and put the victim on trial and share his past offenses, for which he has not been convicted or formally charged, neglected to share the history of one of the officers involved in this miscarriage of justice, Officer Josue Garrigas. Officer Garrigas not only has a history of unjustified deadly force, but has been accused by his FELLOW JSO Officers of racism AND MISCONDUCT. So even if you don’t believe me, believe complaints and allegations brought forth by officers of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office that have accused him of racism and misconduct. He is also connected to and responsible for the death of another 2 unarmed black men, one being a 19 year old FAMU student, Jamee Johnson, who ironically was stopped by Officer Garrigas for a seatbelt violation, like my son, and ended up dead. Make no mistake, today it is my son, tomorrow it will be yours if we allow this to be swept under the rug. This brutality has got to be addressed and dealt with. SOMEONE will be held accountable. I have never portrayed my son to be an angel, however when the officers that we rely on, become the equivalent of a brutal street gang, justice is not served.
Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
