US Police Officer Sparks Outrage As Bodycam Shows Assault of Unarmed Black Man in Florida

• A Reddit user shared shocking bodycam footage showing a Jacksonville police officer punching a young black man
• William McNeil Jr was pulled over for minor violations but suffered a concussion and needed stitches
• The incident has reignited debates about police brutality in America, with civil rights groups calling it excessive force against black citizens

A disturbing video showing a US police officer attacking an unarmed black man during a routine traffic stop has gone viral after being shared on Reddit, sparking fresh outrage about police brutality in America.

Reddit user @Conscious-Quarter423 posted the shocking bodycam footage on r/law with the caption:

"He was charged with resisting an officer without violence," highlighting the irony of the charges against 22-year-old William McNeil Jr.

The incident happened on February 19th in Jacksonville, Florida, when McNeil was pulled over for minor traffic violations, including not wearing a seatbelt and not having his headlights on. The bodycam footage shows Officer D. Bowers asking McNeil to step out of his car, but when McNeil requested to speak with a supervisor, the situation quickly escalated.

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The disturbing footage shows McNeil calmly asking:

"What law am I breaking?"

This is just before Officer Bowers suddenly smashes his car window with a baton and immediately punches him in the face. McNeil can be heard asking,

"What is your reason, sir?" as officers forcibly drag him from the vehicle and throw him to the ground, with one officer pressing his head into the pavement.

McNeil suffered a concussion, a chipped tooth, and needed several stitches on his lip from the assault. He was charged with resisting arrest, possession, driving with a suspended licence, and the original traffic violations, and he spent two days in jail.

Police brutality statistics revealed

According to Pew Research Centre, 84% of black adults say that blacks are treated less fairly than whites when dealing with police, compared to 63% of white adults who agree. The research shows that black men are especially likely to report unfair treatment, with 59% saying they've been unfairly stopped by police because of their race.

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The study also found that black Americans are more likely than whites to say they've been unfairly stopped, and black adults say people have acted suspicious of them because of their race. These statistics help explain why incidents like McNeil's case continue to fuel the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for police reform.

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters defended the officers' actions, saying they had asked McNeil several times to exit his vehicle and that the state attorney's office found no criminal wrongdoing. However, Officer Bowers has been stripped of his law enforcement authority pending further investigation.

Civil rights lawyers Ben Crump and Harry Daniels are representing McNeil, arguing that their client was never combative and that the force used was completely unnecessary for minor traffic violations.

Watch the video here.

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Source: Briefly News