Le’Keyan Woods files federal lawsuit against Jacksonville police after brutal beating

Lawyers for a Florida man brutally beaten by Jacksonville officers in a viral video last year announced Thursday they are filing a federal lawsuit against the officers involved in the incident.

Le’Keyan Woods is seen in the footage. bloodied and bruised as police surrounded him following a traffic stop on September 29, 2023. The photo shows Woods with two swollen black eyes and lacerations on his face. causing public outrage.

More than a year later, Woods spoke briefly about the incident with his lawyers at a news conference outside the Brian Simpson U.S. Courthouse in Jacksonville.

“I was stopped at a bus stop and I ran. I was a little scared; I knew that they were going to shoot me. I panicked and ran,” Woods told reporters, adding that he continues to suffer “a bad migraine, bad eye pain” as a result of the beating.

Woods’ attorney, Harry Daniels, announced a lawsuit against Detectives Bo Daigle, Trey McCullough and Hunter Sullivan, as well as now-former Detective Josue Garriga, alleging excessive use of force. According to the lawsuit, the officers violated Woods’ Fourth Amendment when they stopped him for an “alleged seat belt violation” and severely beat Woods after he fled. The lawsuit says Woods is still receiving medical treatment and is suffering from a variety of mental health symptoms. according to NBC affiliate WTLV in Jacksonville..

“You had three sheriff’s deputies … who weighed over 200 pounds beating Le’Keyan, who may have weighed 150 pounds soaking wet. He had already been tased, he was already disoriented,” Daniels said, adding that at least one officer kneed Woods in the head “multiple times.”

Police claimed they saw Woods conducting a drug transaction before pulling him over for a traffic stop. He ran when two more people were handcuffed at the stop. according to body camera video and the arrest report.. At the time, the sheriff’s office also argued that the video created “the illusion of an unlawful use of force.” Sheriff T.K. Waters said last October that “just because a use of force is ugly does not mean it is illegal or against policy.”

Daniels, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, on Thursday denied Woods was involved in any drug deal.

Body camera video showed detectives chasing Woods through a yard, a parking lot and a lawn before using a stun gun on him. Woods was seen falling first onto the cobblestone street with one arm underneath him. Detectives were then seen punching him in the face, bloodying his jaw and kneeing him in the head while yelling at him to put his hands behind his back.

Woods was hospitalized for several days after the incident with what his lawyers say was a ruptured kidney and head injuries.

Woods later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor resisting police without violence, and all other charges against him — armed trafficking in cocaine, armed possession of a controlled substance, armed trafficking in amphetamine and tampering with evidence — were dropped, some as part of a plea deal. , according to to the Florida Times-Union.

The US Department of Justice reviewed the arrest and reached a conclusion last November. letter Waters: “Based on the information known, this incident does not give rise to liability for violation of federal civil rights laws. As a result, we are concluding our consideration of this issue.”

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“What happened was a crime,” Daniels said Thursday. “Did the management of Le’Keyan Woods justify the use of deadly force? I can answer this question: “no.”