The Florida cop who was caught on camera repeatedly punching a Black driver after breaking his window during a traffic stop will not face any legal ramifications. The State Attorney’s Office revealed that the officer, identified as Donald Bowers, did not violate criminal law during the incident.
The traffic stop in Jacksonville led to William McNeil Jr. being arrested on February 19, and the video of it recently went viral after he shared it on social media. The video sparked intense backlash, but all the officers involved have been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters addressed the incident in a news conference, revealing that Bowers’ actions are still under internal review, though criminal charges have been ruled out. Bowers’ bodycam footage, along with two other officers’ recordings, reportedly did not show the moment McNeil was struck.
Meanwhile, the sheriff indicated that McNeil’s video, which captured the window shattering and Bowers hitting him, left out key details leading up to the arrest. Waters maintains that McNeil was warned several times to exit the SUV he was driving before the window was broken. Sheriff Waters stated that McNeil’s refusal to comply, coupled with his alleged failure to provide a license or registration, amounted to criminal resistance.
Additionally, the arrest report claims McNeil reached toward the floor, where a large knife was visible. However, the sheriff admitted that none of the videos obtained by police clearly confirms that detail. McNeil later pleaded guilty to resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license, while other charges, including him driving without a headlight, were dropped.
When the video was shared online, McNeil claimed he was pulled over for not having his headlight on despite it being daytime and not raining. He presented this argument to an unseen officer in the video, but the policeman told him he was still required to have it on. McNeil made 2 requests, one asking to see the law he was violating and the other asking for a supervisor.
However, Bowers smashed the driver’s window and struck him in the face. Though cleared legally, Bowers remains administratively reassigned while the department evaluates whether his actions breached internal protocol.
McNeil indicated that the incident had a profound impact on his mental well-being and said he sustained a concussion, a cut on his lips that he got stitched up, short-term memory loss, and a chipped tooth.
