Video of Black Student’s Brutal Arrest Sparks Calls for In-Car Cameras
A video showing the violent arrest of a Black college student in Florida has led to calls for drivers to install in-car cameras to document interactions with police.
In February, 22-year-old college student William McNeil Jr. recorded footage of Jacksonville police officers smashing his car window, dragging him from his vehicle, and punching him during a traffic stop. McNeil was reportedly pulled over because his headlights should have been on due to bad weather.
McNeil captured the incident on his cellphone, mounted above his dashboard in his car — a decision that would ultimately highlight the importance of personal recording during police encounters.
The footage shows McNeil sitting in the driver’s seat and asking to speak to the deputies’ supervisor. Seconds later, an officer smashes the window, strikes McNeil as he remains seated, pulls him from the car, and punches him in the head. After McNeil is taken to the ground, officers punched him six more times in the right thigh, according to a police report.
The video captured by McNeil quickly went viral online and sparked widespread outrage. It offered a perspective not visible in body camera footage later released by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
According to a report by ABC News, McNeil’s in-car footage was the only clear video showing the punches to his head — a key moment not captured in the officers’ bodycams. The official incident report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office did not mention any punches to McNeil’s head either. Civil rights advocates are now urging drivers to consider protecting themselves by installing cameras inside their vehicles.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, one of several lawyers advising McNeil, says: “Since McNeil had the foresight to record the encounter from inside the vehicle, we got to see firsthand and hear firsthand and put it all in context what driving while Black is in America.”
Crump adds: “All the young people should be recording these interactions with law enforcement. Because what it tells us, just like with George Floyd — if we don’t record the video, we can see what they put in the police report before they realized the video existed.”
After McNeil’s video was posted online, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office launched an internal investigation, which is still ongoing. A spokesperson declined to comment to ABC News this week, citing pending litigation, though no lawsuit has yet been filed.
