A Florida police officer who was suspended after punching a driver in the face during a traffic stop will not face criminal charges for his actions, prosecutors have said. The incident, which was captured on video and circulated widely online, shows Officer D Bowers smashing the window of William McNeil Jr’s car and dragging him to the ground after McNeil refused to exit the vehicle.
According to the report released by the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Officer Bowers conducted a lawful traffic stop and gave McNeil 12 individual lawful commands, which McNeil refused to obey. The report states, “Officer Bowers conducted a lawful traffic stop and gave McNeil 12 individual lawful commands, which McNeil refused to obey.” McNeil was stopped on February 19 after the officer saw his SUV parked at a house under active surveillance for drug activity. The officer told McNeil he was pulled over for not wearing his seatbelt or having his headlights on in inclement weather.
The situation escalated when McNeil refused to leave the vehicle and asked to speak to the officer’s supervisor before locking the doors. The report notes, “What started as a routine traffic stop quickly escalated into McNeil’s arrest for Resisting an Officer without Violence for failing to follow lawful orders.” Officer Bowers warned McNeil multiple times that he would have to break the window if he did not get out of the car. After McNeil failed to comply, the officer punched him “in the struggle to gain” his compliance. During the arrest, officers found drug paraphernalia and a large serrated knife at McNeil’s feet in his car.
McNeil suffered injuries, including a chipped tooth and a cut to his mouth that required stitches. He also claimed to have suffered a concussion. In an Instagram video, McNeil said, “I’m not mentally healed from this but I had to get the word out eventually.” His lawyers, Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, have called on the federal government to investigate the incident. “Since they are unwilling to seek justice, we will have to request that the US Department of Justice investigate this incident and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office,” they said in a statement.
Although prosecutors determined that Officer Bowers did not commit any crimes, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is conducting an administrative review to determine if the officer violated any of its policies. Sheriff T.K. Waters released body camera footage from the incident, which shows McNeil refusing demands to exit the vehicle. The sheriff’s office said Officer Bowers has been stripped of his law enforcement authority pending the review. “The mobile phone video taken by Mr. McNeil does not tell the whole story of law enforcement’s encounter with” and arrest of the man, prosecutors said, adding that they used body camera footage to determine the officer had not violated standards or policy.