A Florida man who was severely beaten by Jacksonville police officers last year filed a federal lawsuit against the officers on Oct. 31.
According to NBC News, the incident that led to the filing occurred at a traffic stop on Sept. 29, 2023. Le’Keian Woods was seen on video bloodied and battered, allegedly at the hands of the police officers involved in the arrest. A police mugshot revealed the victim with two swollen, black eyes and lacerations on his face.
He spoke at a press conference announcing the lawsuit against the officers. The suit was filed at the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse in Jacksonville.
“I was stopped at a traffic stop, and I ran. I got kind of scared; I knew they was going to shoot me. I panicked and I ran,” Woods said.
Woods’ attorney, Harry Daniels, gave the names of the Florida police officers involved in the lawsuit: Beau Daigle, Trey McCullough, Hunter Sullivan, and former Detective Josue Garriga. The four men are accused of using excessive force. According to the lawsuit, the officers violated Woods’ Fourth Amendment right after pulling Woods over for “an alleged seatbelt violation” and brutally beat Woods after he fled.
Woods is still receiving medical care from the beating and suffers from myriad mental health symptoms, according to WTLV.
“You had three deputy sheriffs … who weighed over 200 pounds beating Le’Keian, who may have weighed 150 pounds soaking wet. He had already been tased; he was already disoriented,” Daniels said at the press conference.
Police officers claim that Woods was involved in a drug transaction before they pulled him over. He allegedly took off running when they were handcuffing two other people at the traffic stop. Authorities alleged that the video created “the illusion of an inappropriate use of force.” Last year, Sheriff T.K. Waters said, “Just because force is ugly does not mean it is unlawful or contrary to policy.”
Video footage showed officers running after Woods through a yard, a parking lot, and then a grassy area before using a stun gun on him. After Woods fell on the street, the police officers were seen hitting him in the face, bloodying his jaw, and kneeing him in the head as they screamed at him to put his hands behind his back.
Woods pleaded guilty to misdemeanor resisting police without violence, and the other charges against him, armed trafficking in cocaine, armed possession of a controlled substance, armed trafficking in amphetamine, and tampering with evidence, were dropped as part of a plea deal, according to the Florida Times-Union.
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