Man sues Florida police for aggravated assault during traffic stop that led to viral video

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida man was severely beaten by Jacksonville Sheriff’s deputies during a viral video last year filed a federal lawsuit Thursday alleging the officers brutally violated his rights.

Lawyers for Le’Keian Woods25, said in the lawsuit that Woods suffered some type of traumatic brain injury, a lacerated kidney, nerve damage and other damage from the September 2023 arrest that resulted in a felony conviction for resisting the police without violence. The incident was captured on video by a bystander, showing Woods in handcuffs with swollen eyes and a bloodied face.

“None of that was justified,” attorney Harry Daniels said of police actions, which included hitting Woods with fists, knees and elbows after he ran from a police traffic stop and was tasered.

Woods joined his attorneys at a news conference Thursday and said he ran because he feared being shot during the traffic stop. He said he doesn’t regret his decisions that day. Police reports indicated that Woods had been struck at least 17 times.

The court case did not allege wrongdoing by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, only by individual officers. The lawsuit states that the officers Jose GarrigaHunter Sullivan, Trey McCullough and Beau Daigle – all used excessive force against Woods.

The lawsuit also adds a separate claim against Sullivan and Daigle for pointing weapons at the vehicle’s occupants during the stop and a third claim against Sullivan stating that the officer slammed Woods’ face into the ground after Woods was handcuffed. Officers could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.

The incident sparked local and national outrage after the video spread on social media. Weeks after the incident, a Jacksonville social justice organization and Woods’ family convened to denounce the officers’ actions and call for an end to police brutality, police said. First coastal news.

Complaints about the arrest briefly reached the police US Department of Justicewhich said it was “monitoring” the case. But in November 2023, the department dropped the review, saying the “incident does not give rise to an actionable violation of federal civil rights laws.”

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What happened to Le’Keian Woods?

The bystander video showed officers taking Woods into custody following the traffic stop, during which at least three officers forcibly restrained Woods on the grass near a vehicle. Daniels has said Woods was beaten by officers after being pulled over for an alleged seat belt violation.

Officers claimed they saw Woods conducting a drug transaction at a gas station and believed he was armed, according to an arrest report and body camera footage. They attempted to initiate a traffic stop but instead followed Woods and his two friends, who were in a pickup truck, to a cul-de-sac of an apartment complex driveway.

According to the report, Daigle and Sullivan attempted a “high-risk takedown” at that location. As Daigle gave commands to the occupants, the report said Woods fled from the front passenger seat through the apartment complex.

Sullivan then chased Woods and deployed his Taser, the report said. Three of the officers – Sullivan, Garriga and McCullough – repeatedly punched and kneed Woods as they tried to handcuff him.

Days after Woods’ arrest, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it believed officers “acted appropriately” following the incident. Woods was initially charged with crimes including armed trafficking in amphetamine and cocaine.

But those accusations were fell later after his attorney argued that Woods was just a passenger in the truck and could not be related to the drugs. He pleaded guilty to resisting arrest without violence and was sentenced to nine days in jail.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Le’Keian Woods, beaten in viral arrest video, is suing Florida cops