The US Department of Justice said they are “monitoring” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after a request from the attorney of Le’Keian Woods — who was seen in a viral video receiving a beating from officers during a traffic stop.
The Sept. 29 arrest of Woods happened after officers pulled over the car he was a passenger in for a seatbelt violation in a residential neighborhood. Police later said the seatbelt violation was a pretext for stopping the group, as Woods was suspected of selling drugs. In the video filmed by a bystander, officials could be seen slamming his head to the group while placing him in handcuffs.
Authorities said Woods ran from police after the stop, and when pursuing officers caught him, they used force on him that the bystander’s cellphone camera did not capture.
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Photos show his swollen face and eyes that could barely open. Local news reported that he was charged with armed drug trafficking, possessing a controlled substance and resisting an officer with violence.
The incident sparked outrage and raised questions about the actions of one of the officers involved. Daniels pointed out how Detective Josue Garriaga is connected to the death of 22-year-old Jamee Johnson, a FAMU student who he fatally shot after a traffic stop last year.
Civil rights attorney Harry Daniels, who is representing Woods, sent a letter to the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division on October 5 asking the department to look into the “brutal attack of Woods as well as several other beatings of unarmed people at the hands of JSO.”
The department responded to his request last Monday, Oct. 23: “The Criminal Section and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida are aware of the allegations, and we are monitoring the incident.”
In addition, the DOJ also urged Woods to send any additional details relating to JSO to the FBI’s Resident Agency in Jacksonville.
“Sheriff Waters and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office may not take this kind of brazen and unapologetic violence seriously. But the DOJ sure does,” Daniels said in a statement. “Some of the stories we’ve heard are downright terrifying and it’s encouraging to know that now the JSO’s victims have somewhere to turn for justice.”
