The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released bodycam footage Monday that it claims shows officers were justified in beating up a drug suspect who appeared to resist arrest.
Friday’s arrest of Le’Keian Woods, 24, garnered national attention after a cellphone video circulated online showed officers beating him and appearing to slam him face onto the ground after he was handcuffed. Mug shots taken after his arrest show the suspect with both eyes swollen shut, along with bruises and abrasions on his face.
Woods’ attorney is calling for a federal investigation of the incident and has accused Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters of covering it up. Waters said at a press conference that the bodycam footage released shows that the officers’ use of force was justified, adding that all the officers are still on the street “where they belong.”
“There was force used by arresting officers and yes, that force is ugly. But the reality is that all force, all violence is ugly,” Waters said. “But just because force is ugly does not mean it is unlawful or contrary to (agency) policy.”
Waters and Mike Shell, his assistant chief for public accountability, told reporters that the officers responding knew that Woods had once been accused of murder, was on probation for armed robbery and had been connected to firearms and drug trafficking when they decided to chase him for a traffic stop.
Bodycam footage shows Woods sprinting away from officers who were chasing him. One of them threatened to use his Taser on Woods if he did not surrender. When he didn’t surrender, the officer used his Taser once, but it did not appear to affect Woods. He then used the stun gun a second time, causing Woods to fall flat on his face.
One of the officers said in the arrest report that he repeatedly hit Woods in the head and ribs and elbowed him in the face because he thought Woods was reaching for a gun in a waistband. Another officer said he kneed Woods in the head and shoulders while another punched him, according to the arrest report, per the Associated Press.
Waters also said that some of the bodycam footage circulating online has been “intentionally altered,” saying that none of the officers kicked Woods in the head.
Woods has been charged with resisting arrest with violence, armed trafficking in cocaine and methamphetamine and other felonies.
The Associated Press contributed.