A Florida resident has initiated a federal legal case against three officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office following a brutal encounter during a traffic stop last year. The plaintiff, Le’Keian Woods, claims he suffered excessive force that led to enduring injuries to crucial parts of his body, including his head, eye, and kidney. This incident, which occurred on September 29, 2023, garnered widespread media attention and sparked significant local protests due to its brutality. Sheriff T.K. Waters has publicly stated that the officers’ actions were warranted under the circumstances.
Woods reports ongoing issues such as migraines and pain in his eye as a result of the incident. He is holding officers Hunter Sullivan, Trey McCullough, and former officer Josue Garriga accountable for their actions during the altercation, which left him with a ruptured kidney, severe facial swelling, and a bloodied lip. Additionally, another officer, Beau Daigle, is included in the lawsuit for brandishing his firearm at Woods during the event. The damages sought by Woods remain unspecified.
Legal representatives Harry Daniels and Norman Harris have alleged that the officers specifically targeted Woods, 25, and his two Black friends based on racial bias. They argue that the claim of not wearing a seatbelt was merely a facade used by law enforcement to justify a high-risk traffic stop, following an accusation from Garriga that Woods sold cocaine, which was subsequently dismissed. “This is clearly a case demonstrating racial profiling and a breakdown in justice,” Harris emphasized. “The motives behind this stop were unfounded, primarily stemming from a seatbelt infraction that escalated unreasonably.”
While Woods’ friends complied with the officers’ orders to stay seated in the truck, Woods panicked and fled the scene, fearing for his safety. “I felt he might shoot me, and it seemed like a life-threatening situation, so I ran,” Woods explained, adding that he was on probation for robbery at that time.
Video evidence obtained from body cameras displays Sullivan pursuing Woods and threatening to use a Taser if he did not halt his escape. As Sullivan caught up, he deployed the Taser, which caused Woods to fall face-first to the ground. Following his fall, Woods was repeatedly struck in the head and body by Sullivan, Garriga, and McCullough while they struggled to handcuff him. Despite his attempts to comply and keep his hands visible, it took multiple officers about two minutes to restrain him.
Daniels, a former law enforcement officer, remarked that striking a suspect in the head with a knee is classified as lethal force in Florida, and it should only be utilized when lives are in danger. He also indicated that further legal action against the sheriff’s department is forthcoming at both the state and federal levels.
While the sheriff’s office declined to comment on the matter, the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police, representing the officers, did not respond to requests for input. In a press conference shortly after the incident, Sheriff Waters claimed the body camera footage validated the necessity of the officers’ actions in preventing potential harm. He then insisted that the force used was lawful despite its visual brutality, indicating no officers would face disciplinary action.
Initial investigations by the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division determined that the officers’ conduct did not violate federal statutes, leading Daniel to criticize the probe’s shortcomings, which they plan to contest. In the aftermath of his arrest, Woods faced multiple charges, including resistance to arrest and drug trafficking. However, six months later, prosecutors rescinded those charges, and he eventually pled guilty to a lesser charge of non-violent resisting arrest, resulting in a minimal jail time that he had already served.
Interestingly, Garriga, who has since pleaded guilty to unrelated federal charges involving a minor, will not face trial in relation to Woods’ case. Previously, he was involved in a fatal incident in 2019, where he shot an individual during a traffic stop regarding a seatbelt violation, a case that was deemed justified by prosecutors. Furthermore, Sullivan had his own run-in with authority in 2020 related to an off-duty incident but faced no legal repercussions.
At the time of the beating, Woods was already on probation for a 2017 robbery involving an illegal marijuana dealer which had deadly consequences. Initially charged with second-degree murder for his roommate’s death during that robbery, he managed to negotiate a plea deal in 2022 that spared him from serving prison time.