JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man who "continued to resist" arrest multiple times following a traffic stop last week is facing multiple charges, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. A viral video of the incident shows an officer slap the man. Now, there's an ongoing police review of the arrest.
Dwon Ellis, 29, faces charges of running stop signs, driving with a suspended license and resisting an officer without violence, according to his arrest report.
On Friday, Feb. 9, at approximately 9 p.m., JSO says an officer saw that Ellis failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of 13th Street West and Canal Street until he was in the middle of the intersection.
The arrest report states that Ellis then failed to stop at another stop sign at the intersection of 13th Street West and Division Street, as the vehicle he was driving turned onto Division Street.
After the vehicle traveled a short distance and stopped, JSO says the arresting officer asked Ellis for his driver's license, informed him of the reason for the stop and smelled "the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle."
A search in JSO's database revealed that Ellis' license was suspended on March 16, 2023, his arrest report states.
"I informed Mr. Ellis that his license was suspended and asked him to step out of the vehicle because he did not have a valid driver's license," the arresting officer said in Ellis' arrest report. "I asked Mr. Ellis if he had a medical marijuana card and he informed me that he does not smoke marijuana and does not know what hemp products are," the officer added in the report.
JSO says Ellis was asked to face the vehicle he was in to conduct a search on him, where he was then "actively physically" resisting by turning his body. The officer says he and another responding officer placed both of Ellis' arms behind his back as he "continued to resist by tensing his arms and pulling away," according to the report.
The sheriff's office says once Ellis was placed in handcuffs, he continued to resist by turning his body toward the two officers and attempted to press his body away from his vehicle.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released the following statement after First Coast News reached out for comment on the officer's actions in the video:
"We are currently reviewing the incident and circumstances that unfolded during the arrest."