JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — One of several gang unit officers captured in a now-viral video of the arrest of 24-year-old Le'Keian Woods was also the shooter in the high-profile killing of college student Jamee Johnson.
An attorney representing Le’Keian Woods’ family drew comparisons between the two incidents, saying the recent incident “bears a striking similarity” to Johnson’s fatal shooting in 2019.
Both men were stopped for alleged seat belt violations. According to a police report released Monday, Woods fled from the Friday traffic stop and was tazed twice before falling to the ground. The report says Woods strenuously resisted attempts by officers to handcuff him, and was struck at least 17 times, including punches and “unintentional knee strikes” to his face.
A mugshot also released Monday shows Woods’ face bruised and abraded, with cuts to his nose and lip, and both eyes purple and swollen shut.
In a statement, JSO said, "The agency takes all allegations of inappropriate use of force by JSO officers seriously. As such, this incident is now under administrative review to determine if the involved officers violated any JSO policy."
Johnson, a 22-year-old Florida A&M University student, was killed during a December 2019 traffic stop by Officer Josue Garriga.
State Attorney Melissa Nelson found Garriga’s actions justified after an investigation determined he was reasonably in fear for his life, but Johnson’s death was the subject of months of protests.
Woods' arrest on Sep. 29 was caught on bystander video. It shows multiple officers standing and kneeling over him. At one point, an officer picks the handcuffed Woods up and slams him onto the grass. Garriga can be seen later, standing in front of Woods, blocking the bystander’s view of the handcuffed suspect.
Garriga was previously involved in a fatal law enforcement shooting in Putnam County in 2015. More recently, he was one of several JSO gang unit officers investigated following reports about gang unit group chat that one officer on the thread labeled “offensive” and “completely out of line.”
The text exchange was obtained by First Coast News as part of a broader investigation into allegations of racial bias within the elite unit. The group was titled “P---- A-- Crackers” and included at least six members of the gang unit, including a Black officer who later left the unit. The thread in question started in response to news that the NFL was holding a pre-game ceremony to honor Jamee Jonhson.
