JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Attorneys of the man seen beaten in a viral arrest video are calling for "full transparency" from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Tuesday after the agency released body camera video of the incident.
Marwan Porter, a personal injury attorney, was joined by Civil Rights attorney Harry Daniels on the steps of JSO headquarters for a news conference Tuesday afternoon. They spoke about the status of Woods' injuries following his arrest by members of the JSO Gang Unit Friday.
Porter said Woods is in "excruciating pain," and described the forced used on Woods' as a "UFC ground-and-pound beat down."
Another one of Woods' attorneys, Roderick Taylor, added he is not able to take liquid or food because he is "dizzy" and "nauseous" from his injures.
"He still can't see properly. His face is still completely purple, his eyes are swollen shut," said Taylor. "I don't think he knows what I look like."
Daniels said that Woods has a ruptured kidney. When asked how he knows this information, Daniels would not disclose the source, but said they are "credible."
Woods' attorneys acknowledged the body camera video released by Sheriff T.K. Waters during a press conference Monday night.
Daniels emphasized parts of body camera video showed Woods' being kneed in the head by responding officer Josue Garriga, who has previously made headlines for killing a FAMU college student in 2019 following a traffic stop for a seatbelt violation.
"Kneeing a person in the head is not excessive force, it's deadly force," Daniels said. "Deadly force is not warranted, when you are just trying to put handcuffs on somebody. Deadly force is warranted, when a person is trying to use deadly force against you."
Daniels went a step further and called the force against Woods "unlawful."
Waters said his detectives "acted appropriately with respect to the law and JSO policy," adding, while the officers in the video are under investigation, "they are working, as they should be."
Daniels denounced the culture and atmosphere at JSO, saying, "we don't have a bad apple, we have a bad apple orchard."
Waters said prior to Woods arrest, officers were investigating the shooting of a three-year-old at the JTB Apartments last week when they observed Woods taking part in a suspected drug deal.
"They [officers] did not see any type of transferring of drugs when they initially were doing their surveillance. They said they saw some people communicating. That's not a crime. Counting money, that's not a crime," Porter said.
Porter alleged that the firearm and drugs found in the vehicle were not Woods' and added his charges were an attempt to "justify the conduct" of the responding officers.
"Part of the [police] statement, you say that the gun that you found belonged to another individual, who admitted that that was his firearm, but you place a gun charge on Le'Keian. How does that make sense?"
First Coast News asked Woods' attorneys why he ran.
Attorneys said if the driver was the one being pulled over for a seat belt violation, there should be no problem with a passenger walking away.
"If that is the reason you are using to pull these individuals over, then the passenger can get out the car and leave," Porter said.
First Coast News also asked about Woods' alleged connection to a Jacksonville gang. On Monday, Waters said Woods is part of an undocumented group and has been shown in "drill rap" music videos. Drill rap is also called murder rap and usually involves violent lyrics about real crimes.
"Gang-affiliation, past charges, has nothing to do with the deadly force they used on that day," said Daniels.
Woods' attorney said they have a petition going to the U.S. Department of Justice calling for an internal investigation of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. He said it has not been filed yet.