JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has launched an administrative review into an incident that took place on Friday at the intersection of Plaza Gate Lane and Trafalgar Square in Jacksonville.
A video recorded by Ruby Anderson and her husband, surfaced on social media, showing a portion of the incident in which details are unknown about the context of the situation because JSO has not provided additional information due to the active investigation.
Anderson told First Coast News that her and her husband were on their way to a convenience store when they decided to turn around because an officer "passed us really fast and turned on the side street and my husband says, 'Something must be happening really bad down through there, let's go see.'"
In the video, officers are seen surrounding 24-year-old Le'Keian Woods on the ground, next to a black Toyota Camry, his mother, Natassia Woods, confirmed and told First Coast News.
“I have a lot of questions, like why they had to do them like that. They beat him so bad," said Woods.
The video begins with a JSO vehicle pulling behind the Camry and an officer exits the vehicle. While the officer who exited the vehicle walks toward the other officers, the officers on the ground can be seen holding Woods down.
Woods' family told First Coast News that Woods, his uncle and an unidentified friend of his, were pulled over for not wearing their seatbelts as they were on their way to Woods' grandmother's house. The family also says there wasn't a warrant out for Woods' arrest but, he is on probation. The family says that about four or five officers were holding Woods to the ground with their knees on him and were punching him.
While the family says police hit him, the video doesn't show how he suffered his injuries. However, the video does show an officer pick him up and then slam him on the ground. The officers then continue to corral Woods, his face lifts up slightly off the grass next to the curb of the street, and he is seen covered in blood.
"His face was really, really brutal," Anderson told First Coast News. "They had beat him up and then I saw them actually slam his face against the cement, the ground."
Anderson told First Coast News she saw at least six cop cars during the incident and that she "didn't see any resistance" from Woods.
Woods' family told First Coast News that Woods was taken to UF Health in Jacksonville after the incident, where he was being treated for lacerations and bruises on his face and say that he's "coherent." He has since been released from the hospital and is currently being held in Duval County Jail.
“It hurts," said Woods. "It hurts really bad. I can’t protect him. I can’t help him. I can’t even talk to him or touch him or hug him. I can’t do anything.”
Woods is being held on armed drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, resisting an officer with violence and violation of probation, among other charges.
JSO shared the following statement with First Coast News on Saturday regarding the incident:
“Yesterday, JSO officers were involved in an incident near Toledo Road and Powers Avenue in which force was used taking a subject into custody. 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. Because the matter is currently under investigation, the agency cannot comment further about the incident until the investigation is completed.”
Natassia Woods told First Coast News that all she wants, is to have justice for her son.
“This is not how you handle situations," said Woods. "Y’all don’t know who y’all beating until after y’all do it. They beat him so bad. They could’ve killed him.”
The Jacksonville Community Action Committee is holding a rally for Woods Sunday at 2 p.m. on Bay Street in Downtown Jacksonville.
The Woods family hired Civil Rights Attorney Harry Daniels who told First Coast News he will host a news conference about the arrest on Tuesday.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters spoke about the arrest during a crime walk Saturday morning. Waters says every allegation of excessive force is taken seriously and any decisions the agency makes will be based on the facts of the case.
“We’ll review those body cams, and eventually you’re going to see the bodycams," said Waters. "You’re going to see contextual information, start to finish. You won’t see a clip of a video that loops over and over again. You’ll see video in context, but we have to do a full and complete investigation.”