JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters held a press conference Monday to discuss the arrest of Le'Keian Woods and release bodyworn camera footage of the incident.
Videos of Woods' arrest, showing him beaten by police with a bloody, swollen face, went viral Friday night.
In his mugshot, Woods can be seen with his eyes swollen shut. His attorney says he was taken to the hospital, then to jail, then taken back to the hospital again.
Waters told reporters that one of the videos, a looped live photo showing Woods being kicked, was "intentionally altered," to appear to show him being kicked while he was handcuffed.
"The intentional distribution of manipulated video is shocking, unacceptable and frankly immoral," he said. The only logical conclusion that can be drawn by the production of such altered video is that its creator or distributor had a personal agenda to incite community rage against police officers."
He says Woods was never kicked. But documents show he was struck by officers. According to his arrest report, he was punched, elbowed and "unintentionally" kneed by officers. In total, the report documents Woods being struck 17 times.
READ MORE: Arrest report shows Jacksonville Sheriff's officers struck man seen in viral arrest video 17 times
The sheriff wanted to release the body camera footage to provide "context" to the videos of Woods' arrest.
The officers are currently under investigation, Waters said. However, he said, "They are working today, as they should be." At this time, he said, JSO believes the officers acted appropriately.
What the video shows
Only the bodycam footage from one officer was released. This officer appears to be Detective Hunter Sullivan, noted in police reports as the officer who chased Woods down.
Waters said the officers were investigating the shooting of a three-year-old at the JTB Apartments last week when they observed Woods taking part in a drug deal.
Soon after, police pulled over the car Woods was in.
The beginning of the video shows police arresting the other people who were in the car with Woods. The interaction between police and Woods before he ran does not appear in the video.
The video shows Woods running from police after he is approached. The officer chases him, shouting, "you're f*cked, you're f*cked."
He warns Woods that he's going to tase him, but Woods keeps running.
When he gets hit with the stun gun, he goes down. This is when Waters says he hit his face on the ground. When he rolls over, his face is bloody.
The officer continues to try to cuff Woods, telling him to put his hands behind his back.
The video shows the officer wearing the camera, as well as other officers who come to his aid, punching Woods.
Waters acknowledged the video appears to show that a knee made contact with Woods' head.
He is eventually subdued and cuffed.
When Woods is on the ground, the officer is too close for much to be seen. Woods' family is calling for the release of body camera footage from all four officers to better show what happened.
He acknowledges that footage of the arrest looks "ugly."
"There was force used by the arresting detectives, and yes, that force is ugly, but the reality is that all force, all violence is ugly," he said, but qualified that ugly does not mean unlawful.
Waters also talked about Woods criminal past, which has been mentioned in coverage of his arrest since the incident happened.
He says Woods is part of a local, undocumented group and has also been shown in "Drill Rap" videos with a known gang. Drill Rap is also called "murder rap." Several rappers who are part of the genre are from Jacksonville and have talked about killings within the city in their lyrics. Videos on YouTube show Woods rapping under the name 'Ken Keepshootin.'
He also spoke about Woods past crimes. He was on probation at the time of the arrest, and Waters says he has been involved in violent crimes and firearm distribution. Court records show he has faced jail time for drug charges.
He was also charged with second-degree murder after his roommate was shot during a drug robbery. However, he pleaded down to robbery charges and was never tried for murder.
Waters said police found meth, fentanyl, cocaine and oxycodone inside the car Woods was riding in when he was stopped by police.
The sheriff also mentioned that there was a gun in the back seat of the car. Police reports specify that this gun did not belong to Woods.
Woods is currently being held on charges of armed drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, resisting an officer with violence and violation of probation, among other charges.
Family speaks out
Woods' mother, Natassia Woods says she wants to see the body camera footage from all four officers.
"I don't want pieces or nothing, I want each officer that was out there, their bodycam footage to be shown, so we can see it for ourselves," she said.
She also said that she wants to speak with Waters herself. "You keep holding all these press conferences, but you haven't said anything. And we're right here." As she addressed the press, her son's attorney and father stood beside her. "His mother and father's right here," she said. "So come talk to us about our child."
Natassia Woods said Monday that police beat her son "like a dead dog." She believes he was unconscious and officers continued to beat him.
The family's attorney, Marwan Porter, said the footage is not enough. "It seems like Mr. Waters has done the same thing that the individuals on social media did, which he criticized, which has only showed a portion of what happened," he said. "Why didn't they show the whole body worn cam video? And there was more than one. They had various officers out there. Why don't you release everything so we get a full picture of what happened?"