Mother claims video shows 'police brutality'

JSO says it's reviewing incident report, video captured outside UF Health

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A mother claims police brutalized her 21-year-old son during an arrest Wednesday at a Jacksonville hospital that was caught on camera. But police say it's what the video doesn't show that tells a different story. 

Daniel Nyman is the man seen in the video being taken into custody by police. His family tells News4Jax that he was out of control at UF Health Jacksonville and they called police. But now the family says the way he was taken into custody was police "brutality."

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Nyman continually swore at a police officer, who was telling him to leave. But Julie Yarbrough, Nyman's mother, says the way he was arrested was too brutal.

UNCUT: Video captures arrest outside UF Health

The video shows an officer forcible taking Nyman down, then his mother rushes toward them and, at that point, she's taken down by another officer. 

"Oh, it was definitely police brutality. Yes. It was over excessive. My son's 100 pounds. This guy's 300 pounds and there was multiple officers around that could've helped contain the situation," Yarbrough said. 

According to the police report, both the officer and Nyman appear to accuse each other of spitting. During the takedown, Yarbrough says the officer was pushing her son’s face into the concrete, and she ran over because he recently had jaw surgery.

"First thing he started doing was grinding his head into the cement, which is where his broken jaw and all was.  My dad was screaming, 'He has a broken jaw.' I was screaming, 'He has a broken jaw.' The guy, like I said, used way too much restraint.  My son is smaller then I am," Yarbrough said. 

News4Jax has learned that Nyman has had recent problems with police, finding Wednesday's arrest was the second time that he’s been committed for psychiatric evaluation in the last few weeks.

Gil Smith, News4Jax crime and safety analyst, says the cussing at the officer before the takedown in not illegal, but if he threatened the officer, a takedown is warranted.

"This guy was gonna resist, so he had to take him down the best way he could. So this (is) the rough part of police work. Sometimes, you have to be very tough and take someone down. You can’t be very delicate with someone who’s resisting," Smith said. 

The Sheriff's Office on Thursday sent News4Jax the following statement: 

"Thank you for your inquiry about the video filmed by a citizen in front of UF Jax, involving a JSO officer and a man, that was shared with media. We are reviewing the video you provided, along with the incident report. No formal complaint has been received by the agency, however, we will look into this matter and determine all the facts about the incident and circumstances. According to the report, he was taken to the hospital intake for evaluation for admission and absentee booked."

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams was at an event Thursday and spoke about the challenges his department has when dealing with people who have mental health problems.

Family members say they've had problems with Nyman before. His grandfather described him to News4Jax as a "wild child," adding that he wasn't bothered by the officer's behavior, except for when he says his grandson's face was pushed into the ground. 


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.