JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The arrest of a Middleburg man last November during a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office undercover drug and gang investigation has raised new questions about the use of force during arrests after body camera video obtained by the man’s family went viral on social media.
Dasaun Williams is facing 27 felony counts related to drug trafficking, selling fentanyl, selling meth and firearms offenses. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday for a pretrial hearing.
It’s the 24-year-old’s first court appearance since the video of his arrest, which was sent to News4JAX by Williams’ girlfriend, prompted dozens of requests for News4JAX to look into the takedown and whether officers used excessive force.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says Williams, whose mugshot after the November arrest shows him with a swollen face, is an accused drug dealer and is linked to the “Out East 1200″ gang.
The video of his arrest, posted on social media and viewed thousands of times, appears to show JSO officers striking Williams in the face, placing multiple knees to his head, and holding a stun gun against his back.
A separate clip shows what appears to be multiple slaps to his face while he is pinned down by officers. Williams also appears to vomit in the video.
Before the takedown, the video shows Williams slowly walking away from officers near a car parked at a Middleburg gas station as one officer tells him to get down before firing a stun gun.
JSO announced the operation, called Operation Red Light, saying it led to the arrests of alleged gang members and seizures of drugs.
The agency has not released the full body-worn camera footage that has circulated online; News4JAX has asked JSO for the complete video, but has so far been able to review only what was posted publicly.
Williams’ arrest report describes a months-long undercover investigation and lists 27 charges, saying Williams sold meth and fentanyl to confidential informants on multiple occasions.
The report’s description of the arrest says, “The Gang Investigations Unit conducted a buy/bust on Dasaun Williams, taking him into custody,” but it does not mention the use of force seen in the video.
The social media post of the video included the names of prominent civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Harry Daniels. The family has since told News4JAX that it has hired Crump to represent them.
JSO said the video is under administrative review, and it can not comment at this time.
This isn’t the only recent case raising concerns — the families of Erika McGriff and William McNeil also retained Crump and Daniels after videos surfaced alleging excessive force by JSO officers.