JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nationally known civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels will be returning to Jacksonville on Friday to talk about yet another case concerning the use of force by members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Dasaun Williams, 24, of Middleburg was arrested by JSO last November during an undercover drug and gang investigation, but body camera video of the takedown only recently came to light after the family obtained it and posted it to social media.
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.
Williams, whose mugshot after the November arrest shows him with a swollen face, is facing 27 felony counts related to drug trafficking, selling fentanyl, selling meth and firearms offenses. His attorneys attempted a plea deal, but prosecutors rejected the terms that were offered.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says Williams 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.
Crump and Williams said they will join Williams’ family in calling for a “full, transparent investigation into the conduct of the deputies involved and a broader pattern of brutal and violent misconduct within the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.”
Crump and Williams have previously visited Jacksonville after two other recent cases that raised concerns — the families of Erika McGriff and William McNeil Jr. also retained Crump and Daniels after videos surfaced alleging excessive force by JSO officers.
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.
JSO said the video is under administrative review, and it can not comment at this time.