JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville social justice group is rallying behind the family of a 14-year-old boy who was arrested and charged with armed burglary and possession of a firearm by a minor.
In a social media post last week, Jax Community Action Committee (JCAC) said the teen and a friend were stopped for jaywalking, then harassed by officers who accused them of tampering with vehicles and possessing weapons.
The group said officers used racial slurs, stomped on the teen’s ribs and that a police dog bit him on his arms, legs and back. The post said the teen did “nothing wrong” besides walking with his friend.
JSO disputed the account two days later, posting what it called a correction to “misinformation” on social media. The Sheriff’s Office said the 14-year-old was arrested not for jaywalking but for “actively committed armed car burglaries.” JSO said officers saw the teen and another juvenile breaking into a car, identified themselves and ordered them to stop, but both ran while holding guns.
On Monday evening, JSO released body camera video showing the arrest and released new details, combatting the claims of JCAC. (Editor’s Note: News4JAX has requested all unedited video of the incident)
JSO said around 2:45 a.m. on July 20, officers went to the Greenfield Manor neighborhood after reports that two people were actively burglarizing vehicles. A homeowner also reported the suspects were armed with handguns, JSO said.
When officers arrived, they said they witnessed the 14-year-old and another juvenile breaking into a vehicle. In the body-worn camera footage, released by JSO, a car alarm can be heard as officers make contact with the teens.
Video shows officers identify themselves and repeatedly order both to stop, but both can be seen running off. JSO said the teen refused commands to stop, prompting a K-9 handler to deploy a dog, which bit the teen and caused him to stop running and drop the gun.
The video does show a K-9 grab the teen during the takedown before he was handcuffed, but no further force by officers was seen in the video provided to News4JAX.
JSO said the teen was arrested on nine counts of armed burglary and possession of a firearm by a minor. The agency also described the teen as 5-foot-10 and 275 pounds in its post.
Both the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) and JSO posted the teen’s photo and details of the arrest on social media.
(News4JAX is not naming the 14-year-old because he is a juvenile, and we typically do not name underage suspects unless they are accused of violent crimes like murder.)
Kiersten Gilmore of JCAC said the sheriff’s office’s description of the teen’s size was used to justify the level of force.
“They’re going about it by describing the height and weight of a child,” Gilmore said.
Gilmore said JCAC is concerned about the use of police dogs and what it calls excessive force in arrests. She also criticized JSO for posting the teen’s mugshot, though JCAC had identified him first.
The video provided by JSO does not show the officers using racial slurs or stomping on the teen’s ribs. The officer searched the teen and found a device that is commonly used for breaking windows, which was highlighted in the video. JSO said the gun that was found on the teen was also stolen.
Another officer chased the 15-year-old in the neighborhood without the help of a K-9, and he was arrested.
JCAC is calling for the teen to be released to his mother.
The group is also urging the city to create a public safety oversight committee.
In a statement to News4JAX, the advocacy group condemned JSO’s release of the bodycam footage, calling it “carefully selected.”
The Jacksonville Community Action Committee condemns the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s latest attempt to retroactively justify the brutalization of 14-year-old RaShawn Knight. JSO has released carefully selected body cam footage showing a K-9 being deployed and officers using so-called “distraction strikes.” However, releasing footage of an act does not make that act justifiable. This is a deliberate attempt to shift public focus away from the brutality of the incident to a misleading portrayal of Knight as a threat.
This “distraction strikes” terminology is a sanitized label for punching and striking a child. JSO has a documented history of attempting to normalize excessive force through bureaucratic language. JSO is currently entangled in multiple federal lawsuits for deploying K-9 units against unarmed, non-resisting individuals, including cases where dogs were released on people who were already seated with their hands up, already handcuffed, or had clearly surrendered . In one active lawsuit, a man was bitten by a JSO K-9 for over 30 seconds despite fully complying with all commands . The charges in that case were later dropped . This is not an isolated incident—it is part of a systemic pattern. In this instance, on camera, it shows a K-9 being deployed on a 14 year old who had already complied with officers orders to get on the ground.
JSO’s decision to release this footage and narrative to the media before notifying Rashawn family shows this as blatant smear campaign designed to demonize a child and prejudice public opinion.
The facts remain: RaShawn Knight is a child, and he was subjected to K-9 bites and strikes. The community demands the full, unedited body cam footage and audio, not just the clips JSO chooses to release. We demand all trumped-up charges be dropped and continue to demand that Rashawn be released to his mother immediately. We demand the officers involved in this brutal arrest be held accountable.
End JSO excessive force now!
JCAC
