JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An allegation of assault and battery by what a victim and her attorney believe to be two police officers is under administrative review, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
On Tuesday morning, the attorney for Sandra Beavers filed a lawsuit against Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams and the two officers identified in the complaint as John Doe number one and John Doe number two because neither officer has been identified.
Beavers’s attorney Kelly Mathis explained what they are seeking in the lawsuit.
“The identity of these officers," Mathis said. "Seeking damages against the Sheriff’s Office for refusal to provide us with that information under the freedom of information act. And seeking damages for assault and battery against these two officers.”
The skirmish happened back in November in front of the JAX Post bar.
Most of it was captured on surveillance video.
According to Mathis, his client had just left the bar and was waiting outside for a friend to bring the car around when two men started bothering her.
In surveillance video, a man can be seen talking and pointing his finger in the direction of Beavers who is out of frame but waiting for her friend.
“The verbal accusations, threats and intimidation continued to the point that my client got up and there was a heated exchange of words,” Mathis said.
Then the argument turned into physical violence when Beavers quickly walks over to the man with her hands up and appears to be punched in the face. The two start to really go at it when a second man gets involved. Both appear to knock her down. While on the ground, she appears to be punched before she could get back up.
“Both of them began beating this young defenseless girl, throwing her down into the sidewalk. These gentlemen outweighed her," Mathis said.
Photos show bruises she said she got as a result of being beaten by the men. Later in the video, her friend who went to get the car is seen returning and getting into an argument and then a fight with both men. Eventually, they are separated, and then uniformed patrol officers arrive. Mathis says the two men who fought his client and her friend were revealed to be JSO officers.
“My client was interviewed with JSO the following day and they confirmed they were Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officers," Mathis said. "And even at the end of the altercation, one of the officers identified himself as a sheriff’s officer.”
Uniformed police officers are seen talking to everyone involved, including witnesses, but in the end, no arrests were made.
Now, because neither officer was wearing a uniform, it’s unclear if they were off duty or working undercover at the time.
A response from a Sheriff’s Office spokesman reads:
“I am not familiar with the video you reference or a scenario matching the given information. However, we are not at liberty to speak on incidents involving pending litigation.”