JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office were suspended after an internal investigation into an altercation with a woman outside a downtown bar last year.
Dennis Sullivan and Hunter Sullivan — father and son, respectively — were both suspended after a JSO Internal Affairs investigation found they both acted with unbecoming conduct during the November scuffle. Dennis Sullivan received a 25-day suspension and Hunter Sullivan got 15 days.
News4Jax first published video footage of the incident in April after a woman involved, Sandra Beavers, filed a lawsuit against Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams and the two officers, whose identifies were unknown at the time.
The State Attorney’s Office ruled that the Sullivans acted in self-defense in response to Beavers and Joshua Weinberger, who was found to have shoved Dennis Sullivan during the altercation. Weinberger is the boyfriend of Beavers’ friend.
No criminal charges have been filed against anyone involved, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
According to the internal investigation, a woman got too drunk at the JAX Post bar in downtown Jacksonville and when Beavers and Weinberger brought her outside, she got sick. The Sullivans reportedly started making fun of them, calling them “white trash.”
“The verbal accusations, threats and intimidation continued to the point that my client got up and there was a heated exchange of words,” said attorney Kelly Mathis, who is representing Beavers. “Both of them began beating this young defenseless girl, throwing her down into the sidewalk. These gentlemen outweighed her.”
Beavers told the men to leave them alone and aggressively walked toward Dennis Sullivan, video shows. She is then thrown to the ground multiple times by both Dennis and Hunter Sullivan.
The Sullivans were not in uniform and Beavers said she did not know they were police officers until the following day.
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.
The lawsuit now names both Sullivans and seeks damages in excess of $30,000.
Mathis said Friday he welcomes the punishment handed down by JSO.
“I’m not sure the severity of the reprimand is equal to the severity of what they did to her,” he added.
Mathis said Beavers still has lingering physical and psychological effects from her injuries.