JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Le’Keian Woods, the man whose arrest video sparked outrage in September, was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges of drug possession, resisting police and tampering with evidence.
But when Woods’ attorney explained that she had waived his appearance, Judge Mark Borello appeared displeased and said Woods, who has been released on bail, needed to be present for his arraignment.
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Borello rescheduled the arraignment to Jan. 4.
Several of the charges against Woods were either downgraded or dropped altogether. He was originally facing two counts of armed trafficking, but those charges were dropped, and his original charge of resisting an officer with violence was replaced with resisting without violence.
Woods was arrested in September after running from police following a traffic stop. Officers chased Woods down and a stung gun was used twice, which led to Woods falling face down on the ground.
The arrest sparked outrage online after cellphone video showed Woods being hit several times and left with a bloody face.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said that video was manipulated and did not show the full extent of the situation. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation and released bodycam footage.
In early October, Woods’ attorneys issued a letter to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), asking for a review of what his lawyers said was a use of excessive force. The DOJ concluded that Woods’ arrest did not violate civil rights laws.
Woods’ family along with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee held a rally last month to protest against the JSO Crime Unit and call for State Attorney Melissa Nelson to hold officers accountable and to press the city to adopt a public safety committee.