JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Le’Keian Woods, a man whose arrest sparked outrage online and raised questions about the use of force at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, has filed a federal lawsuit.
Woods joined attorneys and community activists for a news conference on Thursday in front of the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse to speak about the lawsuit that was filed against former and current JSO officers who were involved in the arrest.
A JSO body-worn police video last year captured a foot chase in a Jacksonville neighborhood showing JSO officers telling Woods to stop fighting, following attempts to escape as police conducted a traffic stop.
“I got kind of scared that they was gonna shoot me when I had like seen situations before, so I panicked and I ran,” Woods said. “The rest kind of speaks for itself.”
Bystander video of the incident showed Woods face down on the ground, surrounded by several officers as they forcefully placed him in handcuffs. A mugshot that showed him bloody and bruised garnered strong reactions from the local community and beyond, but the Department of Justice cleared officers of any wrongdoing.
In the days after Woods’ arrest, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters responded to the criticism, saying a video of the incident was manipulated and did not tell the full story.
“There was force used by arresting detectives and yes, that force is ugly but the reality is that all force, all violence is ugly and just because force is ugly does not mean it is unlawful or contrary to policy,” T.K. Waters said last year.
Many people said it appeared to look like an officer intentionally kicked Woods while he was in handcuffs sitting on the curb.
“We don’t by any means, tell anybody not to adhere to the orders of law enforcement, but at the same time, that doesn’t warrant a savage beating by law enforcement,” said attorney Harry Daniels.
Several of the charges against Woods were either downgraded or dropped. He was originally facing two counts of armed trafficking and drug charges, but those charges were dropped, and his original charge of resisting an officer with violence was replaced with resisting without violence, and he later pleaded guilty.
Woods is represented by well-known civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and John Burris as well as Norman Harris.
Attorneys said officers involved in the incident have been the subject of multiple complaints and investigations including Hunter Sullivan who was suspended after an altercation with a woman outside of a Jacksonville bar in 2019.
Another officer involved in arresting Woods, Josue Garriga, pleaded guilty to the sexual enticement of a child he met at Clay County church earlier this year. Garriga was fired by JSO following his arrest.
Both Garriga and Sullivan, along with Beau Daigle and Trey McCullough, were named in the lawsuit and accused of using excessive force.
The lawsuit claimed Woods was struck multiple times in his head and face by Garriga, Sullivan, and McCullough after he was tased by Sullivan.
Daniels said Woods suffered a ruptured kidney in the arrest. Daniels said Woods also still has difficulty seeing out of his left eye.
“Plaintiff brings federal constitutional claims against the Defendants, in their individual capacity, for committing acts under color of law that deprived the Plaintiff of his rights under the Constitution,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit asks for compensatory and consequential damages, including damages for emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, and other pain and suffering on all claims allowed by law in an amount in excess of $100,000 against each defendant.
Although it was not named in the lawsuit, JSO said in a statement it does not comment on pending litigation.
