Jacksonville man whose viral arrest video sparked outrage announces federal lawsuit against officers

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 will join his attorneys and community activists at a news conference at the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse on Thursday at 1 p.m. to discuss the lawsuit filed against former and current JSO officers involved in the arrest .

(Click the video player above to watch live at 1 p.m.)

JSO body-worn police video showed a chase in a Jacksonville neighborhood last year in which JSO officers asked Woods to stop fighting after police attempted to flee when police conducted a traffic stop.

Video of the incident showed Woods lying face down on the ground, surrounded by several officers who were forcibly handcuffing him. A mugshot showing him bloodied and injured sparked strong reactions from the local community and beyond, but the Justice Department cleared the officers of any wrongdoing.

In the days following Woods' arrest, Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters responded to the criticism, saying a video of the incident was doctored and did not tell the whole story.

Many people said it appeared as if an officer intentionally kicked Woods while he sat on the curb in handcuffs.

Several of the charges against Woods were either downgraded or dropped. He was originally charged with two counts of firearms trafficking and drug trafficking, but those charges were dropped and his original charge of violently resisting an officer was replaced with nonviolent resisting. He later pleaded guilty.

Woods is represented by prominent civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and John Burris, as well as Norman Harris.

Attorneys said multiple complaints and investigations have been launched against the officers involved in the incident, including Hunter Sullivan, who was suspended after an altercation with a woman outside a Jacksonville bar in 2019.

Another officer involved in Woods' arrest, Josue Garriga, pleaded guilty to sexually luring a child he met at a Clay County church earlier this year. Garriga was fired from JSO following his arrest.

The lawsuit named both Garriga and Sullivan, as well as Beau Daigle and Trey McCullough.

The lawsuit alleged that Woods was punched multiple times in the head and face by Garriga, Sullivan and McCullough after being verbally abused by Sullivan.

“Plaintiff asserts federal constitutional claims against Defendants in their individual capacities for committing acts under the guise of the law that deprived Plaintiff of his constitutional rights,” the lawsuit states.

JSO said in a statement that it “does not comment on pending litigation.”