Jax Sheriff Waters: viral video of arrest that led to community outrage ‘intentionally altered’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said cell phone footage of an arrest was “intentionally altered” to imply that a detective “kicked” a suspect in handcuffs.

“While a rush to judgment is dangerous, the intentional distribution of a manipulated video is shocking, unacceptable and frankly immoral,” Waters said during a Monday press briefing.

Waters said he will “not remain silent while the truth is buried to advance a particular agenda.”

“There was force used by arresting detectives and yes, that force is ugly, but the reality is that all force, all violence is ugly,” Waters said. “And just because force is ugly does not mean it is unlawful or contrary to policy.”

Le’Keian Woods, 24, was allegedly booked on “multiple criminal charges” Friday including armed trafficking in methamphetamine, armed trafficking in cocaine, armed possession of a controlled substance and resisting an officer, according to Chief of Professional Standards Mike Shell.

Waters showed the body-worn camera footage Monday, “even with the investigation still pending,” because he said it is “now clear that some of the circulating cell phone camera footage has been intentionally altered to imply that one of the detectives kicked” the suspect while in handcuffs.

After the cell phone camera footage of Woods’ arrest went viral on social media, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee organized a rally on Sunday at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office headquarters titled “Protest against JSO Racial Injustice” and called for three things, including:

• “Demanding all officers involved in this beating are held accountable.”
• “Calling for the immediate dissolving to the failed practices of the JSO gang unit.”
• “Demanding the implementation of a Public Safety Committee.”

Dozens of people reportedly rallied the steps of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office headquarters Sunday including Woods’ mother. Video footage of the rally showed protesters holding signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “Justice for Ken,” along with chants from the protesters saying “T.K., do your job.”

The sheriff said “because of this massive misinformation campaign by the anti-police,” the agency has “come under fire and individual detectives’ lives have been threatened.”

“My hope is that by openly sharing both information and body-worn camera footage, the misinformation campaign on social media will be stamped out by the truth,” Waters said.

The sheriff said body-worn camera footage and unedited versions of the cell phone camera footage “definitively indicate that this detective never kicked” the handcuffed suspect.

“The only logical conclusion that can be drawn by the production of such an altered video is that its creator or distributor had a personal agenda seeking to incite community rage against police officers and very easily could have been violence,” the sheriff said.

According to the sheriff’s office, detectives observed the suspect engaging in a drug transaction on Friday and detectives stopped the vehicle with Woods sitting in the front passenger seat and two other suspects in the vehicle.

According to Shell and the body-worn footage, the driver and backseat passenger “immediately complied” with directions from detectives and Shell said the two were taken into custody “without incident.”

Shell said a firearm was found on the backseat passenger suspect and “significant quantities of multiple narcotics” including methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and oxycodone were found in the vehicle.

According to the footage and the sheriff’s office, Woods took off running from detectives and a detective ran after the suspect, repeatedly commanding Woods to stop.

The video showed that Woods continued to run and ignore police commands. The detective then warned the suspect he would be tased if he did not stop.

Woods continued to run and the detective tased the suspect, which body-worn footage showed led Woods to hit his face on the pavement. The chief of professional standards said “immediately caused visible abrasions, bleeding and swelling.”

According to the sheriff’s office and the video body-worn footage, Woods continued to resist arrest when the detective attempted to take him into custody, which led a second detective to assist with the arrest.

The sheriff’s office said while Woods was un-handcuffed, the second detective “kneed Woods in the upper torso and head area to gain compliance.”

During the struggle, Shell said other gang unit detectives arrived to assist in the arrest and “ultimately overcame Woods’ resistance and handcuffed him.”

According to the sheriff’s office, paramedics were called to the scene and Woods was transported to a hospital for medical treatment.

Waters said based on the current available information, the agency believes that the detectives involved “acted appropriately with respect to the law and JSO policy.”

“When an officer does wrong, I’ll stand up here and tell you straight, I’ll be honest,” Waters said. “When a person hiding under the anonymity of the internet does wrong to an officer, I will also stand up here and tell you.”

According to the sheriff’s office, the 24 year-old suspect was affiliated with a local, undocumented group that has been affiliated with violent crimes, narcotics distribution and firearm proliferation.

Shell said in 2018, Woods was arrested for murder, “stemming from a homicide” in Tallahassee and in 2022, the suspect pled guilty to an amended robbery charge pertaining to that arrest and is currently on active felony probation.