Officer Donald Bowers of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) has been cleared of criminal charges after a widely circulated video showed him punching and dragging a man from his vehicle during a February 2025 traffic stop. The man, 22-year-old William McNeil Jr., suffered a concussion, a broken tooth that pierced his lip, and required stitches.
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The incident captured national attention after McNeil’s cell phone recorded the arrest. In the footage, Bowers and other officers can be seen forcibly removing McNeil from his car after he allegedly refused to comply with commands to exit. The video shows Bowers punching McNeil and dragging him from the vehicle before repeatedly striking him on the ground…