‘VIOLENCE IS UGLY’

Sheriff Releases Bodycam in Black Man’s Forceful Arrest That Went Viral

An earlier bystander video showing officers beating Le’Keian Woods sparked outrage.

A Florida sheriff on Monday released body camera video that he said showed his officers had been justified when they beat a Black man during his arrest. The Friday arrest of Le’Keian Woods prompted outrage after a bystander’s video of the incident appeared to show officers striking Woods and slamming his head into the ground after he’d been handcuffed. Sheriff T.K. Waters released footage showing Woods running from an officer repeatedly telling him to stop, eventually firing a Taser at him, which causes Woods to collapse onto the pavement. It also shows another officer repeatedly kneeing Woods as he appears to struggle against being detained. “The reality is that all force, all violence is ugly,” Waters said. “But just because force is ugly does not mean it is unlawful or contrary to [agency] policy.” Woods is charged with multiple felonies, including resisting arrest with violence and armed drug trafficking.