Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels are alleging a pattern of excessive force by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office following the arrest of Dasaun Williams, who faces 27 drug-related charges but was not charged with resisting arrest. The attorneys held an April 3 news conference claiming Williams was compliant during his arrest, despite video showing multiple officers striking, kicking and stunning him while pinned to the ground. Williams was arrested November 5 in Middleburg as part of a drug operation targeting the Out East 1200 gang.
“Jacksonville is the worst sheriff’s office when it comes to use of force against the citizens of Duval County, unequivocally,” Daniels said during the news conference. The arrest occurred during Operation Red Light, which resulted in the seizure of 22 guns, 152.4 grams of fentanyl, 1,222.1 grams of promethazine, 226 grams of methamphetamine, 115.4 grams of cocaine and 420.7 grams of marijuana. Williams faces charges related to drug transactions that allegedly occurred from July 16 to Oct. 24, 2025.
“This is not a rare occurrence,” Crump said at the briefing. “We saw last year how Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers pulled William McNeil from his car during a traffic stop and used brutal force against him, as well. The public deserves answers about why there appears to be a pattern of excessive force against Black people in Jacksonville, and Dasaun deserves accountability for the injuries he suffered.” Body camera footage released by the attorneys shows Williams was immediately jolted with a Taser and does not appear to show resistance.
During the arrest, a bleeding Williams told officers, “I wasn’t trying to run,” to which an officer responded, “You weren’t listening though.” Williams then said, “I was just scared. You all didn’t have to beat me up, bro.” The attorneys maintain Williams was unarmed and compliant throughout the encounter, with Daniels noting that two Tasers were used simultaneously, which he claims violates department policy.
“Watch the video for yourself, he doesn’t resist, he complies,” Crump said at the briefing. “And yet they have him on the ground face down, and they kick him repeatedly while he is face down, not a threat to anyone. And then they punch him at least six to seven times, kick him at least three times, breaks his jaw, causes him to vomit, causes him to have a puddle of blood under his face.” The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office 18-page arrest report does not reference any physical tactics used during Williams’ takedown, stating only that he was “transported to the PTDF without incident.”
The case adds Williams to a list of high-profile incidents involving the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Black residents, including Le’Keian Woods, William McNeil Jr. and Erika McGriff. All cases involved viral videos of arrests, representation by civil rights attorneys and national attention, though none resulted in criminal charges against officers or discipline. Daniels referenced a California case where an officer received four years in federal prison for similar conduct.
“He’s Tasing, being kicked in the head, head used as a soccer ball,” Daniels said during the news conference. “We had a case in California where the officer got four years in a federal prison for doing the same exact thing that’s happening in Jacksonville, Florida.” The Sheriff’s Office said it cannot comment on the Williams case due to pending litigation, while the department promoted the Operation Red Light arrests on its Facebook page January 8 without including body camera footage.