A video that has gone viral shows the moment when an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office appears to slap a 29-year-old man during a traffic stop.
News4JAX viewers sent us the video clip dozens of times.
According to an arrest report obtained by News4JAX, on Friday around 9 p.m., the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Dwon Ellis was driving a dark-colored Nissan Altima on Canal Street when officers noticed he didn’t stop for a stop sign at the intersection of 13th Street West and Canal Street.
The report said Ellis then turned west on 13th St. and an officer witnessed him drive through another stop sign. The officer pursued Ellis and pulled him over.
The officer told him why he was being pulled over and asked to see his driver’s license, according to the report. While the officer was talking to Ellis, the report said, he smelled “burnt marijuana.”
The officer learned that Ellis’ license was suspended last year and asked him to step out of the car, police said. The report said the officer also asked Ellis if he had a medical marijuana card. The report said Ellis replied that “he does not smoke marijuana and does not know what hemp products are.”
(DISCLAIMER: The video footage contains graphic content and profanity. Viewer discretion is advised.)
The report said that Ellis was asked to step out of the vehicle and face the car so the officer could search him. That’s when the officer said Ellis began to “physically resist by turning his body,” the report stated.
Another officer stepped in to help restrain Ellis and placed his arms behind his back as the report said, he continued to “resist by tensing his arms and pulling away” from the officers, the report said.
Once the officer placed Ellis in handcuffs, they began the search. The report said Ellis continued to resist.
The report does not mention a slap, but in the video recorded by a bystander, you can see the tense encounter as the officer repeatedly slams Ellis against the car.
The officer can be heard saying, “Stop pushing against us.” To which, Ellis replies, “I’m not doing s*** to you, man.”
The officer can be seen slapping Ellis in the face around 23 seconds into the video and repeating, “Stop pushing against us! And stop resisting.”
Ellis was arrested and charged with resisting an officer without violence, driving with a suspended license and two counts of running a stop sign.
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