Standing with civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, William McNeil Jr. spoke publicly for the first time since his February 19 arrest.

A Black man was beaten by a white officer in Jacksonville, Fla., during a traffic stop. The sheriff’s office said that it was reviewing the episode.

Attorneys for William McNeil Jr., 22, say he’ll be joined by family and community members for a news conference Wednesday morning.

At a news conference in Jacksonville, 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. spoke softly as he made a few brief comments with his family and civil rights attorneys by his side.

McNeil’s attorneys suggested they believe it’s possible the State Attorney’s Office may have ignored that evidence and deferred to the body cam footage and official reports, which fail to show or make mention of the first strike to McNeil’s face.

Newly released footage shows the violent arrest of a 22-year-old man during a February traffic stop by Jacksonville deputies, sparking renewed scrutiny of the department’s use of force.

William McNeil Jr., a 22-year-old Black man, spoke publicly for the first time after a viral video showed McNeil forcibly taken out of his car by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officers.