Civil rights attorney John Burris, known for his representation of high-profile cases including Oscar Grant, Rodney King, and Tupac Shakur, has recently joined the legal team of #LeKeianWoods, a 24-year-old Black man violently beaten by officers at the #Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Woods' legal team now includes Burris, civil rights attorney Harry Daniels, and personal injury attorney Marwan Porter.
Burris drew parallels between the beatings of Woods and Rodney King during a press conference, emphasizing the distressing recurrence of unarmed Black men being brutally handled by police.
"More than 30 years later here we are watching another video of another unarmed Black man needlessly and viciously beaten by out of control officers while the people in charge try to excuse their actions," Burris said. "We didn't believe their spin in 1991 and we don't believe it now. This video and pictures of Le'Keian Woods' swollen face speak for themselves."
The incident, captured on video by a bystander, portrays officers detaining Woods after a traffic stop, subsequently violently subduing and injuring him, leaving his face bloodied and swollen. Cell phone footage from the incident eventually went viral across various social media platforms.
Despite the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office defending the officers' actions and claiming justifications for the arrest, the video sparked national outrage and condemnation from organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Woods' legal team, during a press conference, likened the arrest to an excessive use of force, describing it as a "UFC ground and pound beat down by trained professionals." They criticized the department and raised questions about the officers' actions and the legitimacy of the vehicle stop that initiated the incident.
We'll be following this story and will update when more comes out.
Link: NewsOne
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