An internal investigation has been launched by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after a cellphone video went viral on social media, appearing to show sheriff’s deputies violently punching and beating a Black man during a traffic stop.
The incident, reportedly occurring on February 19, 2025, has sparked public outcry and renewed concerns over the ongoing issue of police violence disproportionately affecting Black communities.
In a statement released Sunday, the sheriff’s office acknowledged the circulating footage, saying, “We are aware of a video circulating on social media showing a traffic stop represented to be from February 19, 2025. We have launched an internal investigation into it and the circumstances surrounding this incident. We hold our officers to the highest standards and are committed to thoroughly determining exactly what occurred.”
The video has intensified frustration among civil rights advocates, who point to a long and painful history of excessive and sometimes deadly force used against Black individuals by law enforcement officers across the country.
Critics argue that incidents like this highlight systemic issues within policing that require urgent reform, transparency, and accountability.
A police employee has been charged over a wild brawl that erupted inside a Woolworths supermarket in Auburn, Western Sydney.
The confrontation broke out between two male shoppers around 1:20pm yesterday, starting with a shove, followed by a kick — before one man grabbed a two-litre bottle of full cream milk and swung it. The bottle exploded on impact, sending milk splashing across the store and drenching a cashier.
“I feel bad for her the most,” one witness told 9News.
A woman accompanying one of the men also jumped in to defend him.
“The wife’s a true one — my wife better do that for me too,” a bystander said.
“I was actually happy to see the wife jump in for the husband. I thought that was great,” added another.
Woolworths confirmed the incident, stating, “There’s no place for violence like this in our stores,” and said they are cooperating fully with police investigations.
A court has heard that two police officers used pepper spray and a Taser on a 92-year-old amputee at a care home in East Sussex. The man, Donald Burgess, died three weeks later in hospital.
PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto are facing charges of assault following the incident at Park Beck Residential Care Home in St Leonards-on-Sea.
Jurors were told that officers were called to the care home on June 21, 2022, after Mr. Burgess allegedly poked a care worker in the stomach with a butter knife and flicked food at her. Staff members had wheeled him back to his room and spent around 30 minutes trying to calm him before contacting emergency services. The call was treated as a Grade 1 emergency, the highest response level.
Upon entering the room, body-worn camera footage showed Mr. Burgess sitting in a wheelchair, still holding the serrated knife. PC Smith is heard saying, “Put it down mate. Come on, Donald, don’t be silly,” and, “We can solve it without having to resort to this… Do as you’re told.”
Donald Burgess was pepper sprayed and tasered at a care home, jurors heard. Picture: Independent Office for Police Conduct
According to prosecutors, Smith then emptied “all or almost all” of his pepper spray canister directly into Mr. Burgess’s face. Footage also showed him approaching the elderly man with an extended baton and striking him. Moments later, PC Comotto deployed her Taser as Mr. Burgess cried out in pain. The knife was taken from him soon after.
Prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC told Southwark Crown Court that the officers used “unjustified and unlawful” force, stating that just one minute and 23 seconds passed between their arrival and the use of the Taser.
“It ought to have been obvious by the fact he had one leg that this was a man who wasn’t going to be mobile,” Mr. Jarvis said. “This was an elderly, vulnerable man who may not have understood what was going on. Rather than being met with understanding and sympathy, he was confronted by irritation and annoyance on the part of the defendants.”
Jurors were informed that Mr. Burgess, who suffered from dementia, diabetes, and carotid artery disease, was taken to hospital after the incident. He died 22 days later after contracting Covid-19. However, the prosecutor clarified that the officers were not being held responsible for his death.
Mr. Jarvis emphasized: “He was an elderly gentleman who was unwell… but the force used was unnecessary and excessive in the circumstances. The defendants assaulted Mr. Burgess, causing actual bodily harm.”
