VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – After Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry took to social media over a so-called “troubling” video surfaced of a recent arrest, a police union has now rushed to the defense of the officer involved.
The video began circulating on social media recently, and it appears to show the officer punching a suspect repeatedly in the face.
“The images in the video are troubling, and our community deserves clear answers about what occurred,” Henry wrote. “Chief Young is aware of the situation, and I have been informed that corrective measures are underway.”
Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young later released a statement on the video, which he called “concerning.” He also said the officer was placed on an administrative assignment pending the outcome of the investigation.
However, the Coastal Florida Police Benevolent Association released a statement on Monday, stating that activist groups were looking to condemn the officer in what the group dubbed a “dog-and-pony show.”
“We thank the many hundreds of citizens who have stepped forward in support of Officer Llinas and have correctly pointed out that if his arrestee had simply complied with lawful commands and not broken the law to begin with, all of the unnecessary drama could have been avoided,” CFPBA Executive Director Mike Scudiero said.
The police chief originally shared a clip of the incident caught on the officer’s body-worn camera, which shows the officer telling a man to pour out his beverage or else face arrest.
[Watch the full clip in the video below]
“Pour it out, or you’re going to go to jail for open container,” the officer can be heard saying.
The man then tells the officer to pour it out instead, and the officer does so before grabbing the man and bringing him to the ground.
Officers soon place the man in handcuffs while he cusses at them. They then place him at the front of their patrol car.
“I almost took you out, didn’t I?” the suspect repeatedly says.
Video shows the officer grabbing the suspect again and bringing him to the ground, while he continues to say, “I almost took you out, didn’t I?”
As the suspect grabs the officer’s wrist, the officer then strikes the suspect, who begins crying out repeatedly, “You’re weak! You’re weak!”
The suspect is then seen grabbing the officer’s hand again, prompting the officer to strike him repeatedly in the head, the footage shows.
Afterward, the officer is seen placing his arm against the suspect’s head to pin him down, and the suspect begins calling out, “Get off my head!”
Eventually, officers bring the suspect up and tries to place him in the back of the patrol car, though the man appears to resist, further prompting an officer to bring a Taser to his neck.
“I am complying! I am complying!” the man yells out. “I am complying, you (expletive)!”
The man is seen getting into the back of the patrol car before the clip ends.
Young added that he forwarded the incident to the Office of Professional Standards for a full review. No additional information has been provided at this time.
A packed church meeting in Daytona Beach on Monday night brought outrage, demands for accountability and a show of unity after a video circulated showing a police officer punching a handcuffed man during an arrest for an alleged open container violation last week. Clergy, civil rights leaders, the mayor and the police chief attended the meeting at Greater New Zion Church.
The meeting was called after the arrest video spread online. Many in the congregation called the footage disturbing and demanded answers about how the department will respond.
“Tonight is not a political gathering… this is about people. This is about dignity,” Pastor JN Fuller said.
He opened the meeting by saying it was about people and dignity, not politics. Fuller told the crowd the video reminded many in the room of other widely shared moments of police violence.
“Appears disturbingly George Floydish in nature…”Fuller said the images were distressing and invoked comparisons to past viral incidents of police brutality.
Cynthia Slater, president of the Daytona Beach branch of the NAACP, said her group believes the man arrested, identified in media reports as David Anderson, had his rights violated and that the force used was excessive.
“The video showed that we all saw what happened. Videos don’t lie,” Slater said, claiming the footage made the incident plain and urged an accountable response.
The meeting became emotional for many attendees. Police Chief Jakari Young received one of the largest rounds of applause when he stood to speak.
“I can’t really answer questions tonight. Our goal is just to explain the process as to what is going to happen,” Young said.
He told the crowd he could not discuss details of an active investigation and described the process the department would follow.
“Before we get to an internal investigation, whenever there is a serious allegation, such as use of force, I want to send that to the state attorney for review of criminal charges,” he added.
Young said he planned to refer a criminal review to the state attorney before moving to internal investigations.
“What I watched on that video is not what I have been trying to do for almost the last six years,” he said.
Young said the footage did not reflect the department he has tried to build during his tenure.
Mayor Derrick Henry urged patience with the investigative process but also raised concerns about past accountability mechanisms. He told the crowd that Florida had moved to limit or eliminate citizen review boards in recent years.
“A year or two ago, the state of Florida outlawed all citizen review boards,” Henry said.
The mayor added that the city previously relied on a citizen review board to help hold officers accountable.
Meeting attendees repeatedly called for transparency and accountability. Community leaders and officials urged that investigators be thorough and promised updates when appropriate.
It’s not the first time that Mayor Henry has been critical of police, though. Last month, he raised concerns after his wife was pulled over.
[BELOW: Bodycam video shows traffic stop of Daytona Beach mayor’s wife]
According to Henry, the traffic stop appeared to be “frivolous,” with his wife — Stephanie Pasley-Henry — being subjected to a sobriety test after rolling over a white line.
“But what troubles me most is that for many in that neighborhood, this is routine,” he wrote. “That is the larger issue. Over policing in Black and Brown communities is real. When multiple units respond to minor or questionable stops, it creates unnecessary tension and increases the risk of escalation.”
In response, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young posted his own statement, where he addressed the mayor’s claims.
Young explained that two officers had been assigned together as part of a training program. Meanwhile, the deputy had already been in the area at a nearby restaurant, and he only briefly stopped by to check on the other officers.
The police chief also announced that a review of the incident found that no department policies had been violated.
Furthermore, Young argued that local residents had complained about issues like speeding, which is why he directed officers to patrol that area more frequently.
“Describing that incident as over-policing mischaracterizes standard training structure and common officer safety practices,” Young said.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood released body-camera footage of the traffic stop, which shows exactly what happened.
During the incident, an officer mentions Pasley-Henry had been pulled over for “straddling the line.”
“She came out of one of the parking lots over here, made an improper turn... She didn’t go into the outside lane. She tried to make it to the inside lane,” a second officer says. “She kind of straddled the white line.”
However, the first officer can be heard saying that he “didn’t smell anything,” and that “her eyes looked OK,” but she was “speaking a little weird.”
“It’s weird,” the other officer continues. “She’s very slow about whatever. She’s a dean.”
Due to that “indicator,” police were seen putting her through a sobriety test, which she managed to clear. She was ultimately given a warning and released.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood also commented on the controversy, saying he put his “full support” behind Police Chief Young and the Daytona Beach Police Department.