JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A video posted to X during the Georgia-Florida game has garnered plenty of attention online after it showed three JSO officers punching two spectators at Everbank Stadium Saturday night, according to our news partner WJXT.
From the video, it is unclear what prompted the altercation, but two officers in uniform can be seen punching two separate Florida-Georgia game attendees.
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At the beginning of the video, one officer seems to have one of the fans in a headlock while a witness yells, “Why are you punching him?”
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Later in the video, the same officer can be seen punching that fan in the back of the head multiple times.
A few steps away, an additional two police officers can be seen restraining a different fan before one of the officers begins to punch them as well.
The video ends with the officer who punched the fan in the back of the head standing next to them while their head faces the ground.
John Phillips, a civil rights attorney, told News4JAX that the video is “appalling,” but he added that “we don’t have the full context” of the situation and don’t know what led to the incident.
News4JAX also spoke with safety analyst Tom Hackney, who said, “The suspect had his hands wrapped around [the police officer’s] waist and there’s a gun in 100% of encounters that law enforcement has...one of the things that’s really hammered in training is firearm protection.”
He continued, “When somebody’s got their hands around your waist, [and] they’re they’re close to where the firearm is and [with] a large crowd like that, things can go from bad to worse.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to News4JAX’s request for comment on the video with the following statement:
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Professional Standards Division is aware of the videos circulating from the Georgia-Florida football game. Administrative reviews of the incidents are being opened. As such, the agency will not comment until all facts are known and the reviews have been completed.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
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