JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is launching an internal investigation after a video circulating on social media appeared to show a man forcibly removed from a vehicle and punched by police officers during a February traffic stop.

The video, posted on social media early Sunday, shows a traffic stop that police said occurred Feb. 19, 2025.

In the video, the driver claims a police officer pulled him over because his headlights were not on. The man notes that it was not raining and “multiple” other drivers didn’t have their headlights on. 

The video appears to have been taken when there was still light outside.

It appears the driver is talking to an officer by the passenger-side window, who cannot be seen in the video. That officer is heard saying, “It doesn’t matter, you’re still required to have headlights on.”

The driver responds: “Can you pull that law up?” The officer then says, “Yeah, when you step out of the car, I will.”

The driver is then heard saying, “Can you call your supervisor?” The officer says, “Huh,” and the driver repeats, “Can you call your supervisor?”

The officer, who is out of frame, says, “Alright, go for it.” Then, another officer standing outside the driver’s window punches the driver’s side window until it shatters. That officer then yells, “Exit the vehicle now,” and repeats the phrase, and punches the driver in the head. The officer then asks the driver to “Show me your hands.”

The driver, still seated, replies, “Here,” with his hands raised. The driver then asks, “What is your reason, sir?” An officer then pulls the driver from his seat and out of the vehicle. An officer is heard saying, “Step out.” 

At least five officers are seen in the video at this point, gathering around the driver. An officer grabs the driver while saying, “Get on the ground” and “Stop fighting.” One officer is seen grabbing the driver’s head and then punching him in the chin before the driver is forced to the ground.

This portion of the incident, when the man is on the ground, was not captured in the video. However, the driver and the officers can be heard arguing.

One officer can be heard saying, “Stop fighting,” “Hands behind your back,” “Stop resisting,” and “What’s wrong with you?”

The driver is heard saying, “What do you mean, I was putting my hands behind my back,” before asking, “What’s going on, man?” An officer replies, “You’re under arrest, that’s what’s going on.”

As the driver is being placed in handcuffs, an officer can be heard saying the driver had marijuana in his right pocket.

An officer is then seen ending the video moments later.

Hours after the video was posted on social media, it received thousands of views and comments.

Sunday afternoon, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters released the following statement:

A JSO spokesperson told First Coast News the agency is unaware of any filed complaint matching the video description.

Additionally, State Rep. Angie Nixon posted on social media about the video Sunday, saying she reached out to the sheriff’s office to meet about the incident.

First Coast News has reached out to the user who posted the video, and we are still waiting to hear back. First Coast News is also working to identify the driver in the video.

No additional information about the incident has been released at this time.