JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Le'Keian Woods, the man at the center of a viral Jacksonville arrest video in September, had a couple of his charges dropped in a court hearing held at the Duval County courthouse Monday morning.
Woods, 24, pleaded not guilty to six total charges he faced on Oct. 24.
The State Attorney's Office then said they were not pursuing three charges police wanted to charge Woods with including armed trafficking of 14 grams or more of amphetamine, armed trafficking of 28 grams or more of cocaine and armed possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
Woods remained charged with resisting an officer without violence, tampering with evidence and possessing a controlled substance without a prescription, and in his arraignment for those charges on Jan. 4, he entered in a plea of not guilty.
On Monday, Woods plead guilty to the resisting an officer without violence charge "simply because he believes it to be in his best interest to do so, rather than admission of guilt."
Woods was adjudicated guilty, sentenced to nine days in Duval County jail, but was given time served, and now must pay court costs.
As part of the plea deal, the state dropped the other two charges.
The State Attorney's Office released the following statement after the remaining charges were dropped:
"By pleading guilty to resisting officers during his lawful arrest and being adjudicated guilty, Le’Keian Woods is held accountable for his actions last September. The defendant offered this plea to the State. It is an appropriate resolution based on the facts of the case and the circumstances giving rise to Officer Garriga’s recent indictment."
Woods struck 17 times during his arrest
On Sept. 29, 2023, Woods fled a traffic stop and resisted officers at the time of his arrest, a JSO incident report said. His mugshot subsequently gained significant attention after it showed what appeared to be a badly beaten face and his eyes swollen shut.
Woods was struck a total of 17 times by responding detectives and officers during his arrest, according to the report.
The video showed multiple officers standing and kneeling over him. At one point, an officer picked Woods up and slammed him onto the grass. The body camera footage was released a few days later.
Four Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers were involved: Detective Beau P. Daingle, now-former Detective Josue Garriga, Detective T. McCullough and Detective Hunter Sullivan.
Sheriff T.K. Waters told reporters that one of the videos, a looped live photo showing Woods being kicked, was "intentionally altered," to appear to show him being kicked while he was handcuffed. And on Oct. 23, The Department of Justice said it was not investigating the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
The incident report says JSO's Gang Unit was conducting surveillance in the area of Toledo Road and Powers Avenue in an unmarked police vehicle, when they noticed a vehicle at a gas station that was not pumping gas. A gray Dodge Ram arrived at the gas station with three people inside. A man wearing "all black with a jacket and hood pulled over his head," later identified as Woods, got out of the passenger side of the vehicle.
Woods got in the other vehicle and began counting money, the report says. Detectives attempted a traffic stop on the Dodge Ram near the intersection of Old Kings Road South and Plaza Gate Lane, but the vehicle continued driving "as if the occupants were looking for a place to run from the vehicle," the report states.
The vehicle continued into a dead end of an apartment complex driveway. Daigle and Sullivan attempted to conduct a "high-risk takedown" at the location, the report states.
Woods was then tased, punched, struck in the ribs, elbowed, and "unintentionally" kneed when officers said he was resisting arrest, according to the report.
Woods was later taken to UF Health for treatment.
Much of what was found in the vehicle was redacted from the arrest report, but it did say narcotics were found and tested on the scene.
Woods was taken to the Leon County Jail in early October on an outstanding warrant for violating his probation, according to an arrest affidavit for a robbery by sudden snatching charge in an unrelated case.
Woods' mother, Natassia Woods, told First Coast News after the rest of Woods' charges were dropped that he has a civil rights attorney and they plan to hold a press conference this week; details have not yet been released.