Cop threw man to ground, knocking him out, then lied to justify force in Florida, feds say
A Florida deputy was dishonest when he tried justifying throwing a man to the ground, causing him to hit his chin on asphalt and lose consciousness, according to court documents.
Tyler Williams, 30, a former Hendry County Sheriff’s Office deputy, was convicted of violating an individual’s civil rights and obstructing justice in connection with the July 4, 2023 incident, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a Feb. 10 news release.
His federal public defender, Russell Rosenthal, declined McClatchy News’ request for comment on Feb. 10.
While on-duty in Hendry County, Williams threw a man down, leaving him injured, federal prosecutors said. Hendry County is east of Fort Myers.
Then he lied to justify his use of force, according to prosecutors.
In an incident report written the next day, Williams explained he “grabbed (the man’s) shoulders, turned and took (him) to the ground” because he was afraid the man may have been armed, Williams’ indictment says.
After the man was momentarily knocked out from his chin hitting the road, Williams said he put him in a “recovery” position and called for first responders to evaluate him, according to the indictment.
“Those statements were false,” the indictment says.
Williams encountered the man while responding to a burglary report, according to U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg, the Fort Myers News-Press reported. The encounter was recorded by Williams’ body camera.
Williams initially handcuffed the man and went to search him before speaking with his supervisor, who was at the scene with him, Hanberg said, according to the newspaper.
At some point, the man interrupted their conversation and tried talking to Williams, then Williams grabbed the man and threw him down, the newspaper reported.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office called Williams’ use of force “unreasonable.”
Before Williams became a deputy in Hendry County, he was fired by the Fort Myers Police Department in February 2021 in connection with policy violations during a traffic stop in 2020, when a child died, according to the Fort Myers News-Press.
Williams is facing up to 10 years in prison on a charge of violating the man’s civil rights and up to 20 years on a charge of obstructing justice, prosecutors said.
A date for his sentencing hearing wasn’t listed in court records the afternoon of Feb. 10.
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Cop threw man to ground, knocking him out, then lied to justify force in Florida, feds say."
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