Overview
- Mourners leaving a funeral for 19-year-old Nigel Beckford were stopped by Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies on Saturday after officers said people were driving recklessly and attempting to take over an intersection.
- Detectives who conducted the traffic stop recovered four firearms, two of which were reported stolen, and five men were arrested and booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
- Witness-shot video shared online shows deputies handcuffing men in funeral attire, ordering people onto the pavement, and what appears to be use of less-lethal rounds or pepper spray, prompting family members to allege excessive force.
- The sheriff’s office says its gang unit acted to protect safety around the funeral while city police and other agencies assisted, and the arrested individuals face charges that include resisting an officer with violence and inciting a riot.
- The confrontation follows an Aug. 8 shooting that killed Beckford and resulted in a separate arrest on first-degree murder charges, and officials say criminal and internal reviews of the funeral stop and use-of-force claims are ongoing.