Overview
- Sheriff's deputies stopped vehicles near 2000 N. Seacrest Boulevard after a funeral procession and arrested five men who had attended the service.
- Family-shot video posted online shows mourners in funeral attire being handcuffed, held on the pavement, and deputies firing what appear to be rubber projectiles while witnesses allege use of pepper spray and rough takedowns.
- Palm Beach County investigators say detectives recovered four firearms during the traffic stop, two of which were reported stolen, and charged the arrestees with offenses that include reckless driving and resisting an officer with violence.
- The funeral was for 19-year-old Nigel Beckford, who was shot on Aug. 8; a separate 17-year-old has been charged in Beckford’s homicide and that investigation remains ongoing.
- The arrests and circulating video have raised public questions about deputy tactics and crowd control at funerals, and reporters say booking records show the five were processed and later released on bond.