WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Contact 5 has obtained video of a jailhouse altercation involving a homeless drifter accused of stabbing Palm Beach Gardens teenager Ryan Rogers to death.
The altercation occurred last December, just hours after police arrested Semmie Williams Jr. in Miami on a charge of first-degree murder.
Williams is accused of killing Rogers as the 14-year-old rode his bicycle near the Alton neighborhood in Palm Beach Gardens.
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The redacted video obtained by Contact 5 through a public records request shows Williams being fingerprinted inside of the booking area at the main Palm Beach County jail.
In a split second, a struggle breaks out.
The deputy appears to wrap his arms around Williams, pushing him for several feet. Williams appears to resist and briefly struggle before the deputy takes him to the ground, face down.
Backup arrives and Williams continues to struggle with deputies before he's finally handcuffed.
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Pictures obtained by Contact 5 following the altercation show a gash on Williams' forehead.
The video also shows a puddle of blood on the jailhouse floor.
The altercation occurred after the deputy claimed Williams told him, "Yeah, I killed that [EXPLETIVE] and I'll kill you, too."
Williams denied making the comments.
According to an incident report, Williams "tensed up," "pulled away" and attempted to take down the deputy by holding his arm and shifting his weight forward.
Contact 5 had the only camera in the courtroom during a hearing in January when Williams tried to ask the judge a question about the incident.
"Um, do they have that on camera?" Williams asked.
State Attorney Dave Aronberg's office declined last month to file criminal charges against Williams for the jailhouse incident, claiming in a court filling there was not enough evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the accused killer.
Two mental health experts now have until April 8 to evaluate Williams to determine if the homeless drifter is competent to stand trial in Rogers' death.
Williams is being housed in the mental health unit of the jail. His attorney declined to comment.
