Recently, John H Bryan (johnbryanesq), aka The Civil Rights Lawyer, took to his YouTube channel to talk about Judah Everage’s encounter with the police in Melbourne, Florida. In a video that got over 1.7 million views, he used body camera footage, an interview with Judah’s lawyer, and police reports to break down the incident. The highlight reel shared to Instagram racked up over 2 million views and stirred up outrage on both platforms.
In the highlight reel, Bryan claimed that the police were initially called to help a mother deal with her 16-year-old son, and we saw the officer, identified by WESH and Bryan as William Markle, enthusiastically agree to her request to make it dramatic. When the police arrived on scene, they encountered 15-year-old Judah, who Bryan claimed was dressed differently. In the body cam footage, we see an officer yell, “Get on f—ing the ground. I will f—ing tase you.”
Judah immediately knelt in the footage. The officer and his backup then pinned Judah to the ground and forced his arms behind him, into handcuffs. At one point, Judah yelled in pain over his arm, but the officers only told him, “You’re going to break it if you don’t f—ing stop resisting.” Per WESH and Bryan, Judah’s arm was dislocated, and he suffered a fracture. Only after this did they ask, “Are you Armani?” to which Judah responded, “No, I don’t know what’s going on.”
The Department is currently in the midst of an internal investigation
Bryan alleged that as soon as the officers realized their mistake, they tried to reframe it. In the body cam footage, we hear officers say that Judah wasn’t complying. We also hear an officer, identified by Bryan as Markle, say, “I thought he was reaching for a gun. I’m not going to lie, or a knife or something.”
Bryan pointed to the police report and these statements and asked Judah’s lawyer if Judah didn’t comply. In the video, the lawyer said, “No. As soon as they got his attention, he stopped, fell to his knees, hands out, a completely submissive position. I don’t know how much more compliant you can be.” In the post, we then see clips of the paramedics treating Judah. At the end, we hear an officer, identified by Bryan as Markle, say, “Am I in trouble? Bro, I didn’t even freaking do nothing.”
Most of Bryan’s viewers were outraged. One YouTube user noted, “The phrase ‘Stop resisting’ has become nothing but an absolute 100% joke.” Another commenter on Instagram pointed out the irony of the situation, writing, “That cop said he ran, but he literally dropped to his knees.” Others questioned how officers are held accountable, with one user asking, “Why is filing a false police report not a felony for a cop?”
According to WESH, the officers were searching for a 16-year-old described as a white male wearing black clothing after the boy’s parents expressed concern for his safety. Minutes later, when police arrived on the scene, they encountered Judah, who was actually wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.
WESH reported that Judah’s mother, Angela Sparks, claimed that her son was actually trying to assist the police in their search for the other teen when he was intercepted and pinned to the ground. Judah even reportedly told the officers during the incident, “I know Armani, I can explain. I know his mom. I was just in the car with her. I can explain. You were there.”
According to FOX 35, Officer Markle resigned from the Melbourne Police Department on July 9. His resignation letter stated that he had “thoroughly considered this decision and believe it to be in my best interest to pursue new career opportunities.”
It should be noted, however, that personnel records obtained by FOX 35 reveal that Markle had a history of disciplinary issues, including failing to activate his body camera, failing to process evidence, and unbecoming conduct related to the off-duty harassment of an ex-boyfriend. Per WESH, an internal report recorded a citizen accusation of “aggressive and unprofessional behavior” during an incident at Planet Fitness.
Judah’s mother, Angela Sparks Hansen, expressed her outrage to FOX 35, stating, “This should have never happened. My son … should not have a broken elbow. This mistake should have never happened.” While Markle has resigned, WESH reported that two other officers involved in the incident remain on the job. The Melbourne Police Department has stated that an administrative review of the incident is still ongoing.
Published: Oct 2, 2026 11:03 am