Trigger Warning: This article contains references to the alleged physical abuse by an enforcement officer that some readers may find distressing.
A dashcam video of an Arkansas state trooper punching an 18-year-old Black woman has sparked outrage in the community. The video shows state trooper Moisses Arellano using excessive force to detain and arrest Alisa Hackett.
Arellano pulled Hackett over on State Highway 18 near Manila at about 10.45 p.m. on August 1. He reported she was driving at 71 mph in a 60-mph zone. Moreover, she was not wearing a seat belt, and her hazard light was on, according to police report. She told him she was rushing home as her car’s window had broken.
The trooper found a cold bottle of alcohol in the front seat while her license plate was also covered. In the dashcam video, he can be heard saying, “Turn around. I’ll punch you again. If you don’t turn around. He asked her, “Why do you have a Tito’s bottle? You’re not even 21?” though he later acknowledged the bottle was still sealed.
Arellano allegedly described Hackett as “being difficult.” Hackett told the trooper, “You cannot punch me in my face,” to which he replied, “Who said? Who says? Who said I can’t punch you in your face?”
He called another trooper who told him Hackett was pulled over a few days earlier for speeding and carrying an open alcohol bottle in the vehicle. She was let go with a verbal warning.
The other trooper said, “Well, she got an attitude; take her a– to jail.” When Arellano tried to arrest her, Hackett repeatedly asked him what she had done and tried to pull away; at one point she asked to call her mom. The officer tackled her to the ground.
He wrote in his report, “After giving multiple commands for her to roll over without compliance, I delivered one closed-fist strike to the left side of her face in an attempt to gain compliance. After the strike, she continued resisting by pulling her wrists away and refusing to roll over.”
He also pointed a stun gun at her midsection but did not fire. She was taken into custody after that.
Hackett was ultimately arrested for refusal to submit to arrest, possession of alcohol by a minor, not wearing a seat belt, speeding, improper display of license tags, and an offense for improper headlights.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump released a statement on Monday slamming the Arkansas officer and demanding an investigation. He said in a statement, “This trooper slammed an 18-year-old girl to the ground and punched her in the face. He wrote it down himself: a closed fist, because she would not roll onto her stomach. Alisa asked him what she had done, and the video shows what she got for asking.”
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He further added, “Arkansas State Police have to explain to the public how that is a reasonable response to a teenager at a traffic stop. If you cannot handle a teenage girl without taking her to the ground, cursing at her, and punching her in the face, you should not be wearing a badge.”
Earlier, Attorney Luther Sutter filed a civil rights lawsuit against Arellano on Hackett’s behalf Monday alleging excessive force. Later, Hackett sent him a letter that stated she was switching her representation to Crump. The dashcam video was shared on YouTube by Inside Edition and gained over 21K views. Many viewers were distraught after watching the video.
One viewer commented, “That is more than just police brutality!!” One former officer commented, “The only time I punched a suspect in the face, his teeth were embedded in my thigh, and I was trying to get him to no longer bite me. Punching this young woman was inexcusable. He could have just sat on her and waited for backup.” Another viewer posted, “‘You’re acting like a child!’ Says the guy punching a lady in the face.” “What a disgrace of an excuse of an officer,” commented one more.
Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.
