Newly released footage of an officer tackling an 18-year-old Black woman to the ground and punching her in the head after a traffic stop in Arkansas is causing widespread anger and urgent demands for a comprehensive use-of-force investigation. The incident involved Alisa Hackett, an 18-year-old resident of Osceola, Arkansas, who was pulled over on State Highway 18 near Manila at approximately 10:45 p.m. on August 1. According to an official Arkansas State Police report, Hackett was observed driving 71 mph in a 60-mph zone with her vehicle’s hazard lights activated.
Upon being stopped, Hackett informed state trooper Moisses Arellano that she was rushing home due to a broken car window. The police report notes that Arellano observed Hackett was not wearing a seat belt, had her license plate obscured, and possessed a cold bottle of liquor in the front seat. In the dashcam footage, Arellano is heard questioning the teenager, asking, “Why do you have a Tito’s bottle, you’re not even 21?” Although he later acknowledged the bottle was sealed, the encounter escalated quickly.
Arellano described Hackett as “being difficult” while he processed her citations. He subsequently contacted another trooper, who informed him that Hackett had been stopped for speeding a few days earlier and possessed an open alcohol container, though she had been released with a warning at that time. The second trooper is heard on the recording advising Arellano, “Well, she got an attitude, take her ass to jail.”
Following this exchange, Arellano decided to arrest Hackett, who stands 5-foot-1 and weighs 118 pounds. Although she initially complied with his request to exit the vehicle, the police report states that she began turning around and repeatedly asked what she had done wrong. As she continued to pull away from the officer, Arellano took her to the ground. He later 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.”
The report further claims that after the strike, Hackett continued to resist by pulling her wrists away and refusing to roll over. Arellano then pointed a stun gun at her midsection, though he did not discharge the weapon. Hackett eventually complied by placing her hands behind her back and was taken into custody. During the altercation, the video captures Hackett exclaiming, “You cannot punch me in my face,” to which Arellano retorted, “Who said? Who says? Who said I can’t punch you in your face?”
As Arellano escorted her to his patrol vehicle, Hackett yelled for help and requested that he call her mother. Once inside the back seat, the trooper is heard telling her, “If you resist, I can punch you, I can read you the policy.” Hackett was subsequently charged with refusal to submit to arrest, possession of alcohol by a minor, speeding, failure to wear a seat belt, improper display of license tags, and improper headlights.
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump issued a statement on Monday calling for the Arkansas State Police to launch a formal investigation through its Office of Professional Standards. He demanded that the findings be made public and that any previous use-of-force reports involving Arellano be released. “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,” Crump stated. “Alisa asked him what she had done, and the video shows what she got for asking.”
Crump further criticized the department, stating, “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.”
Attorney Luther Sutter initially filed a civil rights lawsuit against Arellano on Hackett’s behalf alleging excessive force, though Sutter later indicated he received a letter from Hackett stating she was switching her representation to Crump. In response to inquiries, the Arkansas Department of Public Safety stated, “Our long-held practice is not to comment on matters that are pending litigation.” The department did not confirm whether Arellano remains on active duty.
Source: CBS News
