*Alisa Hackett, an 18-year-old Black woman from Osceola, Arkansas, was pulled over for speeding before a traffic stop escalated into her being taken to the ground and punched in the face by an Arkansas State Police trooper — an encounter now drawing demands for a use-of-force investigation and federal civil-rights litigation.
Video from the Aug. 1 stop shows Trooper Moisses Arellano striking Hackett once in the face while attempting to arrest her near Manila, Arkansas. But what he said afterward has become nearly as troubling to her attorneys as the punch itself.
“You cannot punch me in my face,” Hackett says.
“Who said? Who says?” Arellano responds before asking, “Who said I can’t punch you in your face?”
The encounter and Arellano’s use-of-force report were first detailed by NEA Report and have since drawn national attention, including reporting from CBS News.
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A Speeding Stop Escalates Into an Arrest
Arellano reported stopping Hackett around 10:45 p.m. after clocking her at 71 mph in a 60-mph zone while she drove with her hazard lights on.
Hackett said she was rushing home because her car window had broken.
Police also cited an improperly displayed license plate, failure to wear a seat belt and a bottle of Tito’s vodka inside the vehicle. Although Arellano questioned why the underage driver had alcohol, the video shows him acknowledging that the bottle was sealed.
The encounter took another turn when Arellano contacted a second trooper who said Hackett had been stopped for speeding days earlier and had an open alcohol container but received a warning.
“Well, she got an attitude, take her ass to jail,” that trooper can be heard telling Arellano, according to CBS.
Arellano subsequently decided to arrest Hackett.
Trooper Says Punch Was Used to Gain Compliance
Police records describe Hackett as 5-foot-1 and 118 pounds.
According to Arellano’s report, Hackett initially stepped from her vehicle but began turning around, questioning why she was being arrested and pulling away. The trooper said he then took her to the ground.
After repeatedly ordering her to roll over, Arellano wrote that he delivered “one closed-fist strike to the left side of her face” to gain compliance.
Hackett continued resisting by pulling her wrists away, according to his account. Arellano then pointed a stun gun at her midsection but did not fire it. She subsequently put her hands behind her back.
Later, with Hackett inside the patrol car, Arellano can be heard saying, “If you resist, I can punch you, I can read you the policy.”
Ben Crump Wants a Public Use-of-Force Investigation
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced Monday that he had been retained by Hackett and called on Arkansas State Police to investigate Arellano through its Office of Professional Standards.
Crump wants the findings made public and is also seeking any previous use-of-force reports involving the trooper. His office independently confirmed Hackett’s representation in an Aug. 10 statement.
“This trooper slammed an 18-year-old girl to the ground and punched her in the face,” Crump said.
“Arkansas State Police have to explain to the public how that is a reasonable response to a teenager at a traffic stop,” he added.
Attorney Luther Sutter had filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against Arellano alleging excessive force earlier Monday. Hours later, Hackett notified Sutter that she was changing representation to Crump, NEA Report confirmed.
Arkansas State Police Won’t Comment During Litigation
Hackett was arrested on charges including refusal to submit to arrest, possession of alcohol by a minor, speeding, failure to wear a seat belt and improper display of license tags.
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety told CBS it would not comment on matters under pending litigation. The sources reviewed for this story do not establish that Arkansas State Police has opened the independent use-of-force investigation Crump requested.
The legal system will determine whether Arellano’s force violated Hackett’s civil rights.
But the video leaves the public with something that doesn’t require interpretation: an 18-year-old protesting that an officer couldn’t punch her in the face — and the officer answering, “Who said I can’t punch you in your face?”
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