Alisa Hackett Alleges Arkansas State Police Trooper Moisses Arellano Violated Her Civil Rights After a Traffic Stop Escalated Into a Physical Arrest Caught on Dashcam
Eighteen-year-old Alisa Hackett has filed a lawsuit against an Arkansas State Police trooper after dashcam video showed her being thrown to the ground and punched in the face during an Aug. 1 traffic stop.
Hackett is suing Trooper Moisses Arellano, alleging his actions violated her constitutional and civil rights. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has joined her legal team as the encounter continues to draw criticism from the NAACP and other organizations.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in the Jonesboro Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. The case names Arellano as the sole defendant and seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and other costs, along with a jury trial.
According to the lawsuit, Arellano stopped Hackett in Mississippi County for allegedly speeding while driving with her hazard lights on.
The traffic stop occurred around 10:42 p.m. Aug. 1 near Manila, Arkansas. According to the Arkansas State Police incident report, Arellano said he saw Hackett driving with her hazard lights activated and passing other vehicles before radar showed her traveling 71 mph in a 60-mph zone.
Hackett alleges she questioned why she had been stopped and objected to the trooper’s commands before Arellano moved to arrest her.
During the struggle, Hackett said she pulled away as Arellano attempted to handcuff her. She alleges he then slammed her to the ground and punched her in the face.
In dashcam footage, Hackett can be heard protesting the use of force.
“Say who? Who said I can’t punch you in the face?” Arellano responded.
“If you resist, I can punch you,” he later told Hackett. “I can read you the policy.”
Arellano later told another officer who responded to the scene that Hackett had previously been stopped for a similar offense.
Hackett was charged with resisting arrest, purchase or possession of alcohol by a minor, speeding between 1 and 15 miles per hour over the limit, failure to wear a seatbelt, improper display of license tags and improper use of emergency lights.
Alisa Hackett Lawsuit Alleges Excessive Force
Hackett’s lawsuit names Arellano individually rather than the entire Arkansas State Police agency.
The complaint alleges excessive force in violation of Hackett’s Fourth Amendment rights and retaliation for protected speech under the First Amendment, along with additional civil rights claims, abuse of process and battery.
The Drew County branch of the NAACP said the video raised serious concerns about how a stop involving nonviolent offenses escalated into a physical confrontation.
“After reviewing the police video and Arkansas State Police use-of-force report, we are deeply concerned by how a traffic stop involving nonviolent offenses escalated into an arrest in which Ms. Hackett was taken to the pavement and struck in the face by a state trooper,” the organization said.
“The public deserves to know why this encounter escalated and whether the force used was necessary and consistent with Arkansas State Police policy.”
The branch has called for the release of all complete, unedited recordings of the encounter, an independent investigation, dismissal of the charges against Hackett and additional action surrounding the case.
Ben Crump Questions Trooper’s Use of Force
Crump also questioned whether punching Hackett could reasonably be considered an appropriate response during the arrest.
“This trooper slammed an 18-year-old girl to the ground and punched her in the face,” Crump said. “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,” Crump continued. “Arkansas State Police have to explain to the public how that is a reasonable response to a teenager at a traffic stop.”
Crump added that officers should be able to handle an encounter with a teenager without taking her to the ground, cursing at her and punching her.
