‘What did I do?’ an 18-year-old Black woman asked, seconds before an Arkansas trooper threw her to the ground and punched her

An Arkansas state trooper threw 18-year-old Alisa Hackett to the ground and punched her in the face during a traffic stop that escalated into a violent confrontation. According to People, the incident occurred on August 1, at about 10:45 PM, when trooper Moisses Arellano pulled Hackett over on State Highway 18 near Manila. While the stop began as a routine interaction regarding her driving speed, it quickly turned into an arrest that is now under intense scrutiny.

Hackett, who resides in Osceola, Arkansas, was driving with her hazards on and was clocked at 71 mph in a 60-mph zone. When she explained to the trooper that she was speeding because her window was broken and she was on her way home, the situation did not resolve as she likely expected. After contacting his colleagues, Arellano learned that another trooper had previously pulled Hackett over for similar reasons. He decided to arrest her instead of issuing a citation, alleging that she resisted his authority.

The encounter was captured on video, which in my opinion shows a distressing scene as the teenager asks, “What did I do?” while the officer repeatedly commands her not to resist. Hackett began to cry and insisted that she needed to call her mother, but the officer refused her request. Shortly after this exchange, the footage shows Arellano throwing Hackett to the ground.

The officer punched her while she was already on the ground

While she was on the ground, the officer yelled at her to turn around. He then punched her in the face while continuing to issue commands. A similar case drew scrutiny when a Delaware trooper forcibly pulled a woman from her car during a traffic stop as her young son watched from the trunk. During the struggle, Hackett screamed and told the officer, “you cannot punch me.” Arellano responded by saying, “Turn around. I’ll punch you again if you don’t f**** turn around.”

After he handcuffed her behind her back, Hackett continued to sob and asked again what she had done. When she reminded him that he could not punch her in the face, the officer replied, “Said who? Who said I can’t punch you in your face?” In his own use-of-force report, Arellano admitted to the action, stating, “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.”

He further claimed that she continued resisting by pulling her wrists away. As he searched her for weapons, the officer accused the teenager of “acting like a real child” and told her to “shut up” while she called out for help. Attorney Ben Crump is now representing Hackett and is calling on the Arkansas State Police to open a formal use-of-force investigation. Crump expressed his concerns regarding the officer’s behavior, noting that the trooper documented the closed-fist strike himself.

“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,” Crump stated. He further argued that the department needs to provide answers to the public about whether this level of force is considered a reasonable response to a traffic stop.

“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,” Crump said. Hackett was ultimately booked in jail on five charges, including improper display of tags, vehicle lamp restrictions, no seatbelt, possession of alcohol by a minor, and refusal to submit to arrest.