An Arkansas State Police trooper is under internal review after using a closed-fist strike on an 18-year-old woman who resisted during a traffic stop near Manila, according to the officer’s own use-of-force report and circulating dashcam footage.
Trooper Moisses Arellano stopped Alisa N. Hackett of Osceola on the evening of Aug. 1 after clocking her vehicle at 71 mph in a 60 mph zone on Arkansas Highway 18. The car had its hazard lights activated. Arellano also reported observing a cold bottle of liquor in the passenger seat involving a driver under the legal drinking age, along with other issues including a prior similar traffic stop days earlier that had resulted only in a warning.
Hackett, described in reports as 5-foot-1 and about 118 pounds, initially stepped out of the vehicle without incident. Arellano decided to place her under arrest rather than issue citations alone. According to his report, she began turning toward him, repeatedly asking what she had done, and pulled her arms away as he attempted to take hold of her wrist to handcuff her.
He took her to the ground and ordered her to roll onto her stomach. When she continued pulling her wrists away and did not comply with multiple commands, Arellano delivered one closed-fist strike to the left side of her face “in an attempt to gain compliance,” the report states. He then drew his Taser and activated the laser (without firing) across her midsection; she then rolled over, placed her hands behind her back, and was handcuffed.
Dashcam audio captures the confrontation. Hackett can be heard crying out, asking to call her mother, insisting she had done nothing wrong, and protesting that the trooper could not punch her. Arellano responded along the lines of questioning who said he could not and stating that if she resisted, he could use force, while ordering her to turn around and warning he would strike again if she did not comply.
Emergency medical personnel evaluated Hackett at the scene at her request. The report noted no visible injuries at that time. She was charged with offenses including refusal to submit to arrest and underage alcohol possession, according to records referenced in subsequent reporting.
The footage has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Hackett in a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force and civil rights violations. Crump and others, including members of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus and the state NAACP, have called for greater accountability and a public explanation of the force used against the teenager. Arkansas State Police have confirmed that all uses of force are reviewed internally as a matter of protocol; a spokesperson stated Arellano remains on active duty.
Supporters of the trooper have pointed to the report’s account of resistance, pulling away from handcuffing attempts and refusing repeated lawful commands to roll over, as justification for the measured force applied to gain control during a roadside arrest at night. Law enforcement advocates routinely stress that compliance with officers’ orders prevents escalation, particularly when a driver has already been found with alcohol and has a recent history of similar violations.
The incident continues to fuel debate over the line between necessary force to secure a resisting suspect and excessive response during routine traffic enforcement. Arkansas State Police have not released a final determination on the internal review.
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