Alisa Hackett argues that her civil rights were violated during the August 1 arrest, and attorney Ben Crump has signed on to represent her.
Ten days after 18-year-old Alisa Hackett was seen on video being slammed and punched by an Arkansas State Police Trooper, Hackett is now suing the officer.
Hackett is suing Moisses Arellano after the officer's actions during a traffic stop on Aug. 1. Arellano alleges that he pulled Hackett over for speeding in Mississippi County with her hazard lights on. Hackett alleges she questioned Arellano about why she was pulled over and objected to his orders, prompting him to place her under arrest.
What happened next quickly went viral, drawing swift backlash from several organizations, including the NAACP.
During a struggle, where Hackett alleges she only pulled away from Arellano when he attempted to place handcuffs on her, Hackett alleges that it led to him slamming her to the ground and then punching her in the face. In the dashcam video, Hackett could be heard crying that Arellano could not punch her in the face, to which he replies, "Say who? Who said I can't punch you in the face?"
"If you resist, I can punch you," Arellano told Hackett. "I can read you the policy."
Arellano told another officer responding to the arrest that it wasn't the first time Hackett had been pulled over for a similar offense. She was eventually charged with resisting arrest, purchase or possession of alcohol by a minor, speeding 1-15 miles per hour over the limit, no seatbelt, improper display of license tags, and improper use of emergency lights.
Hackett is suing, alleging excessive force, a violation of her First Amendment rights, two violations of her civil rights, an abuse of process and battery. Unlike most cases in which the defendant sues an entire police force, Hackett is suing Arellano specifically.
"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," a statement from the Drew County branch of the NAACP read. "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 called for the immediate release of all complete, unedited recordings of the incident, an independent investigation into the arrest, the dismissal of charges and more.
In a statement, Attorney Ben Crump questioned why punching the teen girl was a "reasonable response."
"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 said in a statement. "Alisa asked him what she had done, and the video shows what she got for asking. 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."
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