For the second time in less than a month, video captured an Arkansas state trooper punching a Black person in the face during a traffic stop.
The latest incident occurred on Aug. 19, when an Arkansas State Police trooper punched 24-year-old Tedrick Washington in the face while trying to force him out of a shattered car window by his locs — even after the door had opened.
Arkansas State Trooper Teddy Henderson claimed in his report that he continued trying to force Washington out of the rear window for “safety reasons,” despite the door opening after a pursuit in Blytheville.
Police Report v. Video
“I told Washington several times to crawl out the window without success, so I grabbed his left wrist and a handful of his hair and began pulling him in an attempt to persuade him to crawl out with my assistance, which he still refused to do,” Henderson wrote in his report.
“Washington attempted to pull his arm away from my grasp twice, then the door partially popped open as I was trying to pull him out the window.”
“With the small gap in the open door and the fact that I was not going to give Washington any control of his left hand by letting go for him, for safety reasons, I continued to give him commands to crawl out the window,” Henderson explained.
But the video shows Washington eventually stepping out of the car through the open door rather than the window.
The video has gone viral, drawing criticism from viewers across the country.
“Umm, the car door is literally open so why is he trying to pull him through the window,” one commenter wrote on a Facebook post by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
This is not the first incident May has received criticism from.
In May, Henderson used his patrol car to force another car off the road using a PIT maneuver, forcing the car to rollover with a 3-year-old boy inside who fortunately survived.
Watch the latest video below.
‘Struck Him Once … With a Closed Fist’
Henderson said he began pursuing a vehicle at about 11:21 p.m. after he spotted it traveling in the opposite direction on the highway at 82 mph in a 60-mph zone.
The trooper said he made a U-turn and activated his emergency lights to pull the car over, but the driver, 25-year-old Adonerus Johnson, sped away and reached speeds of 130 mph, according to Henderson’s report.
Law enforcement officers from the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office and the Blytheville Police Department eventually joined the pursuit and placed spike strips in the car’s path.
Body-camera video shows Johnson climbing from the driver’s seat into the back seat, apparently attempting to escape through the rear passenger-side door.
Officers used a Taser and handcuffed Johnson on the other side of the car as Henderson approached the rear driver-side window with his gun drawn.
When Henderson tried to open the door, he found it locked. He pulled out his baton and shattered the rear window, exposing Washington inside with both hands raised.
Rather than reach inside to unlock the door, Henderson began pulling Washington through the shattered window by his arm and locs.
At one point, Washington unlocked and opened the door, apparently making it easier for him to step out. But Henderson continued pulling on him and punched him in the face before Washington exited through the open door.
“When I let go of his hair for a moment, Washington postured up and it appeared as if he was preparing to strike with his right hand, so I quickly struck him once in the left side of his face with a closed fist,” Henderson claimed in his report.
Legal Action
Police arrested Washington on charges of obstruction of governmental operations and resisting arrest.
Authorities accused Johnson, the driver, of driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content of .17, more than twice Arkansas’ legal limit.
Police charged Johnson with felony fleeing, first-offense DWI, reckless driving, resisting arrest, speeding more than 15 mph over the limit, improper passing on the right, failure to stop at a red light, no seat belt, and unauthorized use of another person’s property to facilitate a felony.
Last year, Washington played basketball for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs.
Washington told local media that he was cooperating and plans to pursue legal action.
The incident comes less than two weeks after Arkansas State Trooper Moisses Arellano punched 18-year-old Alisa Hackett, a Black woman, in the face during a separate encounter on Aug. 10.
State Rep. Jesse McGruder, a former law-enforcement officer who now works as a high-school teacher and coach, criticized the incident involving Hackett.
“Any young man who has played for me knows if you strike a female, you will be suspended that week, and you have to deal with the consequences,” McGruder said.
Atlanta Black Star contacted Arkansas State Police for comment and requested records related to the incident. The agency had not responded at the time of publication.
