Updated
Updated · NEA Report · Aug 10
Ben Crump Takes Over 18-Year-Old's Civil Rights Suit Against Arkansas Trooper
Updated
Updated · NEA Report · Aug 10

Ben Crump Takes Over 18-Year-Old's Civil Rights Suit Against Arkansas Trooper

3 articles · Updated · NEA Report · Aug 10

Summary

  • Hours after a federal lawsuit was filed Monday, 18-year-old Alisa Hackett replaced attorney Luther Sutter with civil rights lawyer Ben Crump in her case against Arkansas trooper Moisses Arellano.
  • The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Jonesboro, alleges Arellano violated Hackett’s First and Fourth Amendment rights by taking her to the ground and punching her during an Aug. 1 traffic stop near Manila.
  • Crump is pressing Arkansas State Police to open a professional standards use-of-force investigation, release the findings publicly and disclose any prior force reports involving Arellano.
  • Arkansas State Police said no records were yet available on any action involving the trooper, while Hackett’s criminal charges from the stop—including refusal to submit to arrest and minor alcohol possession—remain pending.

Insights

What truly escalated a routine Arkansas speeding ticket into a violent, high-profile civil rights clash caught on dashcam?
Why did an unarmed teenager abruptly switch to a national celebrity lawyer just hours after filing her excessive force lawsuit?
Will secretive state police investigation policies ultimately shield a trooper accused of punching a non-violent teenager in the face?