Video of 2 Mississippi County traffic stops prompt calls for Arkansas State Police investigation
Rep. Tracy Steele, a North Little Rock Democrat, speaks at the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus meeting on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Katie Adkins/Arkansas Advocate)
The Democratic Party of Arkansas and the NAACP Arkansas State Conference are calling for a review of state police’s use-of-force policy after a video released over the weekend showed an officer pulling a man by his dreadlocks and punching him through a car’s broken backseat window.
This is the second video of August traffic stops in Mississippi County that have gained national attention and shown an Arkansas State Police officer striking Black civilians.
The first incident, which involved an officer punching an 18-year-old during an Aug. 1 traffic stop near Manila, resulted in a civil rights lawsuit.
Col. Mike Hagar, Arkansas State Police director, last week canceled his appearance at an Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus to discuss the incident citing the lawsuit.
Black lawmakers frustrated by Arkansas State Police head’s absence from meeting about traffic stop
Hagar defended State Police’s use of force in a statement Tuesday, but did not address the specific incidents.
Black lawmakers expressed frustration with Hagar’s absence from last week’s meeting, and repeated their concerns after the release of footage showing a second violent traffic stop in northeast Arkansas.
“There are broader concerns regarding Arkansas State Police policies, training, use-of-force practices, de-escalation, accountability, community trust, and public safety that members of the Caucus have a responsibility to address on behalf of the Arkansans we represent,” Caucus Vice Chair Sen. Jamie Scott, a Democrat from North Little Rock, said in a statement Monday. “Those issues do not disappear simply because litigation is pending in a particular case.”
The Aug. 19 incident occurred following a high-speed chase, according to NEA Report, who obtained video that shows Trooper Theodore Henderson breaking a rear passenger window, then pulling Tedrick Washington Jr. by his dreadlocks and punching him in the face.
The State Police Highway Patrol Division documented 939 uses of force during the more than 1,026,000 Officer Violator Contacts made between January 2023 and Aug. 28, 2026, Hagar said. That’s less than 1% of all contacts, he said.
“Recently released videos of use-of-force incidents are being sensationalized and monetized on social media,” Hagar said. “When streamers determined these videos would generate revenue, they scoured archives and re-released older videos, presenting them as new and creating a false narrative.”
Hagar reiterated that State Police would not comment on specific incidents involving use of force that have active criminal and civil cases pending, but said “any use of force by an ASP Trooper is a regrettable last resort and reviewed carefully.”
Barry Jefferson, president of the NAACP Arkansas State Conference, said officers “must meet high standards of professionalism, constitutional compliance, and respect for the dignity and rights of the people they serve.”
Conclusions about an officer’s conduct must be based on verified evidence, he said.
“Reports of repeated encounters have raised community concerns about the Arkansas State Police’s use-of-force practices, training, supervision, transparency, and accountability,” Jefferson said in a statement Monday. “Whether these incidents reflect a broader pattern should be determined through a thorough review of reliable evidence and relevant records.”