An Arkansas State Police trooper has come under scrutiny after video emerged showing him pulling a back-seat passenger by his dreadlocks and punching him in the face following a high-speed pursuit which reached around 130mph.
The incident happened in Blytheville, Arkansas, on August 19, after Trooper Theodore Henderson attempted to stop a 2023 Infiniti QX50 which he reported travelling at 82mph in a 60mph zone.
According to an incident report obtained by local news outlet NEA Report, the driver accelerated after Henderson activated his emergency lights, with the SUV subsequently reaching speeds of around 130mph.
Police deployed spike strips before Henderson used a tactical vehicle intervention to bring the SUV to a stop near North 16th and West Walnut streets.
The driver was identified as 25-year-old Adonerus Johnson.
Passenger pulled from vehicle by his hair
Video of the subsequent arrests has attracted widespread attention online.
The footage shows Henderson dealing with 23-year-old Tedrick Washington, who was a passenger sitting in the rear of the vehicle and was not the driver involved in the pursuit.
Henderson can be seen breaking the rear driver’s-side window with a baton after Washington said he could not get out of the vehicle.
The trooper then takes hold of Washington’s wrist and dreadlocks and pulls him towards the broken window before striking him in the face.
Henderson acknowledged in his report that he punched Washington and reported striking him for a second time during the struggle after he was pulled from the vehicle.
According to Henderson’s account, Washington pulled his arm away and “postured up” in a manner the trooper believed indicated he was preparing to strike him. The trooper said this prompted his use of force.
Washington was subsequently charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental operations. The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
Driver accused of fleeing while more than twice the drink-drive limit
Johnson, the alleged driver, later provided breath samples registering 0.17, according to the police report — more than twice Arkansas’s general legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.08.
He faces a series of charges including felony fleeing, first-offence DWI, reckless driving and resisting arrest, alongside several traffic-related allegations.
A third person who had been travelling in the front passenger seat complied with officers and was released without charge.
Emergency medical personnel examined the three occupants following the incident, with no hospital transport recorded.
Video sparks questions over use of force
Footage of Washington’s arrest has since spread widely across social media, prompting criticism and questions over whether the level and manner of force used against the passenger was justified.
Henderson maintains in his incident report that Washington resisted officers’ attempts to remove him from the vehicle.
As of the latest reporting, there has been no publicly confirmed announcement from Arkansas State Police that Henderson is the subject of an internal investigation over the incident.
The circumstances surrounding the arrest and the trooper’s use of force are likely to face continued scrutiny as the footage circulates online.
