MISSISSIPPI COUNTY, AR — The man seen in video being dragged by his hair through a broken car window and punched by an Arkansas State Police trooper has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Tedrick Washington Jr., 24, was a back-seat passenger in a vehicle that was chased by state police on Highway 18 in Blytheville on Aug. 19.
After the pursuit ended, dashcam footage shows Trooper Theodore “Teddy” Henderson breaking the rear window and trying to pull Washington through the opening by his hair and wrist. The video then shows Henderson striking Washington in the face. Crump’s office says Henderson later acknowledged punching Washington again while he was on the ground.
Dashcam video shows the arrest unfold after a Highway 18 pursuit
Washington was arrested after the encounter and later charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental operations. The video quickly became the center of the case because it captures both the broken window and the trooper’s physical contact with Washington in the car and on the ground.
The arrest took place after an Arkansas State Police pursuit in Mississippi County ended in Blytheville. The footage has drawn attention far beyond the county because it raises questions about how officers decide to force entry into a vehicle and how far they can go once a suspect is removed from a car.
Crump’s office said the sequence was unnecessary and that Washington was treated violently during the arrest. The firm’s involvement signals that the case is likely to continue drawing scrutiny as more people review the video and the agency’s explanation.
State police review says Henderson broke no policy
According to Crump’s office, Arkansas State Police conducted an internal review of Henderson’s conduct and found that he did not violate department policy. The release says Henderson will not face discipline as a result of the incident.
That finding has become one of the sharpest points of disagreement in the case. Crump’s office argues that Washington should receive answers about why officers chose to break the window, pull him through the shattered glass, and hit him. State police have not publicly laid out additional details in the material provided about what led to the force used in the video.
The internal decision means the department is standing by its handling of the arrest, even as the footage continues to circulate and raise criticism from outside the agency.
Crump says the force used was excessive and demands transparency
Crump said the arrest raises “serious” concerns about Arkansas State Police use-of-force practices. In a statement, he called it “ludicrous” to think the only option was to break the window, pull Washington through the glass, and punch him repeatedly.
He said Washington deserves “full transparency, accountability, and answers” about why he was treated so violently by officers working under the banner of “protect and serve.” That language places the case squarely in the wider national debate over police use of force, even though the immediate facts center on one arrest in Mississippi County.
For Washington, the hiring of Crump puts a nationally known civil rights lawyer on a case that already has a large audience because of the dashcam footage. It also suggests the defense of the arrest will likely unfold in both public and legal arenas.
Second Mississippi County trooper video drew national attention in August
Washington’s arrest video was the second Arkansas State Police use-of-force incident in Mississippi County to draw national attention in August. Earlier that month, dashcam video showed Trooper Moisses Arellano throwing 18-year-old Alisa Hackett to the ground and punching her in the face during a traffic stop near Manila on Aug. 1.
Hackett also hired Crump and later filed suit against Arellano, saying the trooper used excessive force and violated her constitutional and civil rights. Together, the two incidents have put a spotlight on state police tactics in the same part of Arkansas within just a few weeks.
The repeated attention has made Mississippi County a focal point for criticism of Arkansas State Police and has intensified calls for review of how troopers handle traffic stops and arrests.
Lawmakers and advocacy groups push for policy changes and independent review
The two viral arrests have prompted lawmakers and community organizations to speak out. Some state lawmakers and local groups have called for changes in Arkansas State Police policy after watching the videos.
The NAACP Arkansas State Conference and the Arkansas Democratic Party have both called for independent investigations into the agency’s use-of-force practices. Their response shows the controversy has moved beyond one arrest and into a broader demand for outside scrutiny of state police behavior.
So far, the public reaction described in the coverage centers on transparency, oversight, and whether the agency’s internal review process is enough. With Crump now representing Washington as well as Hackett, the pressure on Arkansas State Police is likely to continue as both cases remain in the spotlight.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
