On August 19, an Arkansas State Police trooper arrested Tedrick Washington Jr. in Blytheville, Arkansas. Body camera footage reveals the officer punching the former college basketball player and pulling his hair following a high-speed pursuit .
The 130 mph pursuit in Blytheville
The incident began when Blytheville police pursued an Infiniti SUV, a chase that eventually escalated when a state trooper joined the effort. According to an arrest report, Tedrick Washington Jr., who played 31 games for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga last season, accelerated his vehicle from 113 mph to 130 mph after the trooper activated emergency lights.
High-speed chases of this magnitude in municipal areas represent a significant public safety risk, often leading to a volatile atmosphere once the vehicle is finally stopped. The intensity of the pursuit likely contributed to the high-tension environment that preceded the physical altercation between the officer and Washington.
Dreadlocks and punches: The trooper's physical encounter
Once the SUV was stopped, body camera footage captured a violent sequence of events. As reported by KATV, WTVC, and CNN, the footage shows the Arkansas State Police trooper attempting to remove Tedrick Washington Jr. from the vehicle by pulling him by his dreadlocks before punching him in the face.
Authorities confirmed that Washington's blood alcohol level was above the legal limit at the time of the arrest. However, the visual evidence of the trooper using a suspect's hair as a handle for extraction has sparked widespread controversy across social media platforms, where the footage has circulated extensively.
The Arkansas State Police 'justified' ruling
Despite the graphic nature of the video, an internal use-of-force report from the Arkansas State Police determined that the trooper's actions were justified. this internal clearance stands in stark contrast to the public reaction and the response from local government officials.
The city of Blytheville issued a statement clarifying that its own local officers were not involved in the physical altercation. city officials described the footage as "troubling" and acknowledged the "pain, anger and concern" the video has caused within the Blytheville community, creating a public rift between the city's sentiment and the state police's official findings.
The missing details of the trooper's identity
While the actions of Tedrick Washington Jr. are documented via the arrest report, several critical pieces of information remain absent from the public record. Specifically, the name and badge number of the trooper involved have not been disclosed in the reporting provided by KATV and CNN.
Furthermore, it remains unclear what specific resistance, if any, Washington offered that the Arkansas State Police used to justify the punch and the pulling of his hair.. The source material provides the state's conclusion that the force was justified, but it does not detail the specific tactical reasoning or the exact sequence of commands given prior to the strike.
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