Federal lawsuit accuses Arkansas state trooper of punching 18-year-old during Manila traffic stop

Federal suit filed in Jonesboro accuses trooper Moisses Arellano of excessive force, retaliation and filing charges to cover the blow

An 18-year-old Osceola woman has sued an Arkansas State Police trooper in federal court, alleging he slammed her to the ground and punched her in the face during a roadside traffic stop near Manila earlier this month — and then had her charged with crimes to justify the force after the fact.

Alisa N. Hackett filed the 16-page complaint Aug. 10 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Jonesboro Division, naming Trooper Moisses Arellano as the sole defendant in his individual capacity. The case, No. 3:26-cv-00230-BSM, is assigned to District Judge Brian S. Miller and Magistrate Judge Harris. Hackett is represented by Little Rock attorney Luther Oneal Sutter of Sutter & Gillham, PLLC.

According to the complaint, Arellano pulled Hackett over on or about Aug. 1 in or near Manila in Mississippi County. The stated reason for the stop was speeding — an offense the filing describes as “a minor traffic offense punishable by fine and carrying no risk of violence.” Hackett was driving. She was unarmed, and the complaint says no weapon was recovered from her or the vehicle.

The suit alleges Hackett questioned Arellano about the basis for the stop and for his commands, and verbally objected to what he was doing. It further alleges, on information and belief, that Hackett or someone else present was recording the encounter and that Arellano knew it.

“Arellano did not like being questioned,” the complaint states. “His conduct thereafter escalated in direct proportion to Ms. Hackett’s refusal to stop questioning him.”

Arellano told Hackett she was under arrest and moved to handcuff her, according to the filing. Hackett tensed and pulled her arm away — resistance the complaint characterizes as “passive and reflexive,” noting she never struck, pushed, kicked, spit at or threatened the trooper, and never tried to flee. Arellano responded, the suit says, by slamming her to the ground and striking her in the face with a closed fist. The complaint alleges he drew back his fist within her view and that she saw the blow coming while pinned beneath a larger, armed officer.

Central to the case is the department’s own paperwork. The complaint states that the Arkansas State Police use-of-force report generated from the incident documents that Arellano struck Hackett in the face, and that he justified the blow solely on her resistance to being handcuffed. “The blow is not in dispute,” the filing reads. “What is in dispute is whether the law permitted it. It did not.”

The complaint also alleges that, according to Arellano himself, he “tuned” Hackett up because of her attitude.

Hackett was arrested and criminal charges were brought against her. The suit alleges those charges were manufactured to justify the force already used and to deter her from complaining. It says she suffered bruising and pain and continues to experience humiliation, fear of law enforcement, anxiety, sleep disturbance and emotional distress, and is now afraid to speak in the presence of police.

The complaint raises six counts: excessive force and First Amendment retaliation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983; parallel unreasonable-seizure and retaliation claims under the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993; and state common-law claims for abuse of process and battery. It argues Arellano is not shielded by qualified immunity or Arkansas statutory immunity because he acted with malice and outside the good-faith performance of his duties.

Hackett is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees and costs, and has demanded a jury trial. She also signaled she will demand preservation of any body-camera, dash-camera and civilian recordings of the stop.

The allegations are untested. Arellano has not yet filed a response, and neither he nor the Arkansas State Police has answered the claims in court. A complaint presents only one side of a case.