BLYTHEVILLE, AR — Dash camera footage from a police chase in northeast Arkansas is drawing attention after a state trooper pulled former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball player Tedrick Washington Jr. from a vehicle by his dreadlocks.
The video shows Blytheville police pursuing an Infiniti on the night of Aug. 19, and an arrest report says officers first clocked the vehicle at 82 mph. After emergency lights were activated, the driver sped up and reached 130 mph before authorities caught up to the SUV minutes later.
Washington was listed as one of the passengers in the vehicle. He played in 31 games for the Mocs last season, according to the Chattanooga basketball page.
Police say the Infiniti reached 130 mph before officers caught up
The chase began after officers observed the vehicle moving well above the speed limit, according to the arrest report. Once lights and sirens were used, the driver kept going and pushed the SUV to 130 mph, making the pursuit more dangerous for everyone on the road.
Police eventually stopped the vehicle minutes later and arrested the driver. The report identifies Washington as a passenger rather than the person behind the wheel. The details in the document help explain why the encounter escalated so quickly once officers moved in.
Dash camera video captured the pursuit and the moments that followed, giving a clearer view of how the stop developed. That footage has since circulated widely and renewed attention on the arrest.
Trooper Teddy Henderson breaks a rear window and orders Washington out
In one part of the video, Arkansas State Police Trooper Teddy Henderson can be seen breaking a rear window of the vehicle. He then ordered Washington, who was 23 at the time, to crawl out through the opening.
The arrest report says Washington told the trooper he could not get out of the car, but he did not follow repeated commands to crawl through the broken window. The video then shows a trooper grabbing Washington by his dreadlocks in an effort to pull him from the vehicle.
Seconds later, Henderson can be seen punching Washington in the face. The footage is the most disputed part of the encounter and the main reason the arrest has attracted so much public attention.
Henderson said Washington kept resisting during the arrest
According to Henderson’s account, Washington continued to resist while officers tried to remove him from the car. Henderson also reported that Washington appeared as though he was about to strike him, which he said prompted the punch shown on video.
The incident report gives one explanation for the force used, while the video has prompted questions from viewers about whether that response was justified. Both the account in the report and the footage are now central to public debate over the arrest.
Washington later posted the arrest video on his Facebook page and wrote in part, “Justice will be served I want my story be heard!!!” The post helped spread the footage even further.
Blytheville says its officers were present but not involved
Nearly two weeks after the arrest, and after the video had already gone viral, the city of Blytheville released a statement. City officials said local officers were on the scene but were not involved in the physical altercation.
The statement said, “The footage is troubling, and we fully understand the pain, anger, and concern it continues to provoke within our community.” That response acknowledged public reaction without taking a position on the force used by the trooper.
The city’s comments came after the video spread widely online and drew new scrutiny to the arrest. They also made clear that Blytheville police were present during the chase but were not the officers seen using force in the video.
Gosnell Police reviewed one officer’s use of force
The incident report says another Arkansas police department, Gosnell Police, also had an officer at the scene who punched Washington while helping Henderson make the arrest. That department later reviewed the officer’s actions.
After its internal review, Gosnell Police determined that the officer’s use of force was justified. The report does not say the same about Henderson’s actions, and it remains unclear whether his conduct has been formally reviewed.
Arkansas State Police did not respond to a request for comment. For now, that leaves unanswered questions about what review, if any, state officials have completed on the trooper’s use of force.
Questions remain about review of the trooper’s actions
The video has become the center of the story, but the official record still matters because it shows how authorities describe the arrest. Police say Washington did not leave the car when ordered, while the footage shows a trooper pulling him by his hair and striking him.
That tension is why the arrest has drawn so much attention beyond northeast Arkansas. The case involves a former college athlete, multiple police agencies, and a viral video that has prompted concerns about the level of force used.
For now, the clearest conclusion is that one department has already reviewed its own officer and found the action justified, while the status of the Arkansas State Police trooper’s review remains unknown. The arrest continues to raise questions even as the factual record continues to expand.
Local stories that matter, from GHS The Student.
