VIDEO: Driver Tries to Shove Trooper During DWI Arrest on I-55, ASP Says

CRITTENDEN COUNTY, Ark. — Video has been released from an Aug. 23 arrest on Interstate 55 in which an Arkansas State Police trooper reported pulling a driver from a crashed car by her arm and the back of her head.

Angela D. McNair, of Forrest City, was arrested on seven charges, including driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest, according to a use-of-force report written by Trooper First Class Dairren Evans.

The report lists the incident at 9:29 a.m. on southbound I-55 near mile marker 4. Evans wrote that he responded to a collision reported to involve injuries and a road blockage.

He found a Honda CR-V and a blue Ford Mustang off the left side of the road. A bystander told him the Mustang’s driver appeared intoxicated, according to the report. Evans said he initially checked both vehicles for injuries and found the Honda’s driver trapped inside.

After West Memphis firefighters arrived to free that driver, Evans returned to the Mustang. The report does not describe how the collision occurred.

McNair had moved over the center console into the passenger seat and was sitting with her feet outside the vehicle, Evans wrote. He said she denied being hurt and had bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred, incoherent speech.

Evans reported asking McNair to step out and then ordering her out three more times. He said she repeatedly refused, pulled her feet back inside and began reaching toward the driver’s side.

“I grabbed her left arm and the back of her head to remove her from the vehicle,” Evans wrote.

According to Evans, McNair fell out of the car and initially refused to stand, then said she would try if someone helped her. Evans and a firefighter helped her to her feet and to the rear of the Mustang.

Evans alleged that McNair tried to push him aside to get back inside the car. He wrote that he blocked her and she fell backward into the grass. As she tried to regain her footing, she swung her left hand toward him, according to his account.

Evans said he secured her right wrist, rolled her onto her stomach and took her into custody before placing her in his patrol car.

During an inventory of the Mustang, Evans reported finding a bag containing several medications, all prescribed to McNair, and several red Smirnoff bottle caps. He wrote that no items were removed from the vehicle.

Evans said Trooper First Class Donnie Cheers later told him an open container had been found in the Mustang and that its contents had been poured into a metal tumbler.

At the Crittenden County Detention Center, Evans reported reading McNair a statement-of-rights form. She refused to sign it or participate in testing, according to the report. Evans wrote that he could smell intoxicants on her breath.

The report lists the following charges:

• Careless and prohibited driving.
• Open container containing alcohol in a motor vehicle.
• Drinking in public or drinking on a highway.
• Driving while intoxicated, first offense.
• Refusal to submit to a chemical test.
• Resisting arrest.
• Interference with a law enforcement officer.

Evans noted that he observed no visible injuries on McNair and that no photographs were taken. The report does not list a bond amount or court date.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.