Arkansas State Police on Friday released video from Little Rock City Director Ken Richardson's Tuesday car wreck.
The subsequent encounter between Richardson and a state trooper at the scene of the crash led police to file charges against him after the city director is alleged to have grabbed the trooper while trying to get back into his vehicle.
Police dashboard camera video shows Richardson's Subaru colliding with a pole near the intersection of Colonel Glenn Road and South Bryant Street in Little Rock.
The agency also released an incident report tied to Richardson's arrest that was not previously made available.
Trooper Ronald Grace wrote that at approximately 9:05 p.m. he saw "a transformer blow" while he was in the area of Colonel Glenn Road and West 36th Street in Little Rock.
Grace saw that a vehicle had apparently struck a pole head-on. After speaking with the driver, later identified as Richardson, Grace tried to remove him from the smoking vehicle but Richardson ignored him, Grace wrote.
"When I attempted to pull him from the vehicle, he physically resisted and began grabbing the steering wheel," Grace wrote. "His speech was incoherent, and he was sweating profusely. He began reaching for objects that were not there, as if he was trying to grab something out of midair."
Richardson ultimately exited the car but grew more combative when first responders appeared on the scene, Grace wrote.
"He tried to pull away and get back into his car," Grace wrote. "While trying to restrain him, he grabbed my leg just below the groin area and squeezed, this caused severe discomfort, forcing me to take control of the situation and place him under arrest."
The trooper physically put Richardson on the ground but later allowed him to stand up once he became "compliant," Grace wrote.
No audio accompanied the footage from the dashboard camera on Grace's vehicle.
Because the trooper did not activate his emergency lights before the encounter with Richardson, the system did not capture audio, according to the incident report. Additionally, the angle of the camera on Grace's dashboard makes it impossible to see any struggle between Richardson and the trooper.
Reports indicate that Richardson submitted a urine sample for testing.
"Based on my training and experience, I believe Mr. Richardson was under the influence of drugs or alcohol," Grace wrote. "His speech, body language and mannerisms were consistent with that of an impaired motorist."
Separate dashboard camera footage released by Arkansas State Police shows first responders removing Richardson from the scene of the crash on a wheeled stretcher.
Richardson, 56, has represented Ward 2 on the city board since 2007 and recently filed paperwork to run for a fifth term in the Nov. 8 local election.
Court records show Richardson faces three misdemeanor charges: obstructing governmental operations, resisting arrest and third-degree battery.
In comments Wednesday, Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler mentioned only the first two charges.
A plea and arraignment hearing is scheduled for Sept. 20 in Pulaski County District Court.
Richardson has experienced seizures at city board meetings in the past and reportedly told officials after the crash that he has a history of epilepsy.
According to a separate collision report from the Little Rock Police Department that was obtained earlier this week, Richardson told first responders he did not remember much after making a right turn onto Colonel Glenn Road after traveling south on South University Avenue.
"He stated he does have a history of epilepsy, and might have had a recurrence of this," the report said. "He does not remember much of anything until he was questioned by [Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services] on scene."
Emergency personnel took Richardson to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital after the crash, according to the report.
Earlier that evening, Richardson had attended a 6 p.m. city board meeting at the Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St.
He has twice faced offenses tied to driving while intoxicated, most recently in 2015, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's coverage at the time.
In 2019, Richardson was briefly handcuffed by Little Rock police and cited for obstructing governmental operations after he approached and photographed police while a robbery suspect was being detained.
Prosecutors later declined to pursue the charge.