Is the viral police video really Kai Cenat? Here's what happened

DIRECT ANSWER: No — the man pulled from an SUV by his dreadlocks in a viral Arkansas police video is not streamer Kai Cenat. The Aug. 19, 2026 footage shows Arkansas State Police Trooper Theodore Henderson arresting passenger Tedrick Washington, 23, after a pursuit that reached 130 mph near Blytheville. Social media mislabeled the clip as Cenat.

Police body-camera video from Blytheville, Arkansas, has exploded online after users falsely tied it to Kai Cenat, one of the internet's biggest livestreamers. The footage is real and disturbing — but the identity attached to it is wrong. For more offbeat stories like this, see our Bizarre News & Florida Man hub.

Key Takeaways

• The viral clip shows a genuine Arkansas State Police arrest in Blytheville — not Kai Cenat.
• Passenger Tedrick Washington, 23, was pulled by his dreadlocks and punched twice after a 130-mph chase.
• Driver Adonerus Johnson, 25, was arrested on DWI and felony fleeing charges after spike strips and a tactical vehicle intervention.
• False Kai Cenat captions spread fast because the passenger resembled the streamer.
• Released records do not include a separate ASP administrative ruling on Trooper Henderson's use of force.

What happened during the 130-mph Arkansas pursuit?

According to an NEA Report account of the incident report, the encounter began around 11:21 p.m. on Aug. 19 on Arkansas 18. Trooper Henderson clocked a 2023 Infiniti QX50 at 82 mph in a 60-mph zone near the Big Lake bridge.

After Henderson activated his lights, the driver allegedly accelerated. Henderson reported speeds of 113 mph, then 130 mph, and wrote that he traveled between 130 and more than 140 mph while chasing the SUV.

Blytheville officers deployed spike strips near County Road 239. The vehicle hit the strips, ran a red light at Arkansas 18 and Arkansas 151, and began losing air from a front tire. Henderson's first tactical vehicle intervention failed; a second push sent the SUV over a curb near North 16th and West Walnut streets, stopping it.

Who is the man in the viral police video?

The passenger is Tedrick Washington, not Kai Cenat. Video shows Henderson ordering Washington out of the rear seat, breaking the rear driver's-side window with a baton, then grabbing Washington's left wrist and a handful of his hair.

Henderson wrote that Washington said he could not exit and did not follow repeated commands to crawl through the opening. After Washington pulled his arm away and braced against the door, Henderson punched him once in the left side of the face.

Henderson then pulled Washington from the vehicle and to the ground. During the handcuffing struggle, the trooper reported punching Washington a second time in the left cheek. Gosnell Police Cpl. Cade Liles described multiple closed-hand strikes; Washington was bleeding, though records note no hospital transport.

Washington was charged with obstruction of governmental operations and resisting arrest. Driver Adonerus Johnson, who allegedly climbed into the back seat and tried to flee, was booked on felony fleeing, first-offense DWI with a 0.17 breath sample, reckless driving, resisting arrest, and other counts.

Why did people think Kai Cenat was in the video?

The Times of India reported that viewers shared the clip with captions claiming Cenat had been assaulted by police. The man in the footage resembles the streamer, and Cenat's high profile — including a widely covered 2023 arrest after a chaotic Union Square giveaway in New York — made the false claim feel plausible to many users.

Social platforms amplified the story before anyone verified the source. X trending traffic around the clip fueled Kai Cenat speculation, even though Cenat had no connection to the Arkansas stop. The episode shows how a real police encounter can become a completely different viral story once a famous name is attached.

What happens next in the Arkansas case?

Gosnell Police paperwork found Cpl. Liles' firearm display, Taser use, and hands-on force justified under that department's policy — but that review covered Liles, not Henderson. Henderson filed a detailed account in his ASP incident report; the released records do not include a separate ASP administrative finding on his use of force or a statement from Washington.

All suspects remain innocent until proven guilty in court. As the video keeps circulating, the verified facts are clear: the arrest was real, the force was documented, and Kai Cenat was never involved.