Mulazim Muhammad v. State of Arkansas

── Mulazim Muhammad v. State of Arkansas ── Court: Court of Appeals of Arkansas Date: March 18, 2026 Category: General Cite as 2026 Ark. App. 184 ARKANSAS COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION III No. CR-25-333 MULAZIM MUHAMMAD Opinion Delivered March 18, 2026 APPELLANT APPEAL FROM THE PULASKI COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, V. SEVENTH DIVISION [NO. 60CR-20-3493] STATE OF ARKANSAS APPELLEE HONORABLE MELANIE MARTIN, JUDGE AFFIRMED RAYMOND R. ABRAMSON, Judge A Pulaski County jury convicted Mulazim Muhammad of third-degree battery and leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury. For third-degree battery, he was sentenced to one year in county jail and fined $2,500. For leaving the scene of an accident, he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and fined $2,500. Muhammad appeals his convictions and argues that the circuit court erred by denying his directed-verdict motions and his motion to strike. On March 2, 2022, the State filed a second amended criminal information against Muhammad alleging that he committed the offenses of first-degree battery and leaving the scene of an accident with injury or death. The case proceeded to a jury trial on February 11, 2025.  At trial, Teresa Brown testified that she had been in a romantic relationship with Muhammad and that on August 19, 2020, she and Muhammad sat in his truck outside her home. She stated that she told Muhammad that she wanted to end their relationship and that their conversation “went downhill.” She explained that Muhammad “blew smoke” in her face, and in response, she threw a drink at him and exited the truck. Brown explained, “I get out of the vehicle and I go to shut the door and realize that I left my house keys in the vehicle, so I pulled the door open and I reached for my keys and then he just took off in the truck.” She later noted that he “[s]ped off” in the truck. Brown testified that the truck’s back door hit her and a tire ran over her foot. The State asked, “And what happened after the truck door—or I guess the door frame struck you? Did you stay on your feet? Did you fall to the ground? What happened?” She replied, “It knocked me all the way to the ground. And it was actually—I was on the curb . . . and I screamed.” Brown stated that she repeatedly called Muhammad and that he eventually picked up on the eighth try. She testified that she told him that he hit her with the truck and that she needed to go to the emergency room. She stated that Muhammad hung up on her and did not return. Brown explained that she went to the hospital and had twenty-five staples in her foot. She further stated that doctors attempted a skin graft, but the graft was unsuccessful. During cross-examination, Brown acknowledged that on the day of the accident, she did not report to police that she turned back to the truck to retrieve her keys. She testified that she informed the police that she exited the vehicle and Muhammad drove away. 2  During the State’s redirect, the following colloquy took place between the prosecutor and Brown: Q I also want to talk again about where—what part—there’s been some confusion here about what part of the truck hit you first. We’re not talking about—I’m not talking about when the tire ran over your foot, but, like, when the vehicle, the part of the vehicle that actually struck you, what part of the vehicle was that? A The back door. Q Back door? Okay. Are we ta