Tyreek Hill called for a Miami-Dade police officer to be fired after the Miami Dolphins wide receiver was detained during a traffic stop outside Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
In a statement released on behalf of Hill, attorney Julius Collins said he and his client “are of the opinion that the officer’s use of force was excessive, escalating and reckless.” The officer, who the police department identified as 27-year veteran Danny Torres, according to the Associated Press, was placed on administrative duties while an investigation takes place.
Police pulled Hill over on his way to the stadium Sunday for the Dolphins’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Body-worn camera footage released by Miami-Dade police showed Hill being forced out of his vehicle and onto the ground by officers.
In the video, police approached Hill’s car, and he rolled his window up after a brief interaction. The police told Hill to keep his window down. When he did not fully roll it down, one of the four officers opened the car door and pulled Hill from the vehicle by the back of his neck. One officer put Hill face-down on the street to handcuff him.
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Dolphins say police conduct with Hill ‘overly aggressive and violent’
Hill was cited for careless driving and failure to wear a seatbelt, the AP reported.
In their statement, Hill and Collins noted that the officer “placed his hands on or around” Hill’s neck at least twice and said the officer did not listen to Hill when he told police he recently had knee surgery.
“The officer ignored his statement and continued his escalation in his use of force,” they said in the statement.
“The events that occurred on Sunday, September 8, 2024, are just a reminder of the realities of the many injustices that people of Black and minority communities face at the hands of law enforcement,” they said. “While we are in no way accusing the officer of being racist, we are accusing the customs and practices of law enforcement from a historical standpoint of being discriminatory and oppressive to black and minority communities. We cannot ignore this fact and remain silent on the issue just because it’s a tough conversation.”
They conclude the statement by saying Hill “is committed to furthering the conversation and being active in promoting change in community and police relations.” It echoes a post the wide receiver shared to X on Monday in which he wrote, “Let’s make a change.”
Let’s make a change
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) September 10, 2024
Attorneys Ignacio Alvarez and Israel Reyes, who are representing Torres, the officer placed on administrative duties, said they believed the decision to place him on leave was “premature” but support Miami-Dade Police Department director Stephanie Daniels’ call for a thorough review of the incident.
“We call for our client’s immediate reinstatement, and a complete, thorough, and objective investigation, as Director Daniels has also advocated,” they said.
On Monday, the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, a union for police officers, said it “(stands) with the actions of our officers” involved in the incident.
“We have worked hard across all communities to bridge the gap between what people believe law enforcement should and can do,” the association said in a statement. “While we wait for the investigation to run its course, based on what we know, we stand with the actions of our officers but look forward to further open communication moving forward.”
Hill’s coaches and teammates have spoken in support of him since the detainment. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that it has “been hard for me not to find myself more upset the more I think about it.”
“I think that it’s supremely important to wait for information to be gathered before any rush to judgment,” he said. “Regardless, I know the feelings expressed to me are … unsettling. Two things did come from the adversity. I’m super proud of teammates being teammates and super proud of our guys understanding the civic responsibility of a platform and intending to do right by it.”
(Photo: Rich Storry / Getty Images)
