Miami-Dade cop who cuffed Tyreek Hill had previous disciplinary issues, report says

The Miami-Dade Police officer who was put on administrative duty after the controversial traffic stop where Miami Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill was cuffed and pinned to the ground, has been suspended six times for disciplinary issues in his 27-year career with the department, according to personnel records released late Friday by the police department.

According to Officer Danny Torres’ employee profile, obtained by the Miami Herald Friday evening, Torres has received four written reprimands and four 5-day suspensions, one 10-day and one 20-day suspension.

READ MORE: Police name cop reassigned after Tyreek Hill handcuffed. Attorney wants him reinstated

Torres also has been praised during his career. From 1998 to 2023, the veteran Miami-Dade police officer has earned 35 commendations for actions, including “dedication to duty” and being a safe driver, according to the records.

Miami-Dade Police’s employee profiles do not contain exact details of each disciplinary action, but offer a general look of what actions were taken against Torres.

In total, Torres has been on the receiving end of six complaints, 10 disciplinary actions and 13 instances where he used force — which is what police internal affairs investigators are scrutinizing in the Hill incident.

Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie V. Daniels placed Torres on paid administrative duty earlier this week after reviewing the body camera footage in Sunday’s incident with Hill outside Hard Rock Stadium.

Torres’ personnel file shows the officer used varying degrees of force in more than a dozen cases from 2002 to 2022, the report said. Pushing, pulling, striking and hitting are all actions the department listed Torres committed. Some of these cases resulted in injuries, such as bruising and abrasions, but it is unclear who the injured party was.

Of his six complaints, only half were deemed credible. In 2014, the department sustained a complaint that alleged he was discourteous and used force. In 2015, he was again alleged to be discourteous. In 2018, he was said to have used improper procedure.

READ MORE: Miami-Dade cops release body-cam footage after Tyreek Hill cuffed before game.

Alex Piquero, professor of sociology and criminology at the University of Miami and former director of the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, said that six suspensions may seem like a lot, but it depends on the context of the incidents, which were not released with Torres’ file.

Torres also has nearly three decades on the force, meaning he’s likely been under many circumstances with people that could end up complaining about him, Piquero said.

“Six is more than one or zero, but if he’s had so many contacts over his career, there’s bound to be situations that could result in him being written up,” Piquero told the Herald. “Twenty-seven years is a long time in law enforcement.”

Torres earned about $171,000 as a county police officer last year, including $39,000 from overtime pay, according to a county database.

Ashley Airaghi, chief operating officer with the Coral Gables ALGO law firm, which is representing Torres, declined to comment when reached Friday.

READ MORE: Body-cam footage led police director to reassign officer in Tyreek Hill detention

Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill in handcuffs

On Sunday morning, four Miami-Dade police officers pulled over Hill, 30, initially for speeding as he drove his McLaren 729S to the Hard Rock Stadium before the Dolphins’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Monday evening, Miami-Dade Police released body camera footage that showed how the traffic stop quickly escalated when police officers yanked Hill out of his car by the back of his head, pinned him to the ground with a knee to his back and handcuffed him.

An officer had told Hill to pull down his windows, which were tinted black, and Hill did not immediately comply, triggering the escalation.

When Hill didn’t immediately sit on the sidewalk as ordered, saying he needed a moment due to recent knee surgery, Torres came behind Hill, wrapped his arm around his neck and forced him to sit, along with another officer.

Torres would then handcuff Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell who had stopped to check on Hill as he was driving to the stadium. Another officer, M. Batista, ordered Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith, who had also stopped, to leave the scene.

In the end, Hill received two traffic citations: a $129 fine for a seat-belt violation and a $179 fine for careless driving.

READ MORE: Lawyer for Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill says ‘overzealous officers’ caused traffic stop problems

Days later, Hill told the media he may have had some fault in the altercation but that he should not have been treated in such a way by the officers.