Miami-Dade Police released body-worn camera video Monday night of Tyreek Hill being removed from his vehicle, brought to the ground and handcuffed by officers before the Miami Dolphins’ season opener Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
The police officers who briefly detained Hill were “overzealous” during the encounter shortly before the game, his lawyer said Monday afternoon.
“At no point in time did Mr. Hill pose a threat to these officers,” said Atlanta attorney Julius Collins, who blamed the confrontation on “overzealous officers attempting to impose their authority on Mr. Hill because they were not pleased with how fast he complied with their request and that Mr. Hill did not roll down his window far enough to their liking.”
Collins’ written statement was issued hours after the city’s police union backed the officers, blaming Hill for not cooperating with a traffic stop a short distance from the stadium.
“Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs ,” said South Florida Police Benevolent Association President Steadman Stahl.
“Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground,” he said. “While we are confident in the actions that led to the stop, we will wait for all of the facts to come out, along with any explanation Mr. Hill may have for his actions that initiated this unfortunate incident.”
According to Hill’s lawyer, the popular wide receiver did cooperate, only to have one of the officers threaten to “break that [expletive] window” if they had to.
Four officers on motorcycles were at the scene Sunday afternoon. An officer initially approached Hill’s black sports car and asked why he was not wearing a seatbelt, shown in part of the more than an hour of video Miami-Dade Police released Monday night.
“Don’t knock on my window like that,” Hill said to the officer as he rolled down the window and handed the officer his identification.
Hill repeatedly told the officer not to knock on his window “like that.”
“I have to knock to let you know I’m here,” the officer said.
“Give me my ticket, bro, so I can go,” Hill said. “I’m finna be late … Do what you gotta do.”
Hill then rolled up his window, the video showed. The officer ordered him to keep it down and knocked against the glass. For several seconds after the officer knocked, Hill did not roll the window back down. The officer knocked again, pointed downward and said to keep the window down.
Hill then cracked the window and said, “Don’t tell me what — ” as the officer again shouted at him, cutting him off.
“As a matter of fact, get out of the car,” the officer told Hill. Another officer in the background said something about him breaking “that freakin’ window” as the first officer repeatedly told Hill to get out. Hill, still inside, said he was going to comply.
One officer then pulled open Hill’s door while shouting, “Get out!” and yanked Hill out of the car. The officer appeared to place his hand on the back of Hill’s neck as he pulled him outside, repeatedly shouting for him to “get out.”
“Damn!” Hill said as he was removed from the car.
Three officers could be seen surrounding Hill as he was on the ground. Hill appeared to tell someone he was talking to on the phone that he was “getting arrested.”
Two officers handcuffed Hill as he lay on the ground.
“When we tell you to do something, you do it,” an officer said. “You understand? You understand? Not what you want, but what we tell you!”
Hill said for them to take him to jail.
“We are,” the officer said. “We will.”
“Good, good, bruh,” Hill said.
“It is good,” the officer said.
Miami-Dade Police have not released the officer’s names. One officer has been placed on administrative duty.
After Sunday’s comeback victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hill said he was at a loss as to why he was handcuffed when he was stopped for alleged speeding and reckless driving on his way to the stadium.
“I have no idea, for real,’’ he said. “No idea. No idea, man. It’s crazy. No idea. I wasn’t disrespectful, because my mom didn’t raise me that way. Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. So like I said, I’m still trying to figure that out.”
Hill received two traffic citations as he was released. Neither has been made public.
Police Director Stephanie V. Daniels promised full transparency. “I have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation to ensure a thorough review of the matter,” she said. “One of the officers involved in the incident has been placed on administrative duties while the investigation is being conducted.”
Hill’s account of the incident was supported by teammate Calais Campbell, who witnessed the confrontation and was also briefly handcuffed. Daniels acknowledged Campbell’s involvement.
“At this time, we can confirm that he was temporarily detained but released moments later without any further incident,” she said.
Although Hill made it to the game and was pivotal in the Dolphins’ win, news of the police confrontation spread quickly enough in the stands for fans to express their support, some waving hand-scrawled signs saying “Free Tyreek!”
This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Threads.net @rafael.olmeda
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