Police in Miami have released bodycamera footage of a traffic stop involving Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill, who was removed from his vehicle and handcuffed by police officers before Sunday’s game.
Officials said that Hill, 30, was pulled over while he was driving to the Hard Rock Stadium hours before the Dolphins game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, their first game of the 2024–2025 season.
In the video, released on Monday, was asked by officers why he doesn’t have a seatbelt on. Hill then repeatedly says, “Don’t knock on my window like that.”
The officer then asked him why his window was up. “Give me my ticket, bro so I can go, I’m going to be late. Do what you got to do,” Hill then tells the officers before he rolled up his window.
The officer then told Hill that he needs to keep his window down and knocks, but Hill doesn’t respond, according to the footage. Again, the officer knocks on the window and tells him to roll down the window, to which Hill replies: “Don’t tell me what to do.”
Hill is then told by the officer that he should get out of the car if he doesn’t roll the window down. He then immediately told him to get out of the vehicle.
Another officer is then seen in the footage opening the car door, pulling him out and telling him: “Get out.” Hill responds, “I’m getting out.”
Two officers then force Hill to the ground. “I’m getting arrested,” Hill is heard saying multiple times.
One officer is then heard telling him: “When we tell you to do something, you do it. You understand? You understand? Not what you want.”
While Hill is sitting on the sidewalk, officers are heard discussing that the man they detained is Hill, or “the Dolphins’ star player,” he is then given a citation and allowed to leave. Later, Hill played in Sunday’s game, generating 130 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Officials later said they clocked him at 60 mph. They turned on their lights and pulled Hill over. One knocked on the driver’s window and told him to put it down, which Hill did and handed him his driver’s license.
In an interview with CNN on Monday evening, Hill stated that he was “embarrassed” and “shell-shocked” by the situation. The Dolphins released a statement on Monday saying they have a good relationship with the Miami Police Department but are “saddened” by the arrest, alleging the officers used “misguided power” during the incident.
“As is on full display in the videos released tonight, there are some officers who mistake their responsibility and commitment to serve with misguided power,” the team stated. “While we commend MDPD for taking the right and necessary action to quickly release this footage, we also urge them to take equally swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior.”
Miami Police Director Stephanie Daniels said in a statement that one of the officers involved was put on administrative leave after the incident.
“Following the incident involving Tyreek Hill, I have initiated an Internal Affairs investigation to ensure a thorough review of the matter. One of the officers involved in the incident has been placed on administrative duties while the investigation is conducted,” Daniels said in a statement. “I’m committed to transparency and accountability to the community with any situation involving my officers.”
The South Florida Police Benevolent Association said in a statement that Hill was not “immediately cooperative” and that the Miami officers followed the department’s policy of handcuffing him, and he was “redirect[ed] to the ground” because he refused to sit down.
At that point, teammate Jonnu Smith parked his SUV in front of Hill’s car, got out, and asked what was going on. The officers ordered Smith to get back in his vehicle and leave. They then told him they were going to give him a ticket for blocking the road. Defensive tackle Calais Campbell also pulled up. He was told to leave and when he didn’t, he was briefly handcuffed.
Hill and Campbell were eventually released and allowed to go into the stadium. Hill received citations for careless driving and failing to wear a seatbelt, but was never arrested, the video shows. An internal affairs investigation has been launched.
It’s not the first time Hill has been involved in a criminal altercation. While he played at Oklahoma State, he was accused of punching his then-girlfriend, who was pregnant, before he was kicked off the team. He later pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation, receiving three years probation.
Prosecutors in the Kansas City area in 2019 also declined to charge him after allegations of a domestic violence incident involving his fiancee and their 3-year-old son. At the time, neither the Kansas City Chiefs nor the NFL opted to penalize him under the league’s personal conduct policy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times