Miami-Dade cops release body-cam footage after Tyreek Hill cuffed before game. Take a look
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Police handcuff, detain Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill
Miami-Dade police handcuffed, placed a knee on Tyreek Hill during a traffic stop before the season-opening game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Miami-Dade County police on Monday evening released the body camera footage from officers at the scene of the controversial handcuffing and detainment of Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill a day earlier.
Shortly before 10:20 a.m. Sunday, officers pulled Hill, 30, over in his black McLaren 720S in front of the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens as he was arriving to get ready for the Dolphins’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Officers are heard saying in the footage that they pulled him over for speeding.
Several passersby filmed the encounter and posted videos to social media showing officers cuffing and throwing Hill down to the ground within seconds of the confrontation.
READ MORE: Drivers’ videos show police, Tyreek Hill’s actions during Hard Rock Stadium traffic stop
The first video posted by the agency captured Hill’s luxury sports car being pulled over near the stadium and a motorcycle officer can be seen at his window during the traffic stop. Hill is heard saying: “Don’t knock on my window like that,” while the officer said he had to knock to let Hill know he was there.
“Why do you have it up?” the officer asked.
Once the window is down, Hill says: “Just give me my ticket bro. So i can go. I’m going to be late.”
The footage then shows the officer returning to find the window up again before he again demands Hill to lower the window.
From there, the officer orders Hill to exit the vehicle. “Get out of the car right now,” he asserted. “We’re not playing this game.”
Multiple officers can be seen in the video taking Hill to the ground; meanwhile, the player is heard saying, presumably to someone on a phone call: “I am getting arrested.”
Sitting on the pavement as spectators pass by on their way to the stadium, an officer berates Hill for not following instructions. “When we tell you to do something, you do it,” one officer said. An officer also told Hill: “You’re a little f----g confused.”
The cops subsequently place Hill in a standing position while he’s cuffed behind his back. Then an officer instructs Hill to sit on the sidewalk. Hill resists, citing a medical issue. “I just had surgery on my knee,” he added.
As Hill resists sitting down, another officer jumps from behind him, place an arm around his chest, and pulls him to the ground as Hill continues shouting about knee surgery. “What a coincidence” one officer says. An officer also seems to mock Hill, citing the need for “surgery on your ears.”
About six minutes into the confrontation, one of the officers asks his colleague, “You know who that is right? He’s one of the Dolphins’ star players.”
‘I’m just being Black in America’
At one point in the roughly half-hour ordeal, Hill’s teammate, defensive tackle Calais Campbell, gets out of his car to find out what’s happening. Police yelled at him to stay back, eventually handcuffing the 17-year NFL veteran before releasing him with a citation for an expired license plate.
Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith also pulled over in an SUV to find out why Hill was being detained on the side of road. But like Campbell, he was warned to stay back. Officers also demanded that he show them his license.
Throughout the contentious exchange, Hill questioned why he was being detained, complained about how the officers handled him — and insisted he did nothing wrong.
One officer proceeded to handle Hill as he sat on the sidewalk, pressing his hand on Hill’s left shoulder — at one point pressing him to the ground. Hill emphasized that the maneuver was hurting him and shouted, “Your job is to serve and protect. You’re doing a horrible job at protecting right now.”
At other times, however, he attempted to lighten up the mood, yelling to Smith: “Hey! It’s a great way to start the 2024!”
Stephanie Daniels, Miami-Dade’s police director, announced Sunday night that one of the officers was reassigned to administrative duties after the incident while the agency conducts an internal review of all the officers’ conduct. On Monday morning, she told the Miami Herald she made that decision after reviewing the body-cam footage. She did not announce any reassignments for other officers.
READ MORE: Body-cam footage led police director to reassign officer in Tyreek Hill detention
Daniels reports to James Reyes, the county’s chief of public safety and the Democratic candidate for Miami-Dade sheriff this fall. In a statement Sunday, he called for a quick release of MDPD’s findings and hinted at the incident not reflecting well on the agency.
“We cannot allow one incident to define the great work done by the thousands of brave women and men who serve Miami-Dade,” Reyes underscored.
The county’s police union also issued a statement early Monday defending the officers, contending they reacted appropriately to Hill not following police instructions. “It is best to obey lawful police commands first and complain later,” read the statement from the South Florida Police Benevolent Association.
The Hill run-in with police has received global attention, including NBC Nightly News reporter Jesse Kirsch interviewing the polarizing NFL star Monday night. In the interview, Hill noted the police “went from 0 to 60 immediately.”
About 15 minutes after a Miami-Dade officer knocked on Hill’s window, the All-Pro wide receiver was cuffed and seated on the pavement in Miami Gardens, with the roof of Hard Rock Stadium visible in the body-cam footage in the distance. He told officers around him: “I’m just being Black in America. I’m a Black man in America with a nice car.”
An officer responded to those sentiments, quipping, “We’re dark too, bro. We’re people of color. Don’t play that game.”
READ MORE: Officers investigated after Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill detained before season opener
As the minutes ticked by, the footage reveals more officers arriving and conferring with those who pulled Hill from his car. At 10:39 a.m., an officer removes the cuffs from Hill. At that point, one officer has a cellphone in his hand and says to Hill: “Do me a favor. Let me get a photo real quick.”
That doesn’t happen, with Hill immediately spotting a woman he identifies as his mother, who had arrived at the scene, and walked over to greet her.
Media outlets, including the Miami Herald, requested footage from the officers’ body-worn cameras. Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie Daniels released the video with a statement Monday evening. The Herald is parsing through the nearly two hours of footage and will report the contents.
“In our commitment to transparency and maintaining public trust, we are releasing the body-worn camera (BWC) footage related to the recent incident involving Tyreek Hill. While standard protocol is to release body cam footage after the internal review has concluded, the available body cam footage — a combined 105 minutes 33 seconds - is being released the day following the incident to reinforce the Department’s commitment to keeping the public informed.”
“The department is committed to conducting a thorough, objective investigation into this matter, and we will continue to update the public on the outcome of that process.
Dolphins denounce MDPD officers’ behavior as ‘despicable’
Hill’s Atlanta attorney, Julius B. Collins, released a statement Monday afternoon condemning the officers’ handling of the intense traffic stop.
“We believe that this matter was escalated due to 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 wrote. “Mr. Hill’s legal team is exploring all legal remedies that may be available to Mr. Hill as we believe that the officers’ actions on Sept. 8, 2024 were excessive.”
READ MORE: Lawyer for Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill says ‘overzealous officers’ caused traffic stop problems
The officers involved in the Hill stop were likely compensated by the Dolphins as part of the team’s agreement with Miami-Dade to cover off-duty rates for law enforcement services on game days. A team source said the Dolphins pay about $200,000 per game for dozens of officers at and around the stadium. Those officers are still under the authority of the Miami-Dade Police Department, but the team pays the county for their time.
Hours after the release of the body cam footage Monday night, the Dolphins released a statement, criticizing what the team calls “the overly aggressive and violent conduct directed towards Tyreek Hill, Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith by police officers before yesterday’s game.”
“It’s both maddening and heartbreaking to watch the very people we trust to protect our community use such unnecessary force and hostility towards these players, yet it is also a reminder that not every situation like this ends in peace, as we are grateful this one did,” the statement reads.
The team also highlighted its “strong and positive relationship” with Miami-Dade police and other law enforcement agencies, adding most officers serve the community “with the utmost character and desire to protect all citizens.”
“However, 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. While we commend MDPD for taking the right and necessary action to quickly release this footage, we also urge them take swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2024 at 6:58 PM.
CORRECTION: This article was updated to correct who interviewed Tyreek Hill for the NBC Nightly News. It was Jesse Kirsch.
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