Tyreek Hill’s citations dropped in Hard Rock cuffing after cop doesn’t show up in court

A Miami-Dade traffic hearing officer dismissed Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill’s citations after the Miami-Dade Police officer who cited him failed to show up in court, in an incident that led to Hill getting handcuffed and pinned to the ground outside Hard Rock Stadium.

Miami-Dade Police issued Hill a $179 careless driving violation and a $129 seat belt violation during a Sept. 8 traffic stop hours before the Dolphins’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the stadium.

The videos of Hill being detained, filmed by passersby, went viral after Miami-Dade Police officer Danny Torres yanked Hill by the back of his head from his McLaren 720S, pinned him to the ground with a knee and cuffed the Dolphins superstar.

“Where all the internet cops now,” Hill posted Tuesday on the social media platform X. Hill was not at Dolphins practice Tuesday; he was excused for unrelated family reasons, the team said.

The Miami-Dade Police officer who wrote the citations, Manuel Batista, didn’t show up for a scheduled hearing on Monday. That resulted in Miami-Dade Traffic Infraction Hearing Officer Patricia Henrys dismissing Hill’s citations for lack of prosecution, court records show.

Officers should be disciplined: Hill’s attorney

Hill’s attorney, Julius Collins, said in a statement to the Miami Herald that police officers’ no-show “evidences their knowledge of wrongdoing.”

“As anticipated, the traffic citations against Tyreek Hill were dismissed, “ Collins said in the Tuesday statement. “Police officers should not issue citations unless they are willing to testify in court, under oath, with respect to the same....These officers should be disciplined for their failure to appear.”

MD Police: Officer not showing up was ‘oversight’

Batista’s failure to show up at the hearing was an “oversight on his behalf,” Miami-Dade Police said in a statement Tuesday.

“The Miami-Dade Police Department is aware that a docket of citations issued to multiple individuals including the non-criminal citations issued to Mr. Tyreek Hill have been dismissed because the officer did not attend the hearing,” the police agency said. “A citation dismissed due to this reason does not indicate that the citation held no merit. An internal review as to why the officer did not appear in court has revealed an oversight on his behalf. This matter will be handled administratively.”

Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, the union representing Miami-Dade Police officers, said police officers often have other commitments that preclude them from showing up at traffic citation hearings.

“Officers quite often find themselves in conflict with other cases,” Stahl said. “But, in this particular case, I don’t know what that conflict was.”

Batista’s personnel profile, obtained by the Miami Herald, shows he has used force twice and faced four complaints since joining the force in October 2019, though only one led to action. He has also received five commendations for his dedication and not taking a sick day. Last year, Batista earned $153,000 as a county police officer.

READ MORE: Miami-Dade officer who pulled over Tyreek Hill has used force in 2 instances: records

Batista was one of four officers involved in pulling Hill over. He also confronted Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith, who pulled over to check on Hill. Batista ordered Smith to hand over his license and cited him twice: a $129 fine for having an expired tag and a $179 fine for failing to obey a traffic control device.

Miami-Dade Traffic Infraction Hearing Officer Thomas Cobitz dismissed both of Smith’s citations on Friday. The failing to obey a traffic control device was dropped for “wrong statute cited.” Cobitz dismissed the expired tag citation without giving a reason why, court records show.

“It’s a step in the right direction, charges being dropped,” Smith said Tuesday afternoon. “I don’t think he did anything wrong. I’m glad it got settled. It pulled us closer, the entire organization, from the top down.”

Hill wasn’t in locker room during media access. Mike McDaniel declined comment on the matter.

Veteran officer still on administrative leave

Miami-Dade Police officer Danny Torres, a 27-year-veteran, was put on administrative leave by Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie Daniels after she reviewed the police body-camera footage from the controversial traffic stop.

Torres, who earned about $171,000 last year, including $39,000 in overtime pay, was the officer who pulled Hill out of his McLaren and pushed him to the ground, while the other officers helped restrain Hill, according to the body-camera video released by the police. While Hill was lying flat on his stomach in the street, Torres pressed his palm onto the back of his neck and kneed him in the back, the footage shows.

Torres also handcuffed Dolphins veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who also stopped to check on Hill. He was released without being cited.

“That was a crazy moment. I’m glad the charges were dropped,” Campbell told the Herald Tuesday. “It didn’t make any sense to start with. It helped bring us closer together. Tyreek is captain, star player, great guy. We all try to have teammates’ backs.”

As of Tuesday evening, Miami-Dade Police said Torres was still on administrative duty and an internal affairs investigation was ongoing.

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

Previous disciplinary issues

Torres has been suspended six times for disciplinary issues in his 27-year career with the department, according to personnel records released in September by the police department.

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

Miami-Dade Police employee profiles provide only general summaries of disciplinary actions. Officer Torres has faced six complaints, 10 disciplinary actions and 13 incidents involving force.

From 2002 to 2022, Torres used various levels of force, including pushing, pulling, striking and hitting, sometimes causing injuries like bruises and abrasions, though it’s unclear who was injured, records show.

Of his six complaints, three were deemed credible. In 2014, he was found to have been discourteous and used force. In 2015, he faced another discourtesy complaint and in 2018, an improper procedure allegation was sustained.

Miami Herald staff writers Grethel Aguila and Omar Kelly contributed to this report.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more details become available.

This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 10:25 AM.