Police footage shows officers forcing Dolphins' Hill to ground during traffic stop

 

[September 10, 2024]  By Rory Carroll

(Reuters) - New video surfaced on Monday showing police officers forcefully removing Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill from his car and throwing him to the ground during a heated traffic stop ahead of his team's home opener on Sunday.

The Miami-Dade Police Department said it was releasing the available body cam footage while continuing to investigate the incident. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump posted a three-minute and 35-second clip from the footage on X.

The video begins with a police officer asking Hill through his open car window why he did not have his seat belt on. After a brief exchange Hill rolls up his window up and the officer knocks on it, ordering him to roll it down.

Hill partially rolls the window down and the officer tells him to get out of the car. Another officer quickly comes over, opens the car door and grabs Hill by the back of the head, forcing him face down on the pavement as he puts him in handcuffs with a knee pressed against his back.

Officers then pick the still-handcuffed Hill back up and lead him to the sidewalk, where they ask him to sit.

Hill asks them to slow down because he "just had surgery on my knee" as an officer grabs him from behind from around the neck and forces him into a seated position on the curb.

The Miami-Dade Police Department on Sunday opened an Internal Affairs investigation into the matter and one of the officers involved in the incident has been placed on administrative duties while the review is conducted.

"I was shocked," Hill told CNN on Monday.

"It was crazy because it all happened so fast. I couldn't really gather everything. Me being a father, me being a husband in that situation I was saying hey, I've got to be smart."

The Miami Dolphins responded to the video with a statement posted on X that described the police action as "maddening and heartbreaking", calling for "swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior".

"It is a reminder that not every situation like this ends in peace... 'What if I wasn't Tyreek Hill?' is a question that will carry with resounding impact," the team said.

Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill is forced to the ground after being handcuffed and led to the sidewalk by Miami-Dade Police Department officers in Miami, Florida, September 8, 2024 in a still image from police body camera video. Miami-Dade Police Department/Handout via REUTERS

'GREAT RISK'

Hill, a five-time All-Pro wide receiver, still managed to play in the game, scoring an 80-yard touchdown en route to the team's 20-17 victory. After the game he said he had obeyed the officers' orders.

Earlier on Monday before any footage of the incident had circulated, a union representing the Miami-Dade officers said that Hill did not cooperate when he was stopped near the Dolphins' stadium for driving in a manner that was "putting himself and others in great risk of danger".

Hill was placed in handcuffs for the officers' safety, Steadman Stahl, the president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement.

"Mr. Hill, sill uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground.

"Once the situation was sorted out within a few minutes, Mr. Hill was issued two traffic citations and was free to leave."

Stahl said the union would wait for the investigation to run its course but, based on the information available, said it was standing by the actions of its officers.

Hill's attorney Julius Collins said the police union's statement did not line up with what is in the video.

"I think the video contradicts everything they are saying," he said on CNN.

Hill, who finished Sunday's opener with a team-high seven catches for 130 yards, celebrated his touchdown by putting his hands behind his back to simulate being handcuffed.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta, Editing by Stephen Coates, Sonali Paul and Peter Rutherford)

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