Tyreek Hill bodycam: Police arrest Dolphins star in front of stadium
Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was pushed to the ground by a police officer while being arrested by Miami-Dade police just outside Hard Rock Stadium.
One of the police officers involved in the arrest of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was placed on “administrative duties” Sunday while the Miami-Dade Police Department investigates his actions.
Now the official’s lawyers argue that such a step was “premature” and are demanding that their client be reinstated in his usual position.
“We are calling for our client’s immediate reinstatement and a full, thorough and objective investigation, as Director Daniels has also requested,” attorneys Ignacio Alvarez and Israel Reyes said in a press release Tuesday. “Our client will not comment until that investigation is complete and the facts are fully revealed.”
The press release did not name or otherwise identify the officer under investigation, and a spokesperson for one of the law firms representing him, ALGO, declined to provide further information about the officer or give a reason for his anonymity.
Spokespeople for the Miami-Dade Police Department did not immediately respond to questions about the officer and his attorneys’ request to reinstate him.
Department Chief Stephanie Daniels said in a statement Sunday that she had opened an investigation into the officer through the Internal Affairs Division. She said she was “committed to transparency and accountability to the community in every situation involving my officers.”
Sunday’s encounter between Hill and police created a harrowing scene just outside Hard Rock Stadium, just hours before Hill and the Dolphins were set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in their season opener. And the officers’ actions have drawn scrutiny – particularly their use of force during what otherwise appeared to be a routine traffic stop.
On Monday evening, Miami-Dade police released more than an hour of footage from body-worn cameras at the scene showing officers forcibly removing Hill from his McLaren after he rolled up his window during the altercation. Officers removed him from the car, took him to the ground and handcuffed him for more than 15 minutes. During the altercation, he repeatedly complained of knee pain.
Hill later admitted to police officers that he was speeding, but criticized them for escalating the situation by pulling him from his car and handcuffing him. He was eventually allowed to leave the scene of the accident after being charged with reckless driving and driving without a seatbelt.
“They said I was speeding, driving recklessly or whatever,” Hill said in a press conference after rushing for 130 yards in Miami’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. “I wasn’t raised to throw names around. If you say I did something, write me a ticket and do what you have to do. But don’t be disrespectful.”
Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media @Tom_Schad.
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