Tyreek Hill reflected Wednesday on the incident during which the Miami Dolphins wide receiver was dragged by police to the pavement from his car and handcuffed, saying he could have handled the situation better while also insisting police officers that roughed him up need to be held accountable.
“I will say I could have been better, I could have let down my window in that instant,” he told reporters in Miami. “But the thing about me is, man, I don’t want attention. I don’t want [there] to be cameras out, phones on you in that moment.
“But at the end of the day, I’m human. I’ve got to follow rules. I got to do what everyone else would do.
“Now does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not. But at the end of the day, I wish I could go back and do things a bit differently.”
Hill released a statement through his attorney Tuesday night calling for the “immediate termination” of the Miami-Dade police officer who was placed on administrative leave following the incident that occurred about three hours before the Dolphins opened their season Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the third quarter of Miami’s 20-17 victory, Hill scored an 80-yard touchdown and celebrated by placing his hands behind his back while teammate Jaylen Waddle pretended to handcuff him.
“We are of the opinion that the officer’s use of force was excessive, escalating, and reckless,” the statement from lawyer Julius Collins said. “We are demanding that the officer be terminated effective immediately.”
The statement describes Danny Torres as the officer who “placed his hands on or around” Hill’s neck and “continued his escalation in his use of force.” Torres, a 27-year member of the force, was placed on administrative duties shortly after the incident, according to police Director Stephanie V. Daniels.
Hill’s statement also portrays the incident as indicative of ongoing unjust conflicts between police and people of color.
“The events that occurred on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, are just a reminder of the realities of the many injustices that people of Black and minority communities face at the hands of law enforcement,” the statement said.
(Miami-Dade Police Dept.)
Hill, who is Black, wouldn’t keep his sports car window down when an officer asked him to do so after he was pulled over for a traffic violation before Sunday’s game at Hard Rock Stadium.
Body-cam footage released by the Miami-Dade Police Department showed that the incident quickly escalated into Hill being forcibly removed from his black McLaren 720S, pushed to the ground face first and handcuffed by officers.
The footage shows an officer knocking on the driver’s side window and telling Hill to put it down. Hill complied and handed the officer his driver’s license while repeatedly telling the officer not to knock on his window. Hill put the window back up and the officer responded by raising his voice and repeatedly telling Hill to keep the window down.
By then other officers had arrived and body-cam video shows that Torres pulled him from his car and pushed him to the pavement with an officer placing his knee in Hill’s back while handcuffing him. While Hill was lying on his stomach, Torres pressed his palm onto the back of Hill’s neck and later wrapped his arm around Hill’s throat.
“When we tell you to do something, you do it. You understand?” Torres told Hill. “You understand? Not what you want, but what we tell you. You’re a little f—ing confused.”
Officers led the handcuffed Hill to the sidewalk and one of the officers kicked him.
In his statement, Collins said that the actions of Torres — described as the “escalating officer” — should result in his employment being terminated.
“Each action that a law enforcement official takes is governed by standard operating procedures,” the statement read.
Hill, 30, reiterated that Torres should be fired when he spoke to reporters Wednesday.
“Gone. Gone. Gone. He gotta go, man,” Hill said. “In that instance right there, not only did he treat me bad, he also treated my teammates with disrespect, you know? He had some crazy words towards them, and they didn’t even do nothing. Like, what did they do to you? They were just walking on the sidewalk.”
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, also called for officers to be fired.
“I believe the police officers that did that to Tyreek shouldn’t be in that position — they should be let go,” Rosenhaus said during an interview on “The Dan Le Batard Show.” “That was horrendous how they treated him. They didn’t treat him like a human being.”
Hill was cited for careless driving and for not wearing a seat belt. The citation alleges he was going 60 mph, which is 20 mph over the speed limit.
Torres’ Facebook page identifies him as a member of the Florida chapter of the Gunfighters Motorcycle Club, the Miami New Times reported. The club is described on its website as a “fraternal organization consisting of active and retired law enforcement officers who share a passion for riding motorcycles.”
Patches on Torres’ leather vest in one photo on a GoFundMe page identify him as “President,” “Peacemaker” and “Dano.” Other photos on social media indicate he has a side gig as a DJ, going by the moniker DJ DNO.
Torres also serves as a representative of the Miami-Dade Police Department with the South Florida Police Benevolent Assn., which describes itself as an “aggressive, pro-active union of professionals and past law enforcement officers working to protect the rights of police men and women and community officials throughout South Florida.”
A GoFundMe page raised $24,238 for Torres after he was in a coma for a month from a traffic accident in November 2020.
Attorneys representing Torres issued a statement saying their client should be reinstated to active duty, calling the swift action by the Miami-Dade Police Department “premature.”
“We call for our client’s immediate reinstatement, and a complete, thorough, and objective investigation, as Director Daniels has also advocated,” attorneys Ignacio Alvarez and Israel Reyes said in a statement.
Hill, however, wants Torres fired. His statement through his attorney as well as his own comments made that clear.
“While we are in no way accusing the officer of being racist, we are accusing the customs and practices of law enforcement from a historical standpoint of being discriminatory and oppressive to Black and minority communities,” the statement read.
“We cannot ignore this fact and remain silent on the issue just because it’s a tough conversation.”
