Miami (AFP) – Police bodycam footage of a traffic stop involving Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, released on Monday, shows officers forcibly removing the NFL star from his car before handcuffing him. A day after the Miami police launched an internal affairs investigation and placed one of the officers involved in the incident on leave, authorities released more than 105 minutes of bodycam footage depicting a chaotic scene that escalates quickly.
At one point, Hill is heard saying: “I’ll tell you like this — your job is to serve and protect, right. You’re doing a horrible job of protecting right now.” He adds, “I’m just being a Black man, that’s it. I’m just being Black in America.” Hill, 30, was detained as he drove to Sunday’s home game between the Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Hard Rock Stadium. He was released shortly afterwards and given two traffic citations before later starring in Miami’s win over Jacksonville.
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The police union representing the officers involved in the incident accused Hill earlier Monday of being “uncooperative” and claimed the Dolphins receiver had “initiated” the confrontation. “In our commitment to transparency and maintaining public trust, we are releasing the body-worn camera footage related to the recent incident involving Tyreek Hill,” Miami-Dade Police Department director Stephanie Daniels said in a statement on Monday. “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,” Daniels added.
The bodycam footage shows the traffic stop escalating rapidly when Hill rolls his car window up after being asked to keep it down. “I am going to get you out of the car. As a matter of fact, get out of the car,” an officer tells Hill, while another officer threatens to break the car’s window. After opening the car door, an officer reaches in and roughly grabs Hill by the back of the head and neck before he is swiftly bundled face down on the pavement and handcuffed. One officer is seen placing a knee on Hill’s back and telling him to “stop crying.”
“When we tell you to do something, you do it, you understand?” the officer tells Hill. “Not when you want, but when we tell you. You’re a little fucking confused.” When Hill’s Miami teammate Calais Campbell arrives on the scene, he is also handcuffed. Campbell was later released.
The Dolphins condemned the actions of police in a statement late Monday, describing the officers’ conduct as “overly aggressive and violent.” “It is both maddening and heartbreaking to watch the very people we trust to protect our community use such unnecessary force and hostility towards these players,” the Dolphins said. “It is also a reminder that not every situation like this ends in peace, as we are grateful this one did. ‘What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill?’ is a question that will carry with resounding impact.”
In a statement earlier Monday, the South Florida Police Benevolent Association defended the officers involved in the traffic stop, claiming he had been detained for reasons of “officer safety.” “Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs,” union president Steadman Stahl said. “While we are confident in the actions that led to the stop of Mr. Hill, as with any investigation, we will wait for all the facts to come out, along with any explanation Mr. Hill may have for his actions that initiated this unfortunate incident.”
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