Tyreek Hill says he believes his incident with Miami-Dade Police Department escalated quickly after police body cam footage was released showing the moments that led up to his arrest on Sunday, Sept. 8, ahead of his first game of the NFL season.
Hill shared in an interview with NBC Newsthat he felt the incident with police “went from 0 to 60 immediately” after he was pulled aside on the road due to a traffic stop just a block from Hard Rock Stadium.
“If I wasn’t Tyreek Hill, Lord knows, I probably would have been [in], like, [a] worst-case scenario,” Hill told NBC News, adding that he “would have been shot or would have been locked up” and “put behind bars” for a “simple speeding ticket.”
“And that’s crazy that officers would take it, you know, to that level,” he added.
Tyreek Hill (left) and a Miami-Dade police officer.
Miami-Dade Police Department
His statement comes one day after the Miami-Dade Police Department released approximately 105 minutes of footage from officer body-worn cameras related to the incident. Stephanie Daniels, the police department’s director, said in a statement on social media that they released the footage earlier than their normal protocols dictate “in our commitment to transparency and maintaining public trust.”
In the video, an officer could be seen walking up to the driver’s side of Hill’s car after he was stopped on the side of the road and knocking on the window of Hill’s car. In response, the NFL player told him to not “knock on my window like that” as the officer asked Hill why he didn’t have his “seatbelt on.”
Hill could then be heard repeatedly telling the officer not to “knock on my window like that,” to which the officer said that he had to “knock” to let him “know I’m here” so that he could “lower it” and they could talk. Hill then said, per the video, “Give me my ticket, so I can go. I’m going to be late. Do what you gotta do,” before rolling his window back up.
This prompted the officer to knock on his window again and tell him to “keep” the “window down.” He proceeded to knock on the window one more time before warning Hill to “keep your window down or I’m gonna get you out of the car.” He eventually directed the NFL player to “get out of the car.”
When Hill opened the door to his car, the officer could be seen forcefully pulling him out of the driver’s seat as two more officers helped bring Hill to the ground. “What part of get out don’t you understand?,” the officer could be heard saying as he pulled the wide receiver to the ground.
Tyreek Hill (left) and two Miami-Dade police officers.
Miami-Dade Police Department
“Hey bro I’m getting arrested dude. I’m getting arrested,” Hill said on the video as the cops put handcuffs on him. “When we tell you to do something, you do it. You understand? Not what you want, but when we tell you. You’re a little fucking confused,” the cop said.
Following the incident, the Miami-Dade police department said that it launched an “internal affairs investigation” and said that one of the officers “involved in the incident” was “placed on administrative duties” as the investigation was being conducted.
In a statement on social media, the Miami Dolphins shared that the team was “saddened by the overly aggressive and violent conduct directed” toward Hill, Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith “by police officers” before Sunday’s game.
“It is both maddening and heartbreaking watching the very people we trust to protect our community use such unnecessary force hostility towards these players, yet it is also a reminder that not every situation ends in peace, as we are grateful this one did,” the team said.
“While we commend MDPD for taking the right and necessary action to quickly release this footage, we also urge them to take equally swift and strong action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior,” the Miami Dolphins continued, adding that they would “stand by” Hill and their players.
