Bodycam footage shows police violently assaulting Tyreek Hill: NPR

This screenshot from Miami-Dade Police Department bodycam footage shows an officer detaining Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill following a traffic stop on Sunday.

Miami-Dade Police/Screenshot by NPR

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Miami-Dade Police/Screenshot by NPR

A traffic stop involving Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill quickly escalated on Sunday, with officers forcibly pulling Hill from his car less than a minute after pulling him over and ultimately holding him in handcuffs for nearly 20 minutes, according to video released by Miami-Dade police.

The incident occurred just hours before kickoff of a game between the Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars and drew national attention on the first Sunday of the NFL season.

Hill was released by police and eventually took part in the game.

On Monday, the Miami-Dade Police Department released more than 105 minutes of footage from officers’ body cameras. “In our commitment to transparency and maintaining the public’s trust,” Stephanie Daniels, the department’s director, said in a statement.

The Dolphins later called the incident “maddening and heartbreaking” and criticized the actions of some officers. “While we commend MDPD for taking the appropriate and necessary action to quickly release this footage, we also urge them to take equally swift and robust action against the officers who engaged in such despicable behavior,” the team said.

One officer, whose name has not been released by police officials, has already been placed on administrative leave. The incident is under investigation, the department said.

“The department is committed to conducting a thorough and objective investigation into this matter and we will continue to keep the public informed of the outcome of that process,” Daniels said.

Footage shows Miami-Dade Police officers pulling Dolphins player Tyreek Hill from his car after a traffic stop near the stadium prior to Sunday’s Jacksonville Jaguars game.

Miami-Dade Police/Screenshot by NPR

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Miami-Dade Police/Screenshot by NPR

After Sunday’s game, Hill said he had “no idea” why he was being handcuffed. “I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets a little questionable when you do,” he said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? God knows what that guy or guys would have done.”

The new footage shows the incident from start to finish, beginning with two officers on their motorcycles on a wide road just outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. As a black sports car speeds past, the officers pull away and give chase.

The time stamp reads 10:17 a.m. Eastern Time, less than three hours before kickoff of that afternoon’s game between the Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars. Fans in Miami jerseys can be seen.

An officer is heard telling Hill he was speeding. Hill rolls up his window, and then the officer and Hill get into a verbal altercation over whether Hill should roll down his window. Hill protests to the officer, who knocks on the glass. The officer asks why Hill wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. “Give me my ticket, bro, so I can go. I’m gonna be late,” Hill says. “Do what you gotta do.”

Soon, an officer declares, “We don’t play this game.” The footage shows an officer opening Hill’s car door and reaching inside the vehicle to forcibly pull him out, the officer’s hand grabbing the back of Hill’s head. At least three officers force Hill to the ground and handcuff him as Hill expresses surprise.

“If we tell you to do something, you do it. Do you understand?” says an officer. “Not what you want, but what we tell you.”

Shortly after, officers move Hill to the curb. When Hill does not immediately comply with a command to sit down, instead of standing, an officer — the same one who forcibly pulled Hill from his car — runs over to physically push him to the ground.

The footage shows several officers shouting at Hill and several bystanders attempting to de-escalate the situation, including Hill’s teammates Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith who can be seen in the footage. Other officers act more calmly. Hill is outraged and repeatedly complains about the officers’ behavior.

“You know who that is, right?” one officer says to another. “He’s a star player for the Dolphins.”

This screenshot from the Miami-Dade Police bodycam shows officers after Dolphins player Tyreek Hill was handcuffed following a traffic stop on Sunday. Hill talks to a teammate who had just driven by and witnessed what happened.

Miami-Dade Police/Screenshot by NPR

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Miami-Dade Police/Screenshot by NPR

The situation ended after more police officers and the Miami Dolphins’ head of security arrived.

Ultimately, Hill was cited for reckless driving and not wearing a seat belt. The original officer who decided to charge Hill later estimated that the football player had been driving 60 miles per hour. In a video, Tyreek tells another officer that he had been driving 55 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone.

Campbell, a Dolphins defensive back who won the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2019 for his charitable work, said Sunday he was approached in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. As Campbell raises his hands in the air, officers yell at him to back off. “Do you want to be cuffed, too?” one officer asks. Campbell was cuffed, though police later said he was not ticketed.

The incident caused a stir in the Miami Dolphins locker room ahead of Sunday’s game, which the Dolphins won 20-17. Hill scored one of the touchdowns in the victory.

“The more I think about it, the harder it is for me not to get more and more angry,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said after the game.

An attorney representing Hill said the officers’ actions were “outrageous” and that Hill would “pursue all available legal remedies.”