MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was pulled from his sports car by Miami-Dade County police officers outside Hard Rock Stadium during a traffic stop before the team’s game on Sunday, triggering a national debate on whether the treatment was justified.
Hill, 30, was pushed onto the ground face-first, handcuffed and then was again forced to the ground despite his complaint that sitting on the curb caused pain in his surgically repaired knee.
Hill was eventually released after receiving citations for careless driving and failing to wear his seat belt. Hours later, he caught an 80-yard touchdown pass that sparked the Dolphins’ comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Police Department Director Stephanie Davis put one officer on administrative leave, and an internal affairs investigation is underway.
How did the altercation start?
WHAT WE KNOW: Officer body camera video released late Monday by the Miami-Dade Police Department shows that about three hours before kickoff Sunday, two motorcycle officers were parked on an access road south of the stadium when Hill sped past in his McLaren sports car. They immediately went in pursuit. They later said he was going 60 mph (97 kph).
Hill slowed and put down his window. An officer pulled alongside and told him to pull over. He did, but put his window back up.
The officer got off his motorcycle, walked to the car and tapped on Hill’s window.
Hill lowered his window and told the officer, “Don’t knock on my window like that” while handing the officer his driver’s license.
The officer asked Hill why he didn’t have his seat belt on. Hill again told the officer not to knock on his window.
“Why you have it up? I have to knock to let you know I am here,” the officer replied.
“Give me my ticket, bro, so I can go. I am gonna be late. Do what you gotta do,” Hill told the officer.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: The officer’s name or his partner’s or the names of any of the other officers who arrived.
How did the traffic stop escalate?
WHAT WE KNOW: After demanding his ticket, Hill again put up his window.
“Keep it down,” the officer snapped, rapping on the window with his knuckle. Hill can be seen through the tinted window buckling his seat belt.
Hill cracked his window and said, “Don’t tell me what to do” before he again put the window up.
“Keep the window down or I am going to get you out of the car. As a matter of fact, get out of the car,” the officer said.
An officer standing to the side orders Hill to get out or “I am going to break that …. window,” using an obscenity.
The second officer then pulled the door open, grabbed Hill by the arm and the back of the neck and forced him face-first onto the ground as the player said, “I am getting out.” The first two officers and a third then pinned Hill, pulled his arms behind him and handcuffed him. One officers put his knee into Hill’s back. It had been exactly one minute since the officer first tapped on Hill’s window.
Hill yelled into his cellphone, “I am being arrested, Drew.” He had apparently placed a call while still in the car.
An officer told Hill that he is going to obey their orders, again cursing at him. Hill told them, “take me to jail, do what you gotta do.” “We will,” an officer replied.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: We don’t know if Hill was talking to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, or Dolphins security director Drew Brooks. Both showed up at the scene.
Why didn’t Hill keep his window down, and does Florida law require drivers to do so during a traffic stop?
WHAT WE KNOW: Hill told CNN’s Kaitlin Collins on Monday night that he didn’t keep the window down because he didn’t want to create a scene as fans arrived.
“If I let my window down, people walking by, driving by, they’re going to notice that it’s me,” Hill said. “And they’re going to start taking pictures, and I didn’t want to create a scene.”
But Florida’s traffic code says it is a misdemeanour to disobey a police officer’s “lawful order or direction.” That also requires drivers and passengers to get out of a car during a traffic stop if ordered. Hill said he was getting out as fast as he could, but injuries that he is playing through slowed him down.
Seven seconds elapsed between the first officer ordering Hill out of the car and the second officer pulling open the door.
Has Hill had any previous interactions with police?
WHAT WE KNOW: Hill was accused of punching his girlfriend in college and got kicked off the team at Oklahoma State University, later pleading guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation. In 2019, prosecutors in suburban Kansas City declined to charge Hill after an alleged domestic violence incident involving his fiancée and their 3-year-old child.
Florida records do not show Hill receiving any previous traffic tickets in the state. He joined the Dolphins in March 2022.
What happened after Hill was handcuffed?
WHAT WE KNOW: The officers pulled Hill to his feet and took him to the sidewalk, where they ordered him to sit on the curb. He told officers he’d had knee surgery and he couldn’t. An officer jumped behind him, put his arm around Hill’s upper chest or neck and forced him to sit.
Hill’s teammates Jonnu Smith and Calais Campbell stopped their vehicles after seeing Hill in handcuffs and tried to speak to officers, but they were told to leave. Officers briefly put Campbell in handcuffs after accusing him of not obeying their order to move back.
Police supervisors arrived and discussed the situation with the officers. The department deleted most of the audio from those conversations.
About 25 minutes after Hill was pulled over, he received his citations and was released.
What have the Miami-Dade Police Department and the officers’ union said?
WHAT WE KNOW: Police Director Davis said she put one of the officers on administrative leave and ordered the internal affairs investigation after reviewing the videos.
Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, defended the officers’ actions, saying that Hill “was briefly detained for officer safety, after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great risk of danger.”
“Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on the scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs. Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground.”
Ignacio Alvarez, the attorney representing the officer put on leave, issued a statement Tuesday calling for his client’s immediate reinstatement while respecting Daniels’ call for an investigation.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Davis and Alvarez did not say which officer was put on leave. It is also unknown how long the internal affairs investigation will take.
What did the Dolphins say?
WHAT WE KNOW: The team said it has a strong relationship with the police department but was “saddened” by the altercation and called for “swift and strong action against the officers.”
“There are some officers who mistake their responsibility and commitment to serve with misguided power,” the team said.
What happens next?
WHAT WE KNOW: Hill’s attorneys have threatened to sue the department and officers.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: Whether Hill’s attorneys will follow through. In the end, they might not think it worth it or want to put their client through a deposition and the discovery process, where the defendants could demand access to personal records and information.
Tyreek Hill, the star wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, has recently found himself in the spotlight for an encounter with law enforcement that has raised questions and concerns among fans and the general public. The incident in question occurred in March 2019, when Hill’s three-year-old son suffered a broken arm. The child’s injuries were initially believed to be the result of child abuse, leading to an investigation by the Overland Park Police Department and the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
The investigation into the incident revealed a disturbing audio recording in which Hill’s fiancee, Crystal Espinal, accused him of physically abusing their son. In the recording, Espinal can be heard telling Hill that their son is terrified of him and that he should be afraid of him too. Hill can be heard denying the accusations and expressing concern for his son’s well-being.
Despite the troubling nature of the audio recording, the investigation ultimately concluded that there was not enough evidence to charge Hill with child abuse. However, the case was not closed, and Hill was still subject to ongoing scrutiny from both law enforcement and the NFL.
In July 2019, just months after the initial incident, Hill found himself in hot water once again when he was accused of threatening Espinal in a recorded conversation. The audio recording, which was released by a local television station, captured Hill telling Espinal that she should be terrified of him and that he could make her disappear. These threats prompted the NFL to launch its own investigation into the matter.
Despite the troubling allegations against him, Hill has maintained his innocence throughout both investigations. He has denied any wrongdoing and has insisted that he is committed to being a good father and role model for his children. In a statement released by his attorney, Hill expressed regret for the way the situation had unfolded and vowed to do better in the future.
As of now, the outcome of the NFL’s investigation into Hill remains uncertain. The league has yet to announce any disciplinary action against him, leaving fans and analysts alike wondering what the future holds for one of the NFL’s most dynamic players.
In conclusion, the facts and uncertainties surrounding Tyreek Hill’s encounter with law enforcement are complex and troubling. While he has not been charged with any crimes, the allegations against him have cast a shadow over his reputation and raised serious questions about his character. Only time will tell how this situation will ultimately play out, but one thing is certain: Tyreek Hill’s future in the NFL hangs in the balance.