The president of South Florida’s police union said Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was handcuffed and placed face down on the ground during a traffic stop because he was not “immediately cooperative” with officers, but Hill said he was respectful throughout the interaction.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was "redirected to the ground" and handcuffed by Miami-Dade Police officers after he became "uncooperative" during an incident near the team's stadium before their season opener, a local police union president said.
In a statement Monday, South Florida Police Benevolent Association president Steadman Stahl said Hill was never under arrest during the encounter near Hard Rock Stadium shortly before the Dolphins took on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
"He was briefly detained for officer safety, after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great risk of danger," Stahl said in the statement. "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."
Videos from passersby showed officers surrounding Hill's McLaren on the roadway.
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"They knocked on his window, he rolled it down, said to them you know, 'do what you need to do as a police officer' and then he rolled it back up and then they asked him to roll it down again, he cracked it and they told him to get out of the car," witness Dylan Vega said.
"It looks like Mr. Hill was not willing to take a seat. They were trying to get him to get him to sit on the curb. He would not, there was an officer walking him to the curb trying to get him to sit down and that second officer comes up and took him by the shoulder and redirected him down to the ground to take a seat," Stahl told NBC6 on Monday.
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The videos also showed Hill being placed in handcuffs and lying face-down on the ground, surrounded by multiple officers about a block from the stadium.
"Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground," Stahl said in the statement. "Once the situation was sorted out within a few minutes, Mr. Hill was issued two traffic citations and was free to leave."
One of the officers involved was later placed on administrative duties, and Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie Daniels said an internal affairs investigation has been launched.
Police haven't released the identity of the officer but Stahl said he's been with the department for more than 25 years and is assigned to the motor unit.
"That should tell you everything you need to know," Hill said after the game when he was told the officer was placed on administrative duties.
Hill added that he "had no idea" why he was placed in handcuffs and denied being "disrespectful."
“I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way,” Hill said. “Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”
After the incident, Hill suited up for the Dolphins and helped lead the team to a 20-17 win over the Jaguars, catching seven passes for 130 yards including an 80-yard touchdown that he celebrated by pretending to be handcuffed.
Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell was also briefly handcuffed after coming to his teammate’s aid.
Campbell said he was driving into Hard Rock Stadium when he saw Hill handcuffed, and he stopped to help. The 17-year NFL veteran ended up in handcuffs as well, saying officers told him it was because he disobeyed their direct orders.
"I’d seen, I feel like excessive force, so I get out of the car to kind of just try to de-escalate the situation,” Campbell said, also calling the incident “a bit extreme."
"What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done. I was just making sure that I was doing what my uncle always told me to do whenever you’re in a situation like that: 'Just listen, put your hands on the steering wheel and just listen,'" Hill said. "I'm just glad that my teammates were there to support me in that situation because I felt alone."
But the police union president said they were standing by the officers' actions during the encounter.
"In this case, while we will wait for the investigation to run its course, based on what we know, we stand with the actions of our officers but look forward to further open communication moving forward," Stahl's statement read. "While we are confident in the actions that led to the stop of Mr. Hill, as with any investigation, we will wait for all of the facts to come out, along with any explanation Mr. Hill may have for his actions that initiated this unfortunate incident."
