Dramatic bodycam footage has emerged of the moment Dolphins star Tyreek Hill was detained by cops and pinned to the ground near Hard Rock Stadium.
The wide receiver was placed in handcuffs while driving to the Dolphins’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. ‘Take me to jail, brother. Do what you have to do,’ Hill told the officers.
Cops could then be heard telling Hill to ‘stop crying’ after dragging him out of his car and forcing him face down on to the road.Â
‘When we tell you to do something, you do it. You understand? Not what you want, what we tell you. You’re a little f****** confused,’ an officer told him.
A Florida police union claimed that Hill was driving dangerously when he was pulled over in Miami on Sunday and that he was cuffed after refusing to cooperate. Hill said he has ‘no idea’ what sparked his detainment.
Dramatic bodycam footage has emerged of the moment Dolphins star Tyreek Hill was detained
The Miami wide receiver was dragged out of his luxury car by an officer after being pulled over
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, claims the receiver was cited for reckless driving and driving without a license.Â
On Monday, a remarkable three-minute clip of the scene appeared, with Hill claiming ‘it went from 0 to 60 immediately’. He told NBC: ‘If I wasn’t Tyreek Hill, Lord knows… worst-case scenario, I would have been shot or would have been locked up’.
The Dolphins described the video as ‘both maddening and heartbreaking’. The team vowed to stand with Hill and called for ‘swift and strong action’ against the officers guilty of ‘overly aggressive’, ‘violent’ and ‘despicable’ behavior.Â
At the start of the bodycam footage, police approached Hill’s car. The receiver appeared to hand over his license before telling the cop to ‘do what you got to do.’Â
The 30-year-old then put his window up, prompting officers to tap on the car and tell Hill: ‘Hey, keep that window down!’
‘Keep your window down or I’m going to get you out of the car. As a matter of fact, get out of the car,’ one officer told Hill before another warned the receiver: ‘We’ll break that freaking window.’Â
A few seconds later, Hill was told:Â ‘We’re not playing this car, get out!’ An officer then opened the driver-side door and grabbed Hill.Â
Hill was soon pinned to the floor and warned:Â ‘When we tell you to do something, you do it’
The officers led the Miami wide receiver to the sidewalk as his teammates showed up
‘I’m getting out!’ the football star pleaded before a cop put his hand towards Hill’s neck and dragged him out of the car. ‘Get out, GET OUT. What part of that do you not understand?’
As Hill lay on the road, a cop put his knee on the receiver’s back and then grabbed the NFL star’s hands. ‘Too late! Too late!’ the officer shouted as Hill tried to claim he was getting out of the car.
The wide receiver told NBC that he called team security from his vehicle and he could later be heard speaking on the phone – seemingly to Rosenhaus.
‘Hey Drew I’m getting arrested, I’m getting arrested!’ the wide receiver shouted as officers detained him.
When Hill then told cops to take him to jail, they responded: ‘We are. We will. It is good. Don’t worry brother, I’m going to hang up the phone. Stop crying.’
The 30-year-old questioned the officers’ conduct, claiming they were ‘beating on my window like you crazy’.Â
Moments later, a car – carrying one of Hill’s teammates – pulled up. ‘What’s going on, bro?’ the receiver was asked. ‘The dude was beating on my window like he crazy. I ain’t do nothing to him,’ he responded.
‘The dude was beating on my window like he crazy. I ain’t do nothing to him,’ Hill insisted
Hill celebrated his 80-yard touchdown on Sunday by reenacting being put in handcuffs
The 30-year-old was soon led to the sidewalk and forced to sit on the ground by two cops. ‘I just had surgery on my knee!’ Hill screamed. ‘Chill bro! Chill bro!’
An officer then responded sarcastically: ‘Really? What a coincidence… you could have surgery on your ears when we told you to put your window down.’
Meanwhile the other car stopped nearby. ‘Back up!’ they were warmed while a man – believed to be Dolphins tackle Calais Campbell – could be seen with his hands up. ‘Call Drew!’ Hill shouted repeatedly as sirens sounded.
Another man – believed to be Miami tight end Jonnu Smith – pleaded his innocence when confronted by cops:Â ‘I’m not doing anything! I’m not doing nothing.’
Smith was on the phone, apparently telling Rosenhaus: ‘They got Tyreek, the cops are over here beating on him.’ Cops then warned him to move his car or he would be issued a ticket, too.
Hill was released a few minutes later. Remarkably, he went on to play for the Dolphins and score an 80-yard touchdown that helped Miami rally for a 20-17 win. The wideout celebrated the score by mimicking being handcuffed. Â
Campbell later revealed that he was also put in handcuffs. ‘I was like “What is going on?” I didn’t understand what the issue was, for him to put handcuffs on me.’Â
The Dolphins receiver pictured with wife Keeta, whom he married in November of last year
He added: ‘That was a first, 17 years in this game. I saw Tyreek getting apprehended. I just wanted to make sure everything was ok, try to deescalate the situation. Officer felt a certain kind of way and put handcuffs on me.’
Hill paid tribute to his teammates who came to his side, telling NBC: ‘I didn’t feel alone anymore… they ended up handcuffing Calais for just being 6ft 8in I think.Â
‘But it was crazy. It was crazy how that same officer who took me down handcuffed Calais for just standing on the side.’
The 30-year-old accused one cop of being on a ‘power trip’. ‘He felt like he just needed to… do something that day. I’m glad nobody was hurt.’
Another shocking clip even appeared to show an officer striking Hill on the sidewalk after he was detained, which led to accusations of racism from appalled fans on social media.Â
Amid the outrage, Miami-Dade Police revealed that an officer has been placed on administrative duties pending an internal investigation.Â
After facing the Jaguars, Hill broke his silence on the ordeal. ‘I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets kind of iffy when you do,’ Hill said, via ESPN, following the game. ‘What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done.Â
‘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.”‘Â Â
According to the president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, police only pulled over the NFL star because he was endangering other drivers on the road, while he was cuffed after refusing to comply with instructions.Â
Defensive lineman Calais Campbell said he was also detained outside Hard Rock StadiumÂ
In a statement to TMZ Sports, the SFLPBA alleges that Hill put ‘himself and others in great risk of danger’ by driving recklessly on his way to Miami’s stadium.
The statement then continues: ‘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.Â
‘Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground. Once the situation was sorted out within a few minutes. Mr. Hill was issued two traffic citations and was free to leave.’
The SFLPBA concluded its statement by adding that it stands ‘with the actions of our officers’ but ‘looks forward to further open communication moving forward.’
On Monday night, shortly after the bodycam footage was emerged, the Dolphins released their own statement which read: ‘We are saddened by the overly aggressive and violent conduct directed towards Tyreek Hill, Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith by police officers before yesterday’s game.
‘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, yet 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.
‘We are proud to have a strong and positive relationship with the Miami-Dade Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and recognize that the vast majority of officers do serve the community with the utmost character and desire to protect all citizens.
The 30-year-old was seen being pinned to the ground in one video of the incident
‘However, as is on full display in the videos released tonight, there are some officers who mistake their responsibility and commitment to serve with misguided power. 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.
‘We are proud to have a strong and positive relationship with the Miami-Dade Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and recognize that the vast majority of officers do serve the community with the utmost character and desire to protect all citizens.
‘However, as is on full display in the videos released tonight, there are some officers who mistake their responsibility and commitment to serve with misguided power. 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.
‘We will stand beside Tyreek and our players as they work to use their platform and this situation to make a positive impact in our community. We have always believed that the game of football holds a unique power to bring people together, and we remain hopeful that through the collective work of the players, organization and our community partners, we can create lasting change.’