Tyreek Hill’s Violent Traffic Stop Shows Wider Police Problems in Miami
The violent traffic stop of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill by Miami-Dade police officers last week drew national attention and has led to one officer being put on paid administrative leave. It also points to a larger problem with retaliatory detentions, arrests, and police intimidation in the Miami-Dade County.
The Miami Herald reported Saturday that Danny Torres, the Miami-Dade officer placed on leave, has been suspended six times for disciplinary issues in his 27-year career with the department.Â
Torres pulled Hill over for allegedly speeding in his McLaren 720S on his way to the Dolphin’s season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Miami-Dade Police Department released body camera footage of the traffic stop a day later.
When Torres knocked on Hill’s window, Hill partly rolled down his window, told Torres not to tap on it, and handed him his license. “Just give me my ticket, bro, so I can go,” Hill said. “I am going to be late. Do what you gotta do.”
Instead, Hill and Torres started arguing over whether Hill had to keep his window rolled down during the traffic stop. When Torres ordered Hill to keep it down, Hill responded: “Don’t tell me what to do.” Hill did eventually comply and partially rolled it down.
“Keep your window down, or I’m going to get you out of the car,” Torres soon said. “As a matter of fact, get out of the car.”
Hill repeatedly told officers he was getting out, but they apparently felt he didn’t get out fast enough. So Torres and two other Miami-Dade motorcycle officers opened the door and yanked Hill out.
“When we tell you to do something, you do it, understand?” one of the officers yells into Hill’s ear as he’s pinned to the pavement. “Not when you want, but when we tell you. You’re a little fucking confused.”
There is no law requiring drivers to keep their windows rolled down during traffic stops, but Florida courts give broad deference to police officers to order someone out of a car for safety reasons. But the Fourth Amendment also protects against excessive and unreasonable force.
Hill was not the only Miami Dolphin handcuffed that day. His teammate, defensive lineman Calais Campbell, arrived to see what was happening to his friend. Officers told him he couldn’t park on the side of the road and ordered him to leave.
“I told him I will stand where you want me to stand. You tell me how far I need to back up, and I’ll back up, but I’m not leaving the scene,” Campbell told CNN. “This is my friend here. I’m here to support him. I’m not leaving.”
Federal circuit appeals courts have repeatedly ruled that the First Amendment protects the right to observe and record police in public, as long as you aren’t interferin
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