Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill wants one of the Miami-Dade police officers involved with his detainment on Sunday to be fired.
Hill issued a statement Tuesday evening through his lawyer, Julius Collins, that read: “We are demanding for the immediate termination of the officer that has been placed on administrative leave.
“Each action that a law enforcement official take (sic) is governed by standard operating procedures.
“We are of the opinion that the officer’s use of force was excessive, escalating, and reckless. We are demanding that the officer be terminated effective immediately.”
Earlier Tuesday, the Miami-Dade Police Department announced the identity of the officer who is under investigation, Officer Danny Torres, in his 27th year on the job.
Per the department’s statement, Torres “remains in administrative duties, as the Internal Affairs investigation is still ongoing. We will provide further information once it becomes available pending the outcome of the investigation.”
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, also called for Torres to be fired.
Speaking Tuesday on “The Dan Le Batard Show,” Rosenhaus said the officers didn’t treat Hill “like a human being” after pulling him over in a traffic stop before Sunday’s home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Police body cam footage of the incident shows officers yanking Hill out of his black sports car after he did not follow their orders to roll down his windows. He was forced to the ground and handcuffed.
“For me, personally, I believe the police officers that did that to Tyreek shouldn’t be in that position — they should be let go,” Rosenhaus said, describing what he saw in the video. “Look at the guy who kicked him — that guy should be fired. That’s out of control. The guy that jumped in and put him in a chokehold? There’s no place for a police officer to have a badge that operates like that, when Tyreek wasn’t being aggressive, or violent or fighting back in any capacity. That was horrendous how they treated him.”
The officer’s representatives — attorneys Ignacio Alvarez of ALGO Law Firm and Israel Reyes of The Reyes Law Firm — issued a statement requesting their client be immediately reinstated. The attorneys also stated they support the call for a review of the incident made by Miami-Dade Police Department director Stephanie Daniels.
Per the statement, the officer in question (later confirmed to be Torres) won’t comment on the matter until the investigation is completed.
Hill, 30, is scheduled to speak on Wednesday for the first time since body camera footage was released on Monday.
Hill received citations for reckless driving and driving without a license after being pulled over just blocks from Hard Rock Stadium hours before Sunday’s 20-17 Dolphins win.
The footage released Monday shows Hill and an officer having a conversation before Hill rolls his car window up. The officer then knocks on the window, telling Hill to keep it down. Hill obliged by cracking it just a bit, then had more words for the officer, who once again told the 30-year-old to keep it down while threatening to remove Hill from his car.
The officer then changed his mind, demanding Hill to get out of the car anyway. Another officer stepped in and told Hill that he would break his window if he didn’t get out of the car, and that same officer then opened Hill’s door and helped forcibly bring him to the ground.
Dolphins teammate and defensive end Calais Campbell was also detained at the scene after trying to help Hill. Campbell did not get a citation, though. Miami tight end Jonnu Smith was also there to support Hill.
Originally a 2016 fifth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs, Hill played the past two seasons with the Dolphins. He led the NFL with 1,799 yards on 119 receptions and tied for the league lead with 13 touchdown catches in 16 starts last season. It was the sixth 1,000-yard season for the five-time first-team All-Pro.
–Field Level Media
