Body cam footage provides fresh details on the incident that occurred Sunday outside Hard Rock Stadium, where Dolphins star Tyreek Hill was briefly held by police. The footage reveals a tense scene that developed after Miami-Dade Police pulled Hill over for speeding, leading to a quick escalation of the situation.
Hill was cited for careless driving and not wearing a seatbelt but was later allowed to leave the scene. Teammate Calais Campbell was also detained when he stopped his vehicle and tried to calm down the situation. Body cam footage captures the moment officers approached Tyreek Hill's vehicle and tapped on his window, prompting protests from the eight-time Pro Bowler.
The Real Drama Revealed
Hill is heard telling the officer, "Hey, don't knock on my window like that," after which the officer questioned why Hill wasn't wearing a seat belt.
The officer explained that the knock was meant to get Hill's attention. Hill, who appeared to have already handed over his license, responded by asking the officer to issue a ticket so he could leave, then rolled his window back up.
The officer objected to the window being raised, and when Hill lowered it slightly, the police ordered him to step out of the car.
Hill was heard saying he was about to step out of the car when a second officer opened the door and forcibly pulled the Dolphins receiver out, with the help of a third officer, bringing him to the ground.
"Hey Drew, I'm getting arrested," Hill said, holding his phone, seemingly on a call with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
Shortly after, Hill was seen being handcuffed as several officers gathered around him.
"When we tell you to do something you do it, you understand?" an officer said. "Not when you want, but when we tell you. You're a little f–king confused."
Hill was eventually lifted to his feet, but when he didn't sit on the curb fast enough after being instructed by an officer, another officer stepped in and forcefully shoved him down.
"I just had surgery on my knee," Hill tried to tell the cop.
Ugly Spat Before Detainment
"Did you have surgery on your ears when we told you to put your window down," the cop shouted back.
In an interview with NBC News, Hill expressed some concern about how things might have unfolded if he weren't a well-known Dolphins player at the time of the incident.
"If I wasn't Tyreek Hill, Lord knows, I probably would have been, like, worst-case scenario, I would have been shot or would have been locked up" and "put behind bars, you know, for a simple speeding ticket," He said. "And that's crazy that officers would take it, you know, to that level."
After the body camera footage was made public, the Dolphins issued a detailed statement.
Although the team praised the police department for releasing the video, they criticized the officers' conduct and stood by Hill in their response.
"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," part of the statement read.
"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."
