Tyreek Hill issued a statement through his attorney calling for the “immediate termination” of the Miami-Dade police officer who was placed on administrative leave following an incident Sunday during which the Miami Dolphins wide receiver was dragged to the pavement from his car and handcuffed.
“We believe the officer’s use of force was excessive, escalatory and reckless,” said the statement from attorney Julius Collins. “We demand that the officer be fired immediately.”
The statement, which was released Tuesday night, describes Danny Torres as the officer who “placed his hands on or around” Hill’s neck and “continued his escalation in the use of force.” Torres, a member of the force for 27 years, was placed on administrative duty shortly after the incident, according to Police Director Stephanie V. Daniels.
Hill's statement also describes the incident as indicative of ongoing unfair conflicts between police and people of color.
“The events that occurred on Sunday, September 8, 2024 are just one reminder of the realities of the many injustices that people in Black and minority communities face at the hands of law enforcement,” the statement said.
Hill, who is black, refused to roll down the window of his sports car when asked to do so by an officer after he was pulled over for a traffic violation before Sunday's NFL season opener at Hard Rock Stadium.
Body camera footage released by the Miami-Dade Police Department showed the incident quickly escalating when officers forcibly removed Hill from his black McLaren 720S, pushed him to the ground face-first and handcuffed him.
(Miami-Dade Police Department)
The footage shows an officer knocking on the driver's side window and telling Hill to roll it down. Hill complied and handed the officer his driver's license while repeatedly telling him not to knock on his window. Hill rolled the window back up and the officer responded by raising his voice and repeatedly telling Hill to keep the window down.
By then, other officers had arrived, and body camera video shows Torres pulling him out of his car and pushing him to the pavement as one officer placed his knee on Hill's back while handcuffing him. As Hill lay face down, Torres pressed his palm to the back of Hill's neck and then put his arm around his neck.
“When we tell you to do something, you do it. Do you understand?” Torres told Hill. “Do you understand? Not what you want, but what we tell you. You’re a little confused.”
The officers took Hill to the sidewalk in handcuffs and one of them kicked him.
In her statement, Collins said Torres' actions — described as the “escalating officer” — should result in the termination of his employment.
“Every action taken by a law enforcement officer is governed by standard operating procedures,” the statement said.
Hill's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, also called for the officers to be fired.
“I think the police officers that did that to Tyreek should not be in that position; they should be fired,” Rosenhaus said during an interview on “The Dan Le Batard Show.” “It was horrible the way they treated him. They didn’t treat him like a human being.”
After the 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, during which Hill scored an 80-yard touchdown and celebrated by placing his hands behind his back as teammate Jaylen Waddle pretended to handcuff him, Hill said he wanted to keep his window up because he didn't want people in passing cars to recognize him.
“If I roll down my window, people walking or driving by will notice it’s me,” Hill told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “And they’ll start taking pictures, and I didn’t want to create a scene at all. All I wanted to do was get the ticket and then be on my way.”
Hill was cited for reckless driving and not wearing a seat belt. The citation alleges he was going 60 mph, which is 20 mph over the speed limit.
Torres’ Facebook page identifies him as a member of the Florida chapter of the Gunfighters Motorcycle Club, the Miami New Times reported. The club describes itself on its website as a “fraternal organization made up of active and retired law enforcement officers who share a passion for riding motorcycles.”
In a photo posted on a GoFundMe page, patches on Torres’ leather vest identify him as “Presidente,” “Pacificador” and “Dano.” Other photos on social media indicate he has a side job as a DJ, under the moniker DJ DNO.
Torres also serves as the Miami-Dade Police Department’s representative to the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, which describes itself as an “aggressive and proactive union of professional and former law enforcement officers working to protect the rights of men and women police officers and community officials throughout South Florida.”
A GoFundMe page raised $24,238 for Torres after he was in a coma for a month due to a car accident in November 2020.
Attorneys representing Torres issued a statement saying their client should be reinstated to active duty, calling the Miami-Dade Police Department’s swift action “premature.”
“We demand the immediate reinstatement of our client and a full, thorough and objective investigation, as Director Daniels has also advocated,” attorneys Ignacio Alvarez and Israel Reyes said in a statement.
Hill, however, wants Torres fired. His statement through his lawyer made that clear.
“While we are in no way accusing the officer of being racist, we are accusing the customs and practices of law enforcement from a historical standpoint of being discriminatory and oppressive toward Black and minority communities,” the statement read.
“We cannot ignore this fact and remain silent on the issue just because it is a difficult conversation.”
