Fins' Hill requires 'escalating' officer to be fired

MIAMI — Miami Dolphins large receiver Tyreek Hill is looking for a Miami-Dade police officer to be fired following a now-viral incident Sunday during which Hill was pulled from his car throughout a visitors cease.

Hill’s lawyer, Julius Collins, launched an announcement on Hill’s behalf Tuesday night time demanding the “quick termination” of the “escalating officer” who was positioned on administrative go away on account of Sunday’s incident.

“Every motion {that a} legislation enforcement official take is ruled by normal working procedures,” the assertion learn. “We’re of the opinion that the officer’s use of pressure was extreme, escalating, and reckless. We’re demanding that the officer be terminated efficient instantly.”

The officer, who has since been recognized as 27-year veteran Danny Torres, was one in every of a number of officers current when Hill was pulled over for rushing roughly three hours earlier than the Dolphins’ season opener in opposition to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The police union that works with the Miami-Dade PD launched an announcement Monday afternoon saying Hill was “uncooperative” with the responding officers, resulting in an escalation of the scenario.

Physique digicam footage launched Monday night confirmed that after a short verbal altercation with the officer who pulled him over, Hill was instructed to exit his car however in the end was forcibly faraway from his automotive by Torres and “redirected” to the bottom.

Torres then handcuffed Hill whereas kneeling on his again and compelled him to the bottom once more after Hill was instructed to take a seat down on the sidewalk roughly one minute later. Of their assertion, Hill and Collins say Hill suggested officers that he had just lately undergone knee surgical procedure, however Torres “ignored his assertion and continued his escalation in his use of pressure.”

“The occasions that occurred on Sunday, September 8, 2024, are only a reminder of the realities of the numerous injustices that folks of black and minority communities face by the hands of legislation enforcement,” the assertion learn. “Whereas we’re by no means accusing the officer of being racist, we’re accusing the customs and practices of legislation enforcement from a historic standpoint of being discriminatory and oppressive to black and minority communities. We can not ignore this truth and stay silent on the difficulty simply because it is a powerful dialog.”

Dolphins gamers Jonnu Smith and Calais Campbell arrived on the scene shortly after Hill was detained; Smith was cited whereas Campbell, a former Walter Payton Man of the Yr award winner, was briefly detained for what he stated was a failure to conform.

Attorneys Ignacio Alvarez of ALGO Regulation Agency and Israel Reyes of The Reyes Regulation Agency, who’re representing Torres, issued an announcement Monday calling for his or her consumer’s “quick reinstatement.” In addition they referred to the choice to put their consumer on go away as “untimely,” though they “totally assist” Miami-Dade PD director Stephanie Daniels’ name for an intensive evaluation.

Neither Alvarez nor Reyes responded when requested if their assertion was crafted earlier than or after the physique digicam footage from the incident was made public Monday.

“We urge all events to chorus from making public statements which will misrepresent our consumer’s actions and mislead the general public about Mr. Hill’s detainment,” Alvarez stated within the assertion.

Their assertion stated Torres wouldn’t make any remark till after the investigation into the matter is completed; Alvarez and Reyes didn’t instantly reply to an inquiry as as to if Torres had any earlier disciplinary actions, incidents or investigations on his file.

Throughout an look Monday on “The Dan Le Batard Present,” Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, expressed his disgust for the officers’ remedy of his consumer.

“For me, personally, I consider the law enforcement officials that did that to Tyreek should not be in that place — they need to be let go,” Rosenhaus stated. “Take a look at the man who kicked him — that man ought to be fired. That is uncontrolled. The man that jumped in and put him in a chokehold? There is no place for a police officer to have a badge that operates like that, when Tyreek wasn’t being aggressive, or violent or preventing again in any capability.

“That was horrendous how they handled him. They did not deal with him like a human being.”

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa stated Tuesday that Hill had gathered a bunch of teammates collectively to debate altering the expertise into one thing optimistic for the neighborhood, however their concepts doubtless will not be applied till after the group’s sport Thursday night time in opposition to the Buffalo Bills.

Veteran left sort out Terron Armstead, a Dolphins group captain together with Hill and Tagovailoa, stated the group shall be prepared for Thursday’s sport, regardless of the quick week and potential distractions.

“I feel that is the great thing about the game,” he stated. “You get an opportunity to flee actual world points for that point slot. I feel there is not any higher place on the earth that Tyreek may’ve been following that however a locker room and a soccer sport. That is the great thing about that sport, that you just get that point to flee and enter a world that’s sort of a fantasy for us.”