Police Union Says Tyreek Hill Didn’t Cooperate Immediately During Traffic Stop

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The president of South Florida’s police union stated that Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill was placed on the ground during a traffic stop because he was not “immediately cooperative” with officers. Hill, however, insists he was respectful throughout the interaction.

Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, said Hill was “redirected” to the ground after refusing to sit when he was briefly detained outside the Dolphins’ home stadium. This incident led to one of the officers involved being immediately placed on administrative leave.

Passing fans and some teammates witnessed Hill in handcuffs with at least three officers surrounding him following the stop, which quickly went viral just hours before Sunday’s game.

Hill later expressed his confusion about the officers’ decision to handcuff him.

“I have no idea, for real,” Hill said Sunday after the game. “I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way. Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. So like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”

Stahl asserted that Hill was handcuffed in accordance with the police department’s policy.

“Before the Dolphins game yesterday, an incident occurred where Tyreek Hill was placed in handcuffs before being released,” Stahl said in a statement. “First, to be clear, at no time was he ever under arrest. He was briefly detained for officer safety, after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great risk of danger.

“Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on the scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs. Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground. Once the situation was sorted out within a few minutes, Mr. Hill was issued two traffic citations and was free to leave.”

Miami-Dade police haven’t publicly disclosed the specific traffic violations for which Hill was cited, although he claims he was stopped for speeding and reckless driving. They have confirmed that Hill’s teammate Calais Campbell, who was also briefly detained, was not issued any citations. The officer who detained Hill has been placed on administrative duty, pending the findings of an investigation, which is standard procedure.

Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie Daniels informed the Miami Herald on Monday that the decision to place the officer on leave was made after reviewing the body camera footage from the roadside incident.

The Miami-Dade police department has declined an Associated Press request for the footage, citing the ongoing internal investigation.

Daniella Levine Cava, the mayor of Miami-Dade County, issued a statement commending the department’s swift initiation of an investigation.

“In recent years, our nation has confronted important conversations on the use of force,” she said, “and the internal review process will answer questions about why the troubling actions shown in public video footage were taken by the officer.”

Hill’s teammate, Campbell, was also briefly handcuffed after he attempted to de-escalate the situation. Campbell said he was en route to the game when he spotted Hill in handcuffs.

“They were trying to yank him down to the ground,” Campbell said Monday on ESPN. “I saw them kick him and pull him down, I mean, pulling (on) the cuffs; shoulders looked like they were messing up. They kind of got him down. I feel like one officer was pushing on his head.”

Campbell explained that he exited his car with his hands raised above his head and approached the scene, informing officers that he was a friend of Hill’s. He stayed at the scene to “support” Hill after officers reportedly asked him to leave. Police later placed him in handcuffs for “disobeying a direct order” by being too close to the scene.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, addressing an unrelated event in Miami Lakes, Florida, on Monday, expressed his belief that an investigation into the officers’ conduct was “appropriate.”

“I was pleased to see he did well in the game and it was good for the team, what happened on the field,” DeSantis said. “I have confidence in agencies throughout this state that they want to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and if for some reason that wasn’t followed here I know they will make that clear. But I’ll let that investigation take place.”

This isn’t the first off-field incident involving Hill.

He was accused of punching his girlfriend in college and got kicked off the team at Oklahoma State, later pleading guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation. In 2019, prosecutors in suburban Kansas City declined to charge Hill after an alleged domestic violence incident involving his fiancée and their 3-year-old child.

Last offseason, Hill was under investigation by Miami-Dade police for assault and battery after it was reported that he got into an argument with a South Florida marina worker, which apparently ended with Hill hitting the worker. Hill and the man later resolved their dispute.