The union representing Miami-Dade police officers said in a statement Monday that Tyreek Hill was “uncooperative” causing a police officer to “redirect” the Miami Dolphins star to the ground while in handcuffs during a traffic stop outside of Hard Rock Stadium, because he refused orders to sit.
Steadman Stahl, the president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association said in a statement: “Before the Dolphins game yesterday, an incident occurred where Tyreek Hill was placed in handcuffs before being released. 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 danger. Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on 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 .. While we are confident in the actions that led to the stop of Mr. Hill, as with any investigation, we will wait for all of the facts to come out, along with any explanation Mr. Hill may have for his actions that initiated this unfortunate incident.”
The police union said that Hill was issued two traffic citations as a result of the stop, which occurred on a road adjacent to the Dolphins’ home field in Miami Gardens, Fla. Hours after the stop, Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie V. Daniels announced that one officer involved was placed on administrative duties amid an investigation into the incident, which the department said is protocol for officers involved in internal affairs investigations.
Hill told reporters that he had “no idea” why officers placed him in handcuffs, adding that he was not disrespectful and was “still trying to put it all together.” Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told reporters Sunday that the incident “was completely unnecessary .. We are going to have to look into this. I want to make sure he wasn’t mistreated.”
Hill went on to total 130 yards and a touchdown on seven catches in the Dolphins’ 20-17 victory over the Jaguars. The Dolphins (1-0) will face the Buffalo Bills (1-0) in their second game of the season at 8:15 p.m. EDT Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium.
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