MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill acknowledged Wednesday that he could have handled himself better in the initial moments of a weekend traffic stop that left him handcuffed and pulled out of his car by officers near the team’s stadium.
Hill said he wishes he did some things “a bit differently” on Sunday, including leaving the window of his car down when officers instructed him to do so. He rolled up the window instead. The incident escalated quickly from there.
“I will say I could have been better,” Hill said. “I could have let down my window in that instant. But the thing about me is, I don’t want attention. I don’t want to be cameras-out, phones-on-you in that moment. But at the end of the day, I’m human. I’ve got to follow rules. I’ve got to do what everyone else would do.”
“Now, does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not,” Hill continued. “But at the end of the day, I wish I could go back and do things a bit differently.”
Hill was pulled from his car during a traffic stop near the team's stadium less than three hours before kickoff of the team's Week 1 game. He was placed on the ground and handcuffed, and teammate Calais Campbell — who drove by the scene and stopped in an effort to play peacemaker — was also handcuffed by police during the incident.
Hill also stated that he wants the officers “gone” after he said he was mistreated by the Miami-Dade police officer.
“Not only did he treat me bad, but he also treated my teammates with disrespect, had crazy words toward them and they didn’t even do anything, He got to go,” said Hill.
“We are of the opinion that the officer’s use of force was excessive, escalating, and reckless,” the statement from Hill’s lawyer Julius Collins said. “We are demanding that the officer be terminated effective immediately.”
The statement, which was released Tuesday night, described Danny Torres as the officer who “placed his hands on or around” Hill’s neck and “continued his escalation in his use of force.” Torres, a 27-year member of the force, was placed on administrative duties shortly after the incident, according to police Director Stephanie V. Daniels.
Hill was initially cited for careless driving and failing to wear a seatbelt.
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