A Florida police union official said Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill was handcuffed and placed faced down during a traffic stop because he was not “immediately cooperative” with officers, Hill said he was respectful throughout the interaction, the Associated Press reports. 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 in an incident that resulted in one officer being placed on administrative leave amid an internal investigation. Julius Collins, Hill’s attorney, called the officers’ actions “excessive.” Fans and teammates saw Hill in handcuffs on the side of the road with at least three officers around him after the stop that went viral before the Dolphins started their season Sunday. “I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way,” Hill said. “Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. So like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”
Collins said the traffic stop escalated when Hill gave officers his license and rolled his window back up. “One of the officers then knocked on Mr. Hill’s driver side window and advised Mr. Hill to keep his window rolled down otherwise he was going to get him out of the car,” Collins said, adding that Hill rolled his window down each time he was asked to. Stahl said officers followed policy in handcuffing Hill. “At no time was he ever under arrest,” Stahl said. “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. Stahl said Hill "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.” Collins said Hill "understands the inherently dangerous job that law enforcement is tasked with and understands that officer safety is important; however, at no point in time did Mr. Hill pose a threat to these officers. We believe that this matter was escalated due to overzealous officers attempting to impose their authority on Mr. Hill because ... Mr. Hill did not roll down his window far enough to their liking.” The Dolphins said the incident showed that “there are some officers who mistake their responsibility and commitment to serve with misguided power.” Hill's interaction with police — captured in a now-viral cellphone video and body camera footage — is prompting a larger discussion about the realities of “driving while Black.” According to a national law enforcement survey, traffic stops of Black drivers are more likely to include the threat or use of force, the Associated Press reports.
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