MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill has vowed to take on a national fight against police misconduct. Hill introduced his legal team, who will assist him in this battle, during a press conference on Monday.
The decision comes after the release of body camera footage by the Miami-Dade Police Department, which has since gone viral on social media. The footage shows Officer Danny Torres forcibly removing Hill from his vehicle during a traffic stop, violently pinning him to the ground by the neck, and handcuffing him with the assistance of two other officers. The incident occurred after Officer Manuel Batista initiated the stop over a minor verbal disagreement about Hill’s window.
VIDEO: Video shows officers dragged Tyreek Hill out of his car after he put his window back up
Hill has retained a high-profile legal team, including Attorney Julius B. Collins from Atlanta, former federal prosecutor Jeffrey A. Neiman from Fort Lauderdale, Stephen B. Kelly, Jr. of Jacksonville’s Rolle & Kelly, and civil rights attorney Devon M. Jacob, who has been involved in prominent cases such as George Floyd and Kodak Black.
“It is already clear that well before this incident, Miami-Dade County should have fired Officer Torres,” said Neiman. “Instead, the County repeatedly returned Officer Torres to the street, permitting him to use his police authority to terrorize people.”
Collins echoed Neiman’s sentiments, adding, “Had officers not realized they were interacting with Tyreek Hill – a well-known, beloved, educated, and seemingly wealthy Black man – this traffic stop would likely have ended with the driver in jail, in the hospital, or like George Floyd, dead.”
Hill’s legal team emphasized that the football star will continue advocating for the national police reform movement, which gained momentum following George Floyd’s death. Jacob stated, “Tyreek is demanding that Congress finally pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”
Hill has expressed his determination to ensure that the voices of those long ignored or silenced on police reform are finally heard.
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