A Miami-Dade hearing officer dismissed two traffic citations against Tyreek Hill Tuesday that stemmed from his pregame detainment by police near Hard Rock Stadium in September.
The citations were dropped because the officers involved in the incident failed to appear in court, per court records cited multiple reports. Hill was issued a $179 careless driving citation and a $219 seat-belt violation from the incident that took place as Hill was driving to Hard Rock Stadium for the Dolphins’ Sept. 8 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Police body cam footage of the incident shows that officers pulled Hill over near the stadium. An officer ordered Hill to roll the window down in his car. When Hill cracked his window open but didn’t roll it down completely, officers opened his car door, dragged him out of his car and pinned him face down on the street as one officer placed his knee on Hill’s back.
Officers handcuffed Hill and eventually released him in time for Hill to play in the game. Hill was not charged with a crime.
Miami-Dade police officer Manuel Batista is the officer who pulled Hill over. Miami-Dade police officer Danny Torres is the officer who pinned Hill to the ground. Neither appeared in court on Tuesday, prompting hearing officer Patricia Henrys to dismiss the citations, per court records cited by the Miami Herald.
The incident prompted calls including from Hill, his attorneys, his agent Drew Rosenhaus and the Dolphins for Miami-Dade police to take disciplinary action against the officers involved.
Miami-Dade police placed Torres on administrative duties after the incident pending an internal affairs investigation. It’s not clear if the investigation has been completed. Results have not been publicly released. Torres remains on administrative leave, the Herald reports.
Hill, lawyers respond to Tuesday’s decision
Hill’s attorneys Julius Collins, Devon Jacob, Stephen Kelly and Jeffrey Neiman issued a statement to media on Tuesday addressing the dismissal of the citations and continued their call for discipline against the officers involved:
“As anticipated, the traffic citations against Tyreek Hill were dismissed,” the statement reads. “Police officers should not issue citations unless they are willing to testify in court, under oath, with respect to same. Officer Torres and Batista’s absence from court today evidences their knowledge of wrongdoing. These officers should be disciplined for their failure to appear. Mr. Hill was entitled to have his day in court and the officers failed to appear.
“It is our belief that Officer Torres and Officer Batista failed to appear in court so that they could not be questioned under oath.”
Hill responded to the news on social media:
Neither Miami-Dade police, Batista or Torres have addressed the decision in public. South Florida Police Benevolent Association president Steadman Stahl told the Herald that he doesn’t know why Batista and Torres failed to appear.
“Officers quite often find themselves in conflict with other cases,” Stahl said. “But, in this particular case, I don’t know what that conflict was.”
Per the Herald, a Miami-Dade police spokesperson said that the department planned to issue a statement addressing the decision later Tuesday.
Hill’s teammates Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith stopped at the scene when they saw that Hill was being detained. Smith was also cited and issued a $129 fine for having an expired license plate and a $179 fine for failing to obey a traffic control device.
Per the Herald, Miami-Dade traffic infraction officer Thomas Cobitz dismissed both citations against Smith on Friday. Court records show the “wrong statute cited” regarding the citation for failing to obey a traffic control device. Campbell was not cited.