Tyreek Hill arrest: Miami Police releases bodycam footage of Dolphins star detention

Newly-released body camera footage has cast fresh light on the tense altercation outside Hard Rock Stadium last Sunday, involving American football star Tyreek Hill and officers of the Miami-Dade Police.

The footage captures the dramatic escalation after Dolphins star Hill was stopped by Miami-Dade Police for careless driving and a seat belt violation which later resulted in his detention.

The video shows officers approaching Hill’s car and tapping on his window, which immediately drew objections from the eight-time Pro Bowler. “Hey, don’t knock on my window like that,” Hill is heard saying as the officer explained the reason for the stop, citing his failure to wear a seatbelt.

Initially compliant, Hill handed over his licence but became visibly frustrated, asking the officer to issue a ticket and leave. After rolling up his window, the situation intensified. The officer demanded Hill to lower the window again, and when he complied, albeit partially, things quickly turned physical.

A second officer forcefully opened the car door and, with the help of a third, pulled Hill out of the vehicle, pinning him to the ground.

In a tense exchange caught on camera, Hill, still holding his phone, notified someone — believed to be his agent, Drew Rosenhaus — that he was being arrested.

Officers surrounded Hill, placing him in handcuffs as one of them angrily instructed him, “When we tell you to do something, you do it. Not when you want, but when we tell you”. At one point, Hill informed the officers that he had recently undergone knee surgery, just as an officer aggressively pushed him to sit on the curb.

Responding to Hill’s request, the officer said, “Did you have surgery on your ears when we told you to put your window down?”

At that point, teammate Jonnu Smith arrived at the scene. The officers ordered Smith to get back in his vehicle and leave. They then told him they were going to give him a ticket for blocking the road.

Defensive tackle Calais Campbell also pulled up. He was told to leave and when he didn’t, he was briefly handcuffed.

Hill and Campbell were eventually released and allowed to go into the stadium.

In a later interview with NBC News, Hill expressed concerns over the behaviour of the officers, wondering that the outcome might have been much worse if he weren’t a high-profile athlete.

“If I wasn’t Tyreek Hill, Lord knows what could’ve happened. Worst-case scenario, I would have been shot or locked up for a simple speeding ticket,” he said. “It’s crazy officers would take it to that level”.

Following the release of the footage, the Miami Dolphins issued a statement condemning the aggressive behaviour of the officers involved. “We are deeply troubled by the unnecessary use of force against Tyreek Hill, Calais Campbell, and Jonnu Smith,” the statement read.

“It’s heartbreaking to witness those we trust to protect us show such hostility. Tyreek’s question — ‘What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill?’ — leaves us all with a sobering thought”.

Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County Police Director Stephanie Davis said the tape would normally not be released while the investigation is ongoing, but she wanted to demonstrate the department’s “commitment to transparency and maintaining public trust”.