Dolphins call police behavior ‘despicable’ after terrifying Tyreek Hill arrest bodycam footage

Tyreek Hill was arrested by local police hours before the incident. Miami Dolphins Faced Jacksonville Jaguars Reports trickled out that Hill had been handcuffed in Week 1, and teammate Callie Campbell, who was also detained upon arriving at the scene, claimed police used excessive force against Hill.

On Monday evening, Miami-Dade Police released body camera footage of Hill's arrest, and it's horrifying. It shows officers dragging Hill from his car, throwing him to the ground, kneeling him and struggling to handcuff him. The officers escalated the situation when Hill refused to roll down his window to speak to police and begged for a speeding ticket or not wearing a seat belt so he could make it to the game on time.

The Miami Dolphins issued a strong statement warning local police about “excessively aggressive and violent behavior toward Tyreek Hill, Callie Campbell and Jonnu Smith.”

Body camera footage of Hill's arrest can be viewed here:

Here's more footage from the second officer's body camera:

The Dolphins beat the Jaguars in Week 1 in a game that starred Hill, who caught an 80-yard touchdown pass and celebrated by having a teammate pretend to handcuff him. By the end of the game, one of the officers involved in the arrest had already been placed on administrative leave.

The Dolphins issued a strong statement in response to the inappropriate police activity, the first of its kind ever seen by a professional sports team. “It is infuriating and heartbreaking to see such unnecessary force and hostility used against our players by those we trust to protect our community, but it also serves as a reminder that situations like this do not always end peacefully,” the team wrote. Read the full statement here:

“We are heartbroken by the overly aggressive and violent actions taken by police officers towards Tyreek Hill, Callie Campbell and Jonnu Smith prior to yesterday's game. It is infuriating and heartbreaking to see the people we trust to protect our community use unnecessary force and hostility towards these players. But it also serves as a reminder that not all situations like this end peacefully. We are grateful that this time it did. The question, 'What if I wasn't Tyreek Hill?' can have a profound impact.

“We are proud to have a strong and successful relationship with the Miami-Dade Police Department and other law enforcement agencies, and recognize that the vast majority of our officers serve our community with the highest integrity and a desire to protect all citizens. However, as is perfectly demonstrated in the video released tonight, some officers mistake their responsibility and duty to serve for false power. While we commend MDPD for taking the appropriate and necessary steps to swiftly release this footage, we urge them to take equally swift and strong action against any officers involved in such despicable conduct.

“We support Tyreek and his players as they strive to use their platform and this situation to make a positive impact in our community. We have always believed that football has a unique power to bring people together, and through the collaborative efforts of our players, organizations and our community partners, we are hopeful that we can create lasting change.”

Police did not need to throw Hill out of his car and kneel on his back to “keep the community safe.” The officer could have ticketed Hill without using this level of force. Rather, this is another example of an officer abusing his power because he felt personally insulted by a citizen who did not listen. We have seen many recent examples of similar situations escalating to more serious, even deadly, outcomes. Hill knows he was lucky to escape largely unscathed. What if he hadn't been Tyreek Hill?

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel responded forcefully to Hill's arrest earlier in the day, and now that the body camera footage has been released, the story is unlikely to go away.