MIAMI – Danny Torres, lower left, of the Miami-Dade Police reportedly has been suspended six times for violating department policies. Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hiil’s attorney has called for Torres’ termination from the department, calling his actions in Hill’s Sept. 8 traffic stop “excessive, escalating, and reckless." PHOTOS COURTEY OF YOUTUBE.COM
Miami Gardens, Fla. – Danny Torres, one of the Miami-Dade police officers who was seen on body camera footage yanking Miami-Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill out of his car during a traffic stop, throwing him face down on the ground and handcuffing him, has been suspended six times for disciplinary issues in his 27-year law enforcement career, according to WSVN Channel 7 News.
Torres, who was put on administrative duties following the incident with Hill pending an investigation, was previously suspended for unbecoming, force violation, discourtesy and improper procedure.
He was suspended a total of 50 days over six incidents but not terminated.
The Miami-Dade Police Department didn’t return a public records request for comments on Torres’ past conduct and why he was allowed to stay on the police force.
Body camera footage of the rough takedown of Hill at the hands of police is another example of African Americans feeling mistreated during encounters with law enforcement.
Tension between the Black community and police escalated following the Sept. 8 incident ahead of the Dolphins’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Body camera footage shows officers dragging Hill out of his car, throwing him to the ground and handcuffing him adjacent to the stadium, as motorists nearby were incredulous.
According to police, Hill was cited for reckless driving and didn’t obey an order to roll down his window after he was pulled over.
Dolphins player Calais Campbell spoke in support of Hill and was placed in handcuffs and detained for not following police orders.
The incident warranted an investigation by Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie Daniels and Miami-Dade Public Safety Chief James Reyes to determine if the officers used excessive force.
"I commend Chief Reyes and Director Daniels for the immediate steps taken that followed the incident with a Miami Dolphins player in calling for a swift internal review," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a statement.
"In recent years our nation has confronted important conversations on the use of force and the internal review process will answer questions about why the troubling actions shown in public video footage were taken by the officer. We will continue to keep our community informed about this process and findings will be made available – critical to maintaining the public trust that MDPD has earned with our community."
The body camera footage captured the moments after officers spotted and stopped Hill’s car. Motorcycle police officers including Torres approached his vehicle and asked him to roll down his window. Hill complied and handed one of the officers his driver’s license.
"Don’t knock on my window like that," Hill told the officer repeatedly.
"I have to knock to let you know I am here," the officer told Hill while repeatedly asking why the player didn’t have his seatbelt on.
"Just give me my ticket, bro, so I can go. I am going to be late. Do what you gotta do," Hill told the officer while putting his darkly tinted window back up.
"Keep your window down," the officer told him, again tapping on the glass. Hill can still be seen inside.
Hill cracked the window and said, "Don’t tell me what to do."
He put the window back up and the officer again told Hill to lower it or "I am going to get you out of the car. As a matter of fact, get out of the car."
The officer then demanded Hill open the door. Another officer stepped up and said, "Get out of the car or I will break that … window," using an obscenity.
The door opened and one of the officers reached in and grabbed Hill by the arm and the back of the head as the player said, "I am getting out."
One officer forced Hill face-first onto the ground. Three officers pulled Hill’s arms behind his back as he yelled into his cell phone, "I am getting arrested, Drew." He was speaking to the team’s director of security, Drew Brooks who soon showed up at the scene, as did Drew Rosenhaus, Hill’s agent.
The officers handcuffed Hill and one put a knee in the middle of his back. "If we tell you to do something, do it," one of the officers said.
"Take me to jail, brother, do what you gotta do," Hill replied.
"We are," an officer said.
"You’re crazy," Hill said to the officer.
During the incident, the officers could be heard cursing at Hill who did not resist their physical force or strike at them.
After the body camera footage was released, Hill, during a press conference at the Dolphins’ practice facility last week, said he should’ve handled the situation better by complying. But he wondered what would have happened to him if he weren’t an NFL star.
Some of his teammates who are also Black said they were used to seeing that sort of interaction.
“I hate talking like this, man, because I have a kid fan base,” Hill said. “But the reality of it, yeah, it’s the truth. If I wasn’t Tyreek Hill, worst-case scenario, we would have had a different article, ‘Tyreek Hill got shot in front of Hard Rock Stadium.’ That’s the worst-case scenario. Or ‘Tyreek Hill put in handcuffs and taken in and booked.’” Hill’s attorney called for Torres’ termination from the police department after the incident, calling his actions "excessive, escalating, and reckless."
Hill said he wants to turn this recent incident into a positive and called for police reform to prevent similar incidents. The incident sparked anger in the Black community but some say Hill shares the blame for creating the chaos.
The Miami-Dade Black Affairs Advisory Board discussed the Hill-police incident last week during a meeting in Miami Gardens.
The 14-member group meets monthly to offer suggestions on how to improve Black residents’ quality of lives.
Board member J.S. Rashid, an economic development consultant, said the treatment given to Hill was unacceptable even if the police felt he disobeyed their order.
“These officers were concerned about not obeying the law as much as obeying me,” Rashid said. “With African American males, they dehumanize you. They make you lie on the ground, when they can very well let you stand up and talk.”
“There should be a lesson learned from this episode,” said Tisa Thomson, a business consultant in Miami. “How can we make better relations with the police department?”
But board member Robert Malone, an educator, blames Hill for the escalation that placed him in handcuffs and face down on the ground.
Malone questioned why so much attention was devoted to a police encounter when Black males in the Miami area face a much bigger risk from gun violence.
“We still have this idea that law enforcement is out to get Black men in this community,” Malone said. “Yet still in this community young Black men continue to be shot down and killed by other young Black men.”
U.S. Rep. Fredrica Wilson said she reviewed the body camera footage and was disturbed at the officers’ treatment of Hill.
“In order to be a police officer, you need to have a certain temperament, and it’s clear the officers in the video don’t have that," Wilson said in a statement. “I’ve worked for decades with the Miami Dolphins, the police, and the 5000 Role Models of Excellence to foster civil relationships between the police and Black men, and I’m pissed at this interaction."
Wilson said the incident was a setback in building a rapport between the Black community and law enforcement.
“Just when we thought things were getting better between our officers and the Black community, this incident set us back, and I am even more committed now to easing that tension between the police and Black men, which has existed since slavery," she said. “I know these officers do not represent the entire Miami-Dade Police Department, as there are many officers who protect our community with civility every day.
Wilson said she has reached out to Tyreek Hill, the Miami Dolphins, Miami-Dade County officials, and Miami-Dade Police for clarification.
"We must all continue working together to keep our community safe and ease the tension that persists," she said.
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