Tyreek Hill’s attorney demands immediate firing of officer in traffic stop

The attorney representing Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill called for the immediate firing of the officer at the center of Sunday’s controversial traffic stop outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The attorney representing Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill called for the immediate firing of the officer at the center of Sunday’s controversial traffic stop outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. “Each action that a law enforcement official (takes) is governed by standard operating procedures,” attorney Julius Collins said in a letter shared with CNN. “We are of the opinion that the officer’s use of force was excessive, escalating, and reckless. We are demanding that the officer be terminated effective immediately.” The letter comes days after Hill, a wide receiver for the Dolphins, was detained by police before the NFL team’s first game of the season. Video of Hill’s detention, as well as tense police interactions with two other Dolphins players at the scene, has led to a public back-and-forth between the NFL team and local police and has renewed the debate over how law enforcement handles traffic stops and interacts with members of the public. In particular, Hill’s attorney accused Miami-Dade Police Officer Danny Torres of at least twice putting his hands “on or around Mr. Hill’s neck.” After Hill was pulled from his vehicle, the officer forcefully put Hill’s face down on the pavement, placed his knee on Hill’s back and put his hand around the back of Hill’s neck, the attorney said. Second, while trying to get a handcuffed Hill to sit down on the sidewalk, the officer put his hands “on or around” Hill’s neck and forced him to the ground, ignoring Hill’s concerns that he had just had knee surgery, the attorney said.