The Florida police officer who arrested NFL player Tyreek Hill had been suspended six times and received multiple reprimands before his encounter with the Miami Dolphins wide receiver, according to the officer’s agency records.
Danny Torres, the Miami-Dade Police Department officer who forcibly arrested and handcuffed Hill last Sunday, has a tainted disciplinary record that includes 50 suspensions between 2014 and 2019, according to employee records reviewed by NBC.
He received two five-day suspensions, one in February 2014 and one in February 2016, and two more five-day suspensions in September 2016. Torres was also suspended for 20 days in October 2018 and for 10 days in June 2019.
Additionally, NBC reported that the 27-year veteran officer received four written reprimands between March 1999 and September 2020. Torres, who has served in a management role since Hill’s arrest, was also involved in multiple complaints within the police department, according to the outlet.
Most of the complaints have been resolved, but eight are listed as “ongoing,” including allegations of inappropriate use of force and the use of body cameras, NBC reported.
Hill’s arrest on Sept. 8 and subsequent contribution to the Dolphins’ victory was recorded and widely shared online, sparking outrage after viewers saw officers drag Hill from his car after he was pulled over for speeding and hadn’t rolled down his window in time.
The video shows Torres shoving Hill to the ground, placing his knee in the middle of his back and handcuffing him.
Reflecting on his experience, Ms Hill said police “bashed him pretty hard” and admitted she “wishes she could go back and do things a little differently”, adding: “I wish I’d opened the window at that moment”.
“But in my case, I don’t want attention. I don’t want cameras or phones pointed at me at that moment. But at the end of the day, I’m a human being. I have to follow the rules. I have to do what everyone else does.”
Nonetheless, Hill called for Torres to be fired for his conduct during the arrest, saying, “Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. He’s got to go.”
“The conduct captured on video clearly does not meet the standards we expect from law enforcement and is extremely concerning,” Miami-Dade County Public Safety Director James Reyes said after Hill’s arrest.
“We are committed to holding accountable any officer misconduct uncovered during the course of our investigation, and we will continue to keep the community informed.”