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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and his lawyer, Julius B. Collins, will enter a not guilty plea to Hill’s two traffic citations that resulted after a confrontation with police Sunday, Collins told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Friday.
Hill was ticketed for reckless driving and driving without a seat belt after a traffic stop Sunday. In widely-circulated footage, Hill argued with police before being removed from his car, put in handcuffs and pushed to the ground.
Before that, body camera footage showed two Miami-Dade Police officers parked in the middle of a highway. The footage showed Hill’s car traveling by at a noticeably fast speed.
Hill was in the left lane at the time he passed the officers in the footage. Then, they started to pursue him. And the footage showed Hill merged and drove past several other cars.
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VideoThe next time his car was seen, he was in the right lane. That’s when he pulled over, and one of the officers informed Hill he was speeding.
There was no evidence in the video, like a radar gun, showing Hill’s exact speed, and that’s why Collins believes he has a case.
“He estimated how fast he was going,” Collins said. “I know I’ve heard of pacing. I’ve heard of laser radar. But to physically look at someone and estimate, I’ve never heard of that one.
“At this moment, we don’t have any information whether or not laser radar or anything was used or whether or not he was pacing him or anything. So, with that, obviously we’re going to plead not guilty.”
Collins said that they may later change the plea depending on the evidence.
TYREEK HILL ALLEGES POLICE OFFICER ‘TRIED TO GET ME TO DO SOMETHING TO HIM,’ DURING ARREST
“It can change down the road based upon the official incident or narrative of a police report, so that could possibly change,” Collins said.
In the body cam footage, the first thing an officer says to Hill when he approaches his car was, ‘Why don’t you have your seat belt on?”
At the exact moment the officer said that, the footage did not show whether Hill had his seat belt on. Later shots in the footage showed Hill without a seat belt on and pulling his tinted windows back. Beneath the obstructed view of the windows, Hill could be seen putting his seat belt back on after the officer told him to “keep your window down!”
An image from bodycam footage from Tyreek Hill’s traffic stop. (Miami-Dade Police Department)
“We don’t have anything,” Collins said. “We don’t have any of the official police reports to state as to why he would plead guilty, as to why, whether or not he had his seat belt on. At one point, they were able to visibly see that Mr. Hill didn’t have his seat belt on.
“Was it at the time of the traffic stop? You can take it off at that point before the officer got to the vehicle. We don’t have any information. So, naturally, he’s going to plead not guilty until we see the police report.”
When asked if Hill told Collins he was wearing the seat belt while driving, Collins declined to answer, citing attorney-client privilege.
The footage eventually showed the moment Hill was handcuffed and thrown to the ground.
When the officer asked Hill to exit his vehicle, the wide receiver said, “I’m gonna get out, I’m gonna get out.” As the officer opened the door and removed Hill, the receiver said, “I’m getting out.”
Then another officer grabbed Hill by the back of the head and neck area and forced him to the pavement to put him in handcuffs.
Hill was released after about 25 minutes, when his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, arrived. Hill was then heard telling officers he would “see y’all in court” before reentering his vehicle.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Hill has since called for 27-year police veteran Danny Torres, the officer who put him in handcuffs, to be fired.
Torres has since been assigned to administrative duties. The Miami-Dade Police director placed Torres on paid administrative duty after she said she reviewed the body camera footage from officers that day. Torres’ lawyers told Fox News Digital they are demanding that the officer be reinstated immediately.
“We call for our client’s immediate reinstatement and a complete, thorough and objective investigation, as Director Daniels has also advocated. Our client will not comment until this investigation is concluded and the facts are fully revealed,” the lawyers said in a statement.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
