“It’s not clear what order Hill didn’t comply with. Probably not lowering the window. But it’s also not clear he had time to comply,” says Devin Stone, lawyer and YouTuber known as the Legal Eagle. If you have not yet seen the body camera footage of the arrest of Miami Dolphins player Tyreek Hill, make sure you do so. What started as a regular traffic stop, allegedly for Hill driving a (visually estimated) 60 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone in his flashy McLaren, ended with his arrest and charges of careless driving and failure to wear a seatbelt.
Hill, who was on his way to nearby Hard Rock Stadium on game day, immediately complied with an officer’s request for his identification. When the officer walked away from the car, Hill raised his driver’s side window and called his agent for legal advice. One of the officers walked over and told Hill to lower his window. Hill cracked his window and told the officer not to touch his expensive sports car. Which is when a power tripping officer opened the door and dragged Hill from the driver’s seat onto the ground and put him in handcuffs without naming a reason for the arrest.
At first glance this traffic stop seems highly illegal, and possibly racially motivated. At second glance, it seems highly illegal, and more likely racially motivated. When another member of the Dolphins football team arrived and attempted to de-escalate the situation on Hill’s behalf, he was also cuffed, though he was later released without arrest.
It’s clear in this case that the officers involved in this arrest were escalating the situation. What should have been a simple traffic ticket devolved into the brutal harassment of a professional sports star. Hill is an all-star player, a Superbowl winner, and one of the fastest receivers in the history of the league, but none of that matters when you’re facing a squad of half a dozen of Miami Dade’s finest.
Though he’s had his own legal troubles, I’m no way am I blaming Mr. Hill for what happened to him, but you have to treat police officers with kid gloves, and every interaction with them could be a threat to your personal safety. If you’re ever pulled over by police, shut your fucking mouth, keep your hands on the steering wheel. You have constitutional rights, but none of that matters if the highly militarized high school bully with a gun on his hip decides he doesn’t like the cut of your jib. Give them your ID, say “Yes, sir” or “No, sir” and don’t make any sudden movements.
