Police officer who pulled NFL player Tyreek Hill out of car had previous convictions | Miami

The police officer who arrested NFL player Tyreek Hill in Florida had already received six suspensions and several reprimands before his encounter with the Miami Dolphins wide receiver, according to records from his agency.

According to employee files reviewed by NBC, Danny Torres, the Miami-Dade Police Department officer who violently arrested and handcuffed Hill last Sunday, has a clean disciplinary record that includes a suspension of up to 50 days between 2014 and 2019.

Two of the suspensions were five days each in February 2014 and February 2016, as well as two five-day suspensions in September 2016. Torres was also suspended for 20 days in October 2018 and 10 days in June 2019.

Additionally, NBC reports that the 27-year-old veteran received four written reprimands between March 1999 and September 2020. Torres, who has been assigned administrative duties since Hill's arrest, has also been involved in several other complaints to police, according to the outlet.

Most of the complaints have since been dismissed, but eight have been classified as “sustained” – and involve improper use of force and body cameras, NBC reported.

Hill's arrest on Sept. 8, before he helped the Dolphins win later that day, was filmed and shared widely online. It sparked outrage when online viewers saw police officers drag the 30-year-old from a car after he was pulled over for speeding and then rolled down his window too slowly.

The video shows Torres forcing Hill to the ground, kneeing him in the middle of his back and handcuffing him.

Hill described his experience as saying the police “gave him hell.” He also admitted that he wished he could “go back and do things a little differently,” adding, “I could have rolled down my window at that moment.”

“But the thing about me is, I don't want attention. I don't want to be standing there with cameras and cell phones out at that moment. But at the end of the day, I'm only human. I have to follow rules. I have to do what everyone else would do.”

Still, Hill called for Torres to be fired for his conduct during the arrest, saying, “Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. He's got to go, man.”

After Hill's arrest, Miami-Dade County Public Safety Director James Reyes said, “The actions shown in the video clearly fall short of the standard we expect from law enforcement and are deeply concerning.”

“I am committed to ensuring that any officer misconduct identified during the course of the investigation is held accountable and we will continue to keep the public informed.”