Traffic citations against NFL player Tyreek Hill dismissed after officer’s court no-show

The traffic citations issued to NFL player Tyreek Hill have been dismissed, two months after he was removed from his vehicle and handcuffed near his home stadium during a police stop. Body camera video footage depicts the Miami Dolphins wide receiver on the ground, face down, with an officer kneeling on his back. Hill has consistently advocated for the officer’s termination. Hill faced accusations of careless driving and not wearing a seatbelt, following a police claim that he was stopped for speeding. Both citations were dropped because the issuing officer did not appear for a court hearing on Monday, which the Miami-Dade Police Department attributed to “an oversight on his behalf”. The police statement clarified that “A citation dismissed due to this reason does not indicate that the citation held no merit,” and mentioned that the citations were “non-criminal”. In response to this development, Hill shared on X: “Where all the internet cops now”. Hill’s legal representatives informed ESPN that the “absence” of the officers involved “evidences their knowledge of wrongdoing”. They asserted, “Mr Hill was entitled to have his day in court,” and requested that officers be “disciplined” for their non-attendance. Police spokesman Andre Martin refuted claims that the officer’s superiors instructed him to miss the appearance, stating that many other cases were also dismissed due to non-attendance. Detective Martin informed the BBC that Officer Batista “either forgot or was doing something else related to his duties that prevented him from attending”. Detective Martin confirmed that an administrative inquiry is underway regarding the failure to appear. The findings from a distinct internal affairs investigation, initiated subsequent to the bodycam footage’s release, have not yet been disclosed. The traffic stop occurred mere blocks from the Dolphins’ home stadium, the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, several hours prior to Hill’s inaugural game of the season. The body camera video depicted Hill occasionally being abrupt with law enforcement, instructing an officer, “don’t knock on my window like that”. Hill lowered his window to converse with police, then raised it, leading an officer to instruct him to lower it again. Moments later, the officer commanded: “As a matter of fact, get out of the car.” Several officers were present at the location. Hill was extracted from his vehicle by two officers and positioned face down on the ground. Subsequently, one officer knelt on his back to subdue him and apply handcuffs. He and two fellow teammates, who were also held, were subsequently released and proceeded to play that evening against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Dolphins secured a victory in that game, and Hill scored a touchdown, which he commemorated by mimicking being handcuffed alongside his teammates.