Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill went viral with the release of police body cam footage of him being arrested just before the Dolphins’ season opener on Sept. 8. The video shows Hill being detained by multiple responding officers, but in a perhaps not-so-surprising turn of events, the one who violently pulled Hill from his car has an, ahem, colorful record of professional misconduct.
Miami-Dade officer Danny Torres has served 27 years on the force, and throughout his time, he’s racked up at least six suspensions and four separate reprimands, according to his employee profile obtained by the Miami Herald.
Torres’ longest suspension was for 20 days in 2018. Another 10-day suspension was recorded in 2019, and at least two other five-day suspensions between 2014 and 2016 were listed, per the report. Although the details surrounding each suspension weren’t revealed, Torres’ record — totaling 50 days of suspension — is enough cause for concern.
But wait... there’s more: The Miami officer also has four written reprimands on his profile dating back to 1999, according to the report. He has even been called out for excessive use of force including hitting, pushing, pulling, and striking victims, who were not named in the report.
The alleged excessive force tactics, which were all dated between 2002 and 2022, resulted in injuries such as bruises, scrapes, and cuts, according to CNN.
To his benefit, Torres did also receive 35 commendations between 1998 and 2023 from the Miami-Dade Police Department, per CNN. But Craig McQueen, a retired City of Miami Police Chief, told NBC Miami, “I can tell you there are police officers that go their whole careers and won’t have as much as activity as this young man has.”
In response to Torres’ released police record, Hill’s attorney, Julius B. Collins, told CNN: “We would love to see what the allegations were that led to multiple suspensions for Officer Torres...if you’re suspended at your place of employment six times, you’re terminated. People have been terminated from their places of employment for less.”
Collins continued: “If these suspensions are based on the use of force, abusive behavior towards arrestees or detainees, abusive language towards arrestees or detainees, this is a major problem within MDPD that needs to be addressed immediately.”
The Dolphins wide receiver spoke out against Torres saying he wants him fired. “Gone, gone, gone, gone. He got to go, man,” Hill said at a Sept. 11 news conference.