Tyreek Hill explains why he refused to lower window during traffic stop leading to his arrest

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA: Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Tyreek Hill courted controversy just hours before his team's home opener on Sunday, September 8. What should have been a routine game day quickly turned chaotic when Hill was arrested after refusing to roll down his car window during a traffic stop outside Hard Rock Stadium.

The incident was captured on body cam footage, which showed the tense exchange between Hill and the officers. In the aftermath of the incident, Tyreek Hill sat down with CNN’s Kaitlin Collins to share his side of the story.

Tyreek Hill's perspective and police response

“If I let my window down, like, people walking by, driving by, they’re going to notice that it’s me, and they’re going to start taking pictures,” Hill said. “And, like, I didn’t want to create a scene at all. Like, I just really wanted to get the ticket and then just go on about my way and then just have a great Sunday.”

Hill also expressed his shock at how quickly the situation escalated. “I was shocked. It was crazy because it all happened so fast. I really couldn’t like gather everything that was happening," he said, adding that his slow response during the encounter was due to the physical toll of his profession.

“I wasn’t moving fast because you know I got injuries. I got things that I go through. I play a physical sport. I guess the officers – they felt like I wasn’t doing it on their timing. But I was doing it. I’m still kind of shell-shocked from it," Hill explained.

Despite earlier statements that the footage wouldn’t be released until after an internal investigation, Miami-Dade police released more than an hour and a half of body camera footage on Monday night.

“While standard protocol is to release body cam footage after the internal review has concluded, the available body cam footage – a combined 105 minutes 33 seconds – is being released the day following the incident to reinforce the Department’s commitment to keeping the public informed,” Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department Stephanie V Daniels said in a statement, CNN reported.

Tyreek Hill gets arrested outside Hard Rock Stadium

Tyreek Hill was pulled over by Miami-Dade police near the Hard Rock Stadium as the Dolphins prepared for their season opener. Police bodycam footage shows an officer knocking on Hill's driver’s side window, signaling him to roll it down.

When Hill finally complies, it’s clear that he's not thrilled with the officer's approach. “Hey, don’t knock on my window like that,” Hill says.

The officer asks why Hill isn't wearing a seatbelt. Instead of giving a straight answer, Hill repeatedly insists, “Don’t knock on my window like that." The officer then asks why Hill had his window rolled up in the first place, explaining that he had to knock to get Hill’s attention.

Hill, clearly in a hurry, responds, “Give me my ticket, bro, so I can go. I’m going to be late. Do what you got to do.” He then attempts to roll up his window but the officer instructs him to keep it down. Hill, visibly irritated, rolls it down slightly and tells the officer, “Don’t tell me what to do.”

The tension between Hill and the officers reaches a boiling point when the officer threatens to make Hill exit the vehicle if he doesn’t comply. The officer follows through on his threat and orders Hill out of the car. Another officer then steps in, opening Hill’s car door and pulling him out. 

As the situation escalates, two officers push Hill to the ground while another stands over him. One of the officers restraining Hill sternly replies, “When we tell you to do something, you do it. You understand? You understand? Not what you want, but what we tell you. You’re a little f******g confused.”

Even as Hill continues to say he’s complying, the officer tells him it's “too late.” It’s only after Hill is sitting on the sidewalk, subdued and surrounded by officers, that one of them realizes they’ve detained “the Dolphins’ star player.” After a brief discussion, Hill is issued citations and allowed to leave the scene.