The Florida officer investigated over Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill’s traffic stop and detainment had been suspended six times previous to their encounter, received several written reprimands, and was at the center of numerous complaints, according to his employee profile.
The Miami-Dade Police Department released the employee profile of officer Danny Torres showing he was suspended for as many as 50 days between 2014 and 2019.
The first suspension was for five days in February 2014, the records show. He received three more five-day suspensions in 2016; one in February and two in September. In October 2018, he received a 20-day suspension and 10 days in June of the following year.
Records also show that Torres, a 27-year veteran, received four written reprimands between March 1999 and September 2020.
The employee profile does not provide details on what led to the suspensions or written reprimands. The police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Torres is currently on administrative duty pending an internal investigation into the Sept. 8 incident with Hill. Miami-Dade County Chief of Public Safety James Reyes said the actions in the body camera footage released by the department were “deeply concerning” and “clearly do not meet the standard we expect from law enforcement.”
Hill has said he thinks Torres should be fired.
The Miami Dolphins wide receiver, 30, previously told NBC News that if he weren’t a famous football player, he believes officers might have shot or arrested him.
Torres was involved in several complaints while at the department, many of which were cleared. Eight of the allegations, however, are listed as “sustained” and include unbecoming conduct violations, improper use of force and improper use of his body camera, according to the employee profile.
Also listed in the file are commendations Torres received including “skillful performance of duty,” “dedication to duty” and “team work.” His most recent commendation was in May 2023 for “professionalism,” “dedication to duty” and “special awards and recognition.”
The records show a glimpse into the history of the officer the Miami Dolphins said displayed “overly aggressive and violent conduct” toward players during an incident on Sept. 8 stemming from Hill’s detainment over allegations of careless driving and failure to wear a seat belt. Hill told NBC News that he was wearing his seat belt and took it off as he was being pulled over.
Body camera footage showed an officer knocking on the window of Hill’s black 2018 McLaren and asking why he didn’t have a seat belt on. Hill rolled the window down and told the officer, “Don’t knock on my window like that.”
At one point in the video, Hill, who was stopped near Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens ahead of the team’s home opener, said he was running late and told the officer to just give him a ticket before rolling the window back up.
The officer knocked on the window again, the video showed, and told the Dolphins wide receiver to keep it down. Hill responded by telling the officer not to tell him what to do.
The situation escalated and an officer was seen in the video grabbing Hill out of his car. He was placed face down on the pavement and handcuffed.
Dolphins defensive lineman Calais Campbell and tight end Jonnu Smith, who were driving by, saw Hill being detained and stopped to help, Hill said.
Campbell ended up getting handcuffed. He said on ESPN’s “First Take” that he was trying to defuse the situation and called one of the officers “extreme.”
Ignacio Alvarez, an attorney for Torres, has said that the decision to place the officer on leave was “premature” and demanded his “immediate reinstatement, and a complete, thorough, and objective investigation.” Alvarez did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
