Journalist forced to the ground, detained at soccer match in Miami

Hernán González, a producer for the South American broadcaster Torneos, was forced to the ground and handcuffed by multiple law enforcement officers at a stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, while reporting live before a soccer match on July 14, 2024.

The New York Times reported that mayhem broke out at the Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia, when throngs of unticketed fans attempted to enter Hard Rock Stadium in the Miami suburb, delaying kickoff for more than an hour.

In footage captured by Mail Sport reporter Jake Fenner, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies can be seen grabbing a man who appears to be holding press credentials and who entered through the media entrance, according to Fenner.

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker was able to confirm the man was González, who is the content and production director for Torneos, which produced and was a host broadcaster of the event.

In the video, González is quickly surrounded by at least six officers, who lift him sideways and place him prone on the ground, with an officer appearing to hold his head against the pavement while others place him in handcuffs. Both of the journalist’s shoes came off and his shirt ripped open in the course of the detention.

In additional footage published by Argentine newspaper Clarín, an officer appears to examine González’s credentials before placing them back around his neck.

The officers appeared to be predominantly from the Miami-Dade and Miami Gardens police departments, but the more than 800 law enforcement officers present at the event were from eight different agencies, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department.

An MDPD spokesperson told the Tracker that many similar detentions and ejections took place throughout the day, but was unable to provide more information about González’s detention.

“Given the circumstances regarding that day, many people were detained, ejected, arrested and even unarrested in some cases, meaning that they were detained then — depending on the circumstances in which they were detained — they may have been released,” the public information officer said. “We’re attempting to be as transparent as possible with this incident, but there were a lot of individuals who just lacked judgment that day.”

No charges had been filed against González as of July 18, according to court records reviewed by the Tracker. González did not respond to a request for comment.