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closeAbout 9 p.m. Dec. 18, Tony Hill Sr. was eating spaghetti in the small front room of his Cowan Street home when there was a knock at the front door.
Hill was in the middle of a dinner celebrating his 49th birthday. Two brothers had dropped by to eat and watch basketball. Tony “TJ” Hill Jr., Hill’s 20-year-old son who lives in east Macon with his father, had asked his girlfriend to come over.
The 20-year-old answered the door and was greeted by two Macon police officers, the elder Hill said.
What happened next is the subject of a wrongful treatment complaint that he has filed with the Macon Police Department.
Hill contends that officers with the department’s STRIKE Team entered his home and choked and assaulted his son that night. He maintains that police were acting on a bad tip as they tried to serve a “knock and talk” warrant on a man named Antonio Hill, a Florida man wanted there and in Macon who the officers mistook for TJ Hill.
The STRIKE Team consists of officers who target high-crime areas in search of people wanted for violent crimes. They help investigators gather intelligence, collect evidence and serve felony warrants, working with other agencies across the Southeast.
Police acknowledge visiting Hill’s home. They released some information about the incident in a preliminary police report, but no more pending the outcome of an investigation.
“Since the complaint was referred to Internal Affairs and the complaint is being investigated by Internal Affairs, we will just have to see what the outcome of that investigation will be,” said Lt. Dominick Andrews, who supervises the STRIKE Team. He declined to comment further on the allegations.
‘LET ME HANDLE IT’
“I think I’d probably taken two bites out of my bowl. TJ went to the door. He was only up there talking for a second, and then I saw an arm reach inside. When I realized it was the police, I rushed to the front and told him to let me handle it,” Hill said.
“They told me they were looking for my son, Antonio Hill. I told them that wasn’t my son’s name. They asked me if my son’s middle name was Antonio. I told them he didn’t have a middle name. His name is Tony Hill Jr.”
Hill said he told his son to retrieve identification from his bedroom. His son came back with his 2004-05 Northeast High School ID card.
“I gave it to one of the officers,” Hill said. “I’m thinking we’re going to be able to work this out. Clearly, they have the wrong guy. They’re at the wrong house.”
Hill said the officer walked to his patrol car with the ID card and returned with a photo of Antonio Hill, whom authorities said they are looking for in connection with several felonies in Macon and Florida.
Police would not provide a physical description of Antonio Hill for this story. TJ Hill, who is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds, works with his father doing contract painting work.
At this point, Hill said he was becoming annoyed with the officers’ refusal to acknowledge the mix-up. He said he asked his son’s girlfriend to retrieve more identification.
“She got his Georgia ID from the bedroom. Now you have two IDs I’m showing you. It’s not my son. But they keep wanting to make him be Antonio,” he said.
Hill said police surrounded his house and about six other officers rushed onto his front porch.
“There’s Antonio!” Hill said one of them yelled, prompting three of the men to shove him against the door, force their way inside the home and grab TJ Hill.
The 20-year-old said the officers threw him against a couch, choked him, dragged him to the floor, handcuffed his wrists and pressed his face into the carpet.
“They just came in here like ants on candy,” said Farley Blow, one of TJ Hill’s uncles and a former Marine.
Another uncle, Ronnie Hill, who works for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, said officers reached for their weapons at one point.
“I was just frozen because I had never been in that situation. I was kind of fearful,” he said.
Hill said he instructed his son to be still and tolerant during the episode.
By all accounts from the Hill family, the incident lasted only about five minutes. Then, something outside the home prompted officers inside to release TJ Hill from the cuffs.
“Just like that, right, he’s not Antonio,” Hill said.
As quickly as they had entered, the officers acknowledged the error and left, he said.
For the Hills, though, that’s not enough.
“I’ve been violated. My home has been violated. But they didn’t apologize. They left talking trash about locking us up,” Hill said. “I told them then I would be reporting this.”
Officer Donald Redd, who remained outside during the incident, said the STRIKE Team was following up on a tip from a jail informant.
“We went to serve this warrant, but the guy was not there,” he said. “Obviously, we had bad information.”
Redd told Hill he had a right to file a complaint after speaking that night with Hill and his mother, the Rev. Thelma Hill, an east Macon pastor and longtime Citizens on Patrol volunteer.
“If he has concerns, that’s what the process is for,” Redd said. “From what I know, no police on this STRIKE Team would act unprofessionally. We are aggressive and all that, but we still follow orders.”
Hill’s complaint remains under review by the Office of Internal Affairs. A standard investigation may take up to 30 days.
LOOKING FOR RESULTS
TJ Hill said he has been prescribed pain medication after spending about five hours in the emergency room following the incident. He said he had visited Erthal Chiropractic Center on First Street several times for treatment of back and neck pain, and he has temporarily stopped painting with his father.
The elder Hill said he hopes his complaint will produce results.
“I’m sure being positive about it, being positive that something will come of this and they’ll take a different approach next time they think they’ve got a tip,” he said.
“I think they’re just a bunch of overaggressive cops. I think the city of Macon has given these cops too much power.”
To contact writer Ashley Tusan Joyner, call 744-4347.
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