Texas cop detains NFL player in hospital parking lot while mother dies inside

[Andarvi]

Police officer delays Ryan Moats of Houston Texans in hospital parking lot as family member dies - ESPN

PLANO, Texas -- A Dallas police officer who delayed Houston Texans' running back Ryan Moats from visiting his mother-in-law before she died in a Plano hospital has been reassigned to dispatch pending an investigation.

Video: NFL player pulled over

On the Web site of the Dallas Morning News, video from a police dashboard camera shows a Dallas police officer stopping Texans running back Ryan Moats in front of the hospital where his mother-in-law lay dying of cancer. Watch Video

Moats, his wife and other family members rushed from their suburban Dallas home to Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano during the early hours of March 18 after getting word around midnight that Moats' mother-in-law, Jonetta Collinsworth, was dying. She had breast cancer.

According to Dallas-area media reports, Moats' vehicle, which rolled through a red light, was stopped by Officer Robert Powell in the hospital's parking lot.

Powell kept Moats and another family member for 13 minutes, threatening Moats with arrest and lecturing him. By the time Moats was released and entered the hospital, Jonetta Collinsworth had died.

Dallas police have dropped the ticket.

The Moatses, who are black, said Wednesday that they can't help but think that race may have played a role in how Powell, who is white, treated them.

"I think he should lose his job," said Ryan Moats, a Dallas native, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Dallas-Fort Worth television station WFAA-TV also obtained dashboard video from inside Powell's cruiser, detailing the exchange in which Powell threatened Moats with arrest.

When the car was pulled over, Moats' wife, Tamishia Moats, and her great aunt got out of the car to get into the hospital.

"Get in there!" Powell said, according to the Dallas Morning News' account of the footage. "Let me see your hands!"

"My mom is dying," Tamishia Moats replied. She and her great aunt ignored the officer and headed into the hospital, while Ryan Moats and another family member stayed behind, according to the report.

"I waited until no traffic was coming," Moats told Powell, explaining why he had rolled through the red light. "I got seconds before she's gone, man," he said, the newspaper reported.

Powell demanded his license, which Moats produced, and proof of insurance, which Moats could not find. "Just give me a ticket or whatever," Moats said, his frustration beginning to show, according to the report.

"Shut your mouth," Powell told him, the newspaper reported. "You can cooperate and settle down, or I can just take you to jail for running a red light."

In another exchange reported by the Morning News, Moats again asked the officer to complete the traffic stop quickly.

"If you're going to give me a ticket, give me a ticket," Moats said.

"Your attitude says that you need one," Powell replied.

"All I'm asking you is just to hurry up," Moats added.

"If you want to keep this going, I'll just put you in handcuffs," the officer said, "and I'll take you to jail for running a red light."

Powell continued on, making several more points, and Moats replied "Yes sir" to each.

"Understand what I can do," Powell said, according to the report. "I can tow your truck. I can charge you with fleeing. I can make your night very difficult."

"I understand," Moats responded. "I hope you'll be a great person and not do that."

Hospital security guards then arrived and told Powell that the Moatses' relative really was upstairs dying, the newspaper reported. But Powell spent several minutes inside his squad car, checking Moats for outstanding warrants. He found none.

Another hospital staff member emerged from the hospital and spoke with a Plano police officer who had arrived on the scene. "Hey, that's the nurse," the Plano officer told Powell, according to the Morning News. "She said that the mom's dying right now, and she's wanting to know if they can get him up there before she dies."

"All right," Powell replied, according to the report. "I'm almost done."

As Moats signed the ticket, Powell made another point.

"Attitude's everything," he said, the newspaper reported. "All you had to do is stop, tell me what was going on. More than likely, I would have let you go."

Powell, hired in January 2006, did not return a call for comment, the newspaper reported. But Dallas Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson said Powell told police officials that he believed that he was doing his job.

"When people are in distress, we should come to the rescue," Simpson said, according to the report. "We shouldn't further their distress."


Him being an NFL player is irrelevant, just put it because the article did. This another lolcops, lolTexas, lolboth? What is Plano like, anyways? Will this even make the news? Anyone going to actually defend the cop? The comments on the article are mostly extreme cop bashing but some people are taking his side saying that the wife and great aunt in the back seat should not have jumped out the car as soon as they got there and it probably made the cop all defensive. Sounds like baloney. If you want to give the guy a ticket just do it and let him be on his way. Now, his mother in law died and he didn't get to see her. You know hes just going to get suspended.

[Zoot]

This is just a communication problem. The cop did what any cop would do, he responded to arrogance with arrogance.

[Dimmauk]

I sense many Texas and Cop haters incoming.

The Cop should have just let him go, or followed him up to the room to see if he was telling the truth.

LOL @ this is racist!
http://www.e-imagesite.com/Files/11m40ev3570638.gif

[tyven]

silly texas

[0ni0n]

This is just a communication problem. The cop did what any cop would do, he responded to arrogance with arrogance.

No. The cop was a dochebag. Another cop and nurse came out from the hospital and asked him to release the guy because his mother was dying. From that point on, it was plain and simple that the cop is an asshole who should be fired because of this incident. If the guy really ran a redlight, give him a ticket and be done with it. I am so sick of the facade that everyone has to put up just to appease cops. Where the fuck are we? North Korea?

[Elvis]

Responded to arrogance with arrogance? The guy was on his way to see his dying mother. He wasn't going to the after after party.

The cop was a douche+1.

Another example of how policy does not equal justice.

[Guyverarmor]

I agree, the cop should be fired, damn asshole is what he was. Ok, yes , ran a red light. I hope he can live with himself after what he did.

[Koyuki]

Title is misleading, was his mother-in-law not his mother. Still pretty messed up though.

[Andarvi]

Title is misleading, was his mother-in-law not his mother. Still pretty messed up though.

Yeah, didn't think I could fit "in-law" cause it was getting long, and he referred to her as his mom in the article.

[Mizango]

I like Ryan Moats, man that sucks. Running a light to see someone who is minutes away from dying? Fuck you, I cant blame him at all. Set aside the fact that he is an NFL player, this goes for all facets of society, child birth, life death situations etc... all can be verified by you know, walking into the hospital lobby and asking for verification.

I've done the SAME thing on numerous occasions.

[Andarvi]

Video from the dash of the car.

Dallas police: Officer drew gun during traffic stop of NFL player outside hospital | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

[Olo401]

ITT: Just another reason to hate Texas

[Devek]

Don't hate all cops just because of one bad apple

[Sepukku]

I was disgusted to read this, to the point I even contemplated sending an email to the responsible police department letting them know my opinion of that officer, and consequently, their department if they end up allowing that officer to remain with them.

[Seraph]

The guy was being extremely stupid though (not that this excuses the cop). He should have just quickly explained the time sensitive situation to the cop, asked to leave his wallet, personal identification, and vechile with the officer while he went inside (to insure he isn't just trying to run), and explained he would have taken whatever traffic ticket the cop wanted to give him after the fact. I guess in that situation you are in panic mode and just don't think clearly.

Being a dick to a cop is definitely not the fastest way to get into the hospital though.

[Zoot]

Honestly, when you get pulled over by a cop would you ever expect him to respond level headed to "Just give me a ticket or whatever"? People joke about it, but cops seem to ALWAYS have an authorotative attitude with people. I know that if I ran a red light and a cop pulled me over, and I said that to him, I would expect some attitude.

There's a little truth in the fact that cops are normally people who were bullied and never made very good grades when they were younger, and so push an overbearing authority on people they pull over. They're also taught that the law is more important than anything and to uphold it despite everything else. If the guy had responded to the cop like he would in a situation where a cop would have pulled him over for anything else, he probably wouldn't have been detained so long. The dude ran a red light and he was getting ticketed for it by a cop who got his butt hurt from the attitude he was given. So yea, the cop was a douche. If you put the whole mother dying thing aside and the fact that this guy is an NFL player, it wouldn't even have made the online news. But it will make probably make the evening news, because of who he is.

[Mizango]

The guy was being extremely stupid though (not that this excuses the cop). He should have just quickly explained the time sensitive situation to the cop, asked to leave his wallet, personal identification, and vechile with the officer while he went inside (to insure he isn't just trying to run), and explained he would have taken whatever traffic ticket the cop wanted to give him after the fact. I guess in that situation you are in panic mode and just don't think clearly.

Being a dick to a cop is definitely not the fastest way to get into the hospital though.

Because its cool staying even keeled when a family is dying right? I remember when my mom died, I was a regular cool hands Luke up in that hospital. Fuck cops and fuck that arrogant attitude towards someone that isn't "listening to you" at that moment.

At what point does common sense come into play? There are no mulligans when someone you know and love is dying. That cop was a douche, end of discussion. Only in the end did he realize he wasn't lying and decided to

[Ketsaiga]

"The Moatses, who are black, said Wednesday that they can't help but think that race may have played a role in how Powell, who is white, treated them."

People love to pull the race card. . I'm sure the situation would have been the same if they were white.

[Zoot]

From the way it looked, was that actually a chase in progress and they saw the lights and weren't even going to acknowledge that they were being pulled over?

Cops get excuses all the time. If someone is willing to break the law they are usually willing to lie. If you let every situational "maybe" with people pass, it wouldn't be good law enforcement. Hell, I've lied to a cop to get out of a ticket more than once (I got away with it but that's besides the point).

[Guyverarmor]

He better loose his job for doing something stupid like that. If he keeps, be assured(sp?) that the town and probably everyone else will be petioning really quick