Another power tripping cop?
03-26-2009, 12:26 PM
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Another power tripping cop?
Updated: March 26, 2009, 3:07 PM ET
Officer delayed Moats as relative died
PLANO, Texas -- A police officer pulled over an NFL player rushing to see his dying mother-in-law, drew his gun, threatened the player with jail and held him in the hospital parking lot as she died, officials said Thursday.
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
Officer Robert Powell told his commanders he drew his gun but did not point it, Dallas police spokesman Lt. Andy Harvey said. That was disputed by the wife of Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats.
"He was pointing a gun at me as soon as I got out of the car," Tamishia Moats told The Dallas Morning News, which first reported that Powell unholstered his sidearm.
The Moats family did not return messages left by The Associated Press.
Powell, who has been reassigned to desk duty, stopped Moats' SUV outside Baylor Regional Medical Center during the early hours of March 18 after Moats rolled through a red light. Moats and his family had gotten a call saying his mother-in-law was dying.
Video from a dashboard camera inside the officer's vehicle, obtained by Dallas-Fort Worth station WFAA-TV, revealed an intense exchange in which the officer threatened to jail Moats.
He ordered Tamishia Moats to get back in the SUV, but she ignored him and rushed inside the hospital to see her mother, Jonetta Collinsworth, 45, and was by her side when she died a short time later. She had breast cancer.
"Get in there," said Powell, yelling at 27-year-old Tamishia Moats, as she exited the car. "Let me see your hands!"
"Excuse me, my mom is dying," she said. "Do you understand?"
Ryan Moats, 26, explained that he waited until there was no traffic before proceeding through the red light. When Powell asked for proof of insurance, Moats grew more agitated and told the officer to go find it.
"My mother-in-law is dying! Right now! You're wasting my time!" Moats yelled. "I don't understand why you can't understand that."
As they argued, the officer got irritated. "Shut your mouth," the officer said. "You can either settle down and cooperate or I can just take you to jail for running a red light."
The exchange soon ended and Powell returned to his cruiser to write a ticket. A few minutes later, another officer approached Powell to tell him a nurse said the mother-in-law was dying right then and Moats needed to get into the hospital.
"All right. I'm almost done," Powell said in response.
When Moats and Collinsworth's father entered the hospital, they learned Collinsworth had died, The Dallas Morning News reported in Thursday's editions.
The Moatses, who are black, said they can't help but think that race might have played a part in how Powell, who is white, treated them.
"I think he should lose his job," said Ryan Moats, a Dallas native.
The ticket issued to Moats was dismissed, Harvey said.
"There were some things that were said that were disturbing, to say the least," he told the Dallas Morning News.
Powell told police officials he believed he was doing his job, said Dallas Police Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
Officer delayed Moats as relative died
PLANO, Texas -- A police officer pulled over an NFL player rushing to see his dying mother-in-law, drew his gun, threatened the player with jail and held him in the hospital parking lot as she died, officials said Thursday.
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
Officer Robert Powell told his commanders he drew his gun but did not point it, Dallas police spokesman Lt. Andy Harvey said. That was disputed by the wife of Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats.
"He was pointing a gun at me as soon as I got out of the car," Tamishia Moats told The Dallas Morning News, which first reported that Powell unholstered his sidearm.
The Moats family did not return messages left by The Associated Press.
Powell, who has been reassigned to desk duty, stopped Moats' SUV outside Baylor Regional Medical Center during the early hours of March 18 after Moats rolled through a red light. Moats and his family had gotten a call saying his mother-in-law was dying.
Video from a dashboard camera inside the officer's vehicle, obtained by Dallas-Fort Worth station WFAA-TV, revealed an intense exchange in which the officer threatened to jail Moats.
He ordered Tamishia Moats to get back in the SUV, but she ignored him and rushed inside the hospital to see her mother, Jonetta Collinsworth, 45, and was by her side when she died a short time later. She had breast cancer.
"Get in there," said Powell, yelling at 27-year-old Tamishia Moats, as she exited the car. "Let me see your hands!"
"Excuse me, my mom is dying," she said. "Do you understand?"
Ryan Moats, 26, explained that he waited until there was no traffic before proceeding through the red light. When Powell asked for proof of insurance, Moats grew more agitated and told the officer to go find it.
"My mother-in-law is dying! Right now! You're wasting my time!" Moats yelled. "I don't understand why you can't understand that."
As they argued, the officer got irritated. "Shut your mouth," the officer said. "You can either settle down and cooperate or I can just take you to jail for running a red light."
The exchange soon ended and Powell returned to his cruiser to write a ticket. A few minutes later, another officer approached Powell to tell him a nurse said the mother-in-law was dying right then and Moats needed to get into the hospital.
"All right. I'm almost done," Powell said in response.
When Moats and Collinsworth's father entered the hospital, they learned Collinsworth had died, The Dallas Morning News reported in Thursday's editions.
The Moatses, who are black, said they can't help but think that race might have played a part in how Powell, who is white, treated them.
"I think he should lose his job," said Ryan Moats, a Dallas native.
The ticket issued to Moats was dismissed, Harvey said.
"There were some things that were said that were disturbing, to say the least," he told the Dallas Morning News.
Powell told police officials he believed he was doing his job, said Dallas Police Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
03-26-2009, 12:30 PM
#2
wanna run
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Yeah that cop is a piece of shit. Its stupid though that because the cop was on a dickhead power trip the family automatically cries racism. :tsk: Holy shit thats annoying.
I feel for the guy though, I really do. Crappy stuff right there.
I feel for the guy though, I really do. Crappy stuff right there.
03-26-2009, 12:32 PM
#3
snitches get stitches
How sad. I think police procedure in a case like this would be to escort the people into the hospital to ensure safe transportation (and to ensure they aren't falsifying a story).
03-26-2009, 12:36 PM
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he deserved a ticket but he shoulda been able to go in since his mom was dying, the cop coulda waited 20 minutes to write the ticket :hs:
still ... i have to say the cop was totally justified in drawing his gun if the minute the vehicle stopped someone came running out the car towards the hospital. at that point he had no way to know if what he was being told was true or not.
and ya his mom was dying but i'm pretty sure the last thing you wanna do is tell a cop to "go find it yourself".
still ... i have to say the cop was totally justified in drawing his gun if the minute the vehicle stopped someone came running out the car towards the hospital. at that point he had no way to know if what he was being told was true or not.
and ya his mom was dying but i'm pretty sure the last thing you wanna do is tell a cop to "go find it yourself".
03-26-2009, 01:10 PM
#7
SDSU Basketball
If they were old white people do you think the same thing would have happened?
they're in a hospital parking lot "where are they going to go"?
yep!
he deserved a ticket but he shoulda been able to go in since his mom was dying, the cop coulda waited 20 minutes to write the ticket :hs:
still ... i have to say the cop was totally justified in drawing his gun if the minute the vehicle stopped someone came running out the car towards the hospital. at that point he had no way to know if what he was being told was true or not.
and ya his mom was dying but i'm pretty sure the last thing you wanna do is tell a cop to "go find it yourself".
still ... i have to say the cop was totally justified in drawing his gun if the minute the vehicle stopped someone came running out the car towards the hospital. at that point he had no way to know if what he was being told was true or not.
and ya his mom was dying but i'm pretty sure the last thing you wanna do is tell a cop to "go find it yourself".
But it wasn't like they stopped, and she bolted.
There was some dialog.:dunno:
see RB and jessie post^^^^^
Last edited by hitman619; 03-26-2009 at 01:11 PM.
03-26-2009, 01:22 PM
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Puhleeeease. The cop was definitely a pole smoker, lets get that outta the way first. As far as race, wtf dude? Like that pointed to race. It coulda been anything. If he felt threatened by anyone, even if they were purple he could have taken his actions. Lots of pigs, er cops, have their gun in hand as they approach a car. It happens to me and Im a white boy to the letter. Its a tired, way overused excuse. If racism does happen, string the motherfucker up but just because soomething happens thats negative to a black person, doesnt mean its because they are black.
What would I call it? A typical cop. :chuckles:
Last edited by Fire; 03-26-2009 at 01:24 PM.
