TTQ B4U Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 IMO, this cop was way out of line and taking his position and his "power" too far and not recognizing how a persons situation and how emotions come into play given a family member who is dying. I mean come on, a car racing into a hospital with family pleading with him....it became pretty clear fairly quickly that they were not running from him. Hell, the father and nurses even came out to plead with him to let the guy in. I love his story at the end of the video about chasing another guy into a dead end street. I'm sorry but not even remotely the same situation dude. Book smarts and reading the situation up front is one thing, but to go as long as he did once he had the guys drivers license and ran him in the computer. Yeah, you were doing your "job" buddy, but how about getting your head out of your ass and putting a simple red light ticket in perspective with a persons situation. Still feel you need to cite him, fine, do it, but don't make your timing of the situation a priority over a human being who is dying. Way to read the situation. Enjoy desk duty. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/032609dnmetcopstop.3e9c080.html?nTar=OPUR Dallas police: Officer drew gun during traffic stop of NFL player outside hospital 12:54 PM CDT on Thursday, March 26, 2009 By STEVE THOMPSON and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News The Dallas Police Department confirmed Thursday that an officer drew a gun on NFL running back Ryan Moats and his wife after he stopped them to give them a ticket even as they begged to hurry to the bedside of their dying mother. Video Unedited dash camera video documents entire incident (Dallas Police Department) 03/26/2009 More general news video View larger E-mail Clip More Video News Videos Unedited Dallas police dashboard camera video shows traffic stop of NFL player Ryan Moats Irving ISD storing thousands of unused textbooks Hillary Clinton visits Mexico, promises help in drug war As he rushed his family to the hospital, Ryan Moats, 26, rolled through a red light. A Dallas police officer pulled their SUV over outside the emergency room at the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. “He was pointing a gun at me as soon as I got out of the car,” said his wife, Tamishia Moats. “It was the weirdest feeling because I’ve never had a gun pointed at me before under those circumstances.” Seconds later, Ryan Moats and his wife explained that her mother was dying inside the hospital. “You really want to go through this right now?” Moats pleaded. “My mother-in-law is dying. Right now!” A Dallas police spokesman said that Officer Robert Powell told his commanders that he drew his gun, but did not point it. Lt. Andy Harvey said it is not unusual for officers to draw a gun without pointing it. Drawing a gun is not unusual in traffic stops where officers feel threatened. Officer Powell could not be reached for comment. Powell, 25, spent long minutes writing Moats a ticket and threatened him with arrest during the incident. “I can screw you over,” the officer told Moats. “I’d rather not do that.” The scene last week, captured by a dashboard video camera, prompted apologies and the promise of an investigation from Dallas police officials. “There were some things that were said that were disturbing, to say the least,” said Harvey. Moats’ mother-in-law, Jonetta Collinsworth, was struggling at 45 with breast cancer that had spread throughout her body. Family members rushed to her bedside from as far away as California. On March 17, the Moatses had gone to their Frisco home to get some rest. Around midnight, they received word that they needed to hurry back to the hospital if they wanted to see Collinsworth before she died. The couple, along with Collinsworth’s father and an aunt, jumped into the SUV and headed back toward the hospital. They exited the Dallas North Tollway, just down the street from the hospital. Moats turned on his hazard lights. He stopped at a red light, where, he said, the only nearby motorist signaled for him to go ahead. He went through. Powell, watching traffic from a hidden spot, flipped on his lights and sirens. In less than a minute, he caught up to the SUV and followed for about 20 more seconds as Moats found a parking spot outside the emergency room. Tamishia, 27, was the first out. Powell drew his gun and yelled at her to get back in. “Get in there!” he yelled. “Let me see your hands!” “My mom is dying,” she explained to him. Powell was undeterred. “I saw in his eyes that he really did not care,” Tamishia Moats said. “Honestly, I don’t think I cared that he had a gun pointed at me. My train of thought is that I’m going to see my mom in the hospital before she dies.” Tamishia Moats and her great-aunt ignored the officer and headed into the hospital. “It was almost like a movie,” she said, “It felt like we had robbed a bank or something.” Ryan Moats, who stayed behind with the father of the dying woman, said Powell also pointed his gun at him. He said he put his hands on the car because he was afraid that he might get shot. “I put my hands on the car so he couldn’t say I reached for something,” Ryan said. “He didn’t ask me to put my hands on the car. I just did it to try to protect myself. I was pleading with him.” He tried to explain the situation to the officer. “I waited until no traffic was coming,” Moats told Powell, explaining his passage through the red light. “I got seconds before she’s gone, man.” Powell demanded his license and proof of insurance. Moats produced his license but said he didn’t know where the insurance paperwork was. “Just give me a ticket or whatever,” he said, beginning to sound exasperated and a little argumentative. “Shut your mouth,” Powell told him. “You can cooperate and settle down, or I can just take you to jail for running a red light.” There was more back and forth. “If you’re going to give me a ticket, give me a ticket.” “Your attitude says that you need one.” “All I’m asking you is just to hurry up.” Powell began a lecture. “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 made several more points, including that the SUV was illegally parked. Moats replied “Yes sir” to each. “Understand what I can do,” Powell concluded. “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 arrived and told Powell that the Moatses’ relative really was upstairs dying. Powell spent several minutes inside his squad car, in part to check Moats for outstanding warrants. He found none. Another hospital staffer came out and spoke with a Plano police officer who had arrived. “Hey, that’s the nurse,” the Plano officer told Powell. “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. “I’m almost done.” As Moats signed the ticket, Powell continued his lecture. “Attitude’s everything,” he said. “All you had to do is stop, tell me what was going on. More than likely, I would have let you go.” It had been about 13 minutes. Moats and Collinsworth’s father went into the hospital, where they found Collinsworth had died, with her daughter at her side. The Moatses, who are black, said Wednesday that 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 who attended Bishop Lynch High School and now plays for the Houston Texans. Powell was hired in January 2006. Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson said Powell told police officials that he believed that he was doing his job. He has been re-assigned to dispatch pending an investigation. “When people are in distress, we should come to the rescue,” said Simpson. “We shouldn’t further their distress.” Collinsworth was buried Saturday in Louisiana. Rebecca Lopez of WFAA-TV contributed to this report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Could he seriously be arrested for running a red light? The cop definitely sounded like a dick. The fact that Moats threw the race card, that kinda pisses me off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted March 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Could he seriously be arrested for running a red light? The cop definitely sounded like a dick. The fact that Moats threw the race card, that kinda pisses me off. Race card....I normally would not like seeing that played either, but in this case, since the cop was such a dick, I can see it being a factor. Pimp Truck, young black guy, etc.....I agree with him and think the cop let race play a factor. What pisses me off is he claims if Moats would have had a better attitude he would have "listened" I guess his training only informs him to listen when he people kiss his ass...as it's funny, once Moats began to do so the cop then lightened up just a bit. He even had the dumb shits to fucking still ticket the guy! Fuck, I can see it being the case, but then to not step back from the situation and relate to the guys situation....give me a break. Like a damn ticket of any kind matters at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sol740 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Cop was a dick, should be relieved of pay for awhile. Race ? Jesus ... can't people just be dicks cause they're dicks and not because they're racist ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farkas Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 As much as I hate the race card, I think it's safe to make that assumption.. this was clearly uncalled for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragknee66 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Ya he could have handled it a little differently for sure. The race card thing though, is getting f*cking old for real. Give it up already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I think they threw the race card out there just to stick it to them the way he did to them....cause they could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sol740 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I think they threw the race card out there just to stick it to them the way he did to them....cause they could. Awwwwww ... I'm tapping my nose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 “It was the weirdest feeling because I’ve never had a gun pointed at me before under those circumstances.” I LoL's there for a min. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro1647545510 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 As soon as I saw the title of this thread I knew what story this was about... I agree with the OP, cop was definitely a dick and I think race had something to do it.. That's complete bullsh*t for a cop to act like that over a red light when the guys mother in law is upstairs dying. I think any one of us would have acted like Moats if we were in the same situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted March 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 As soon as I saw the title of this thread I knew what story this was about... I agree with the OP, cop was definitely a dick and I think race had something to do it.. That's complete bullsh*t for a cop to act like that over a red light when the guys mother in law is upstairs dying. I think any one of us would have acted like Moats if we were in the same situation. Our dog dropped of a heart attack on Christmas Eve and I raced her to MedVet in a safe but direct manner. I too ran two red lights after stopping and looking and didn't care. Granted it was a dog vs human, but I can 110% agree that outside handcuffing me and putting me in the car, they could have written whatever ticket they wanted or towed my van, it wouldn't have mattered. And I'd do it again too. I'll hijack my own thread with a small tribute to one of my best friends ever. http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/81616915/small.jpg http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/33931529/small.jpg http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/50109082/small.jpg http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/6066811/small.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 “It was the weirdest feeling because I’ve never had a gun pointed at me before under those circumstances.” I LoL's there for a min. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/33931529/small.jpg Boxers > * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 look at it from the point of view of the police officer, pulls a car over and people come out yelling at him/running off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Beast Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 (edited) That officer went too far. I was at my fathers death bed last month. If anyone would have taken that from me or my family I would have done everything in my power to make their life hell for as long as I could... and this is coming from a person that doesnt believe in revenge. His initial actions were ok. The BS he did afterwards (just to prove a point) will have his name plastered all over the media nationwide. Oh, and even if it is racially motivated there is no need to throw it out there. The race card actually hurts the situation more than it helps it. Edited March 26, 2009 by V8 Beast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent Orange Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I don't think it was race related. More of a God complex than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimTaylor751647545500 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 What a dick. / Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OGRE Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I personally hate it when people hide behind race as an explination of thier problems. I think that most of the time it is used as a cop-out. But in this case it is impossible to say without a doubt race was not a factor. The cop needs to assist the public instead of harrasing them. the cop should get about 2 weeks NO pay. imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimTaylor751647545500 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 "Next time this happens" So next time when his mother-in-law is on her deathbed he'll remember this situation. What an asshole. Surprised he didn't write him a ticket for parking in the handicapped spot too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1647545498 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I heard in the video that the hospital staff told the officer that his mother in law was in code blue and needed to sign papers to have her resuscitated? So... could she have died because the officer didn't let them go? Now that would be something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragknee66 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I would bet this stuff happens a lot and were just hearing about it because its some NFL dude. If it was anyone else it would have probably been swept under a rug. Im actually get tired of of these "famous" people getting special treatment, its all BS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jizzle Juice Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 If that happens alot its not cool to just "sweep it under the rug" i dont thinks that right at all! If its happened before and no actions was takin thats straight BS. I think he was profiling but i just watched and he's gettin leave with pay! messed up if u ask me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboNova Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nurkvinny Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 “It was the weirdest feeling because I’ve never had a gun pointed at me before under those circumstances.” I LoL's there for a min. Ahhh, I waned to post that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87GT Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 The cop was out of line for sure. What a dick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.