Asshole of a cop on power trip detains NFL player rushing dying mom to hospital

[stinkynuts]

The video is difficult to watch....

http://nothingtoxic.com/media/12382...ins_NFL_Player_At_ER_While_Mother_in_Law_Dies

NFL player's police saga at Plano hospital captured on dash cam

12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, March 26, 2009
By STEVE THOMPSON and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News


As he rushed his family to the hospital, 26-year-old NFL running back Ryan Moats rolled through a red light. A Dallas police officer pulled their SUV over outside the emergency room.

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!"

Officer Robert Powell, 25, was unmoved. He spent long minutes writing Moats a ticket and threatened him with arrest.

"I can screw you over," the officer said. "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 Wednesday.

"There were some things that were said that were disturbing, to say the least," said Lt. Andy Harvey, a police spokesman.

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 night of their incident with Powell, 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 Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. They exited the Dallas North Tollway at Preston Road, 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.

Moats' wife, 27-year-old Tamishia, was the first out. Powell yelled at her to get back in.

"Get in there!" he yelled. "Let me see your hands!"

"My mom is dying," she explained.

Powell was undeterred.

"I saw in his eyes that he really did not care," Tamishia Moats said Wednesday.

Tamishia Moats and her great-aunt ignored the officer and headed into the hospital. Ryan Moats stayed behind with the father of the dying woman.

"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, hired in January 2006, did not return a call for comment. Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson said Powell told police officials that he believed that he was doing his job. He has been reassigned 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.

 

[calloway]

I can only imagine how many bullshit stories/excuses police have to listen to... and 98.3% are truly bullshit.

It's unfortunate that this happened and condolences to the family.

 

[Cleftwynd]

Wow, just wow


A public apology followed by the officer losing his job is just a start.

 

[Angela@Mirage]

The video is difficult to watch....

http://nothingtoxic.com/media/12382...ins_NFL_Player_At_ER_While_Mother_in_Law_Dies

That is your prime example of a PIG for a police officer.

 

[AJstar]

I can only imagine how many bullshit stories/excuses police have to listen to... and 98.3% are truly bullshit.

It's unfortunate that this happened and condolences to the family.

Problem is they had already raced to the hospital. Great acting for BS. The cop should have gone into the hospital with the offender and if his story was BS then arrest him. If not leave.

 

[rama putri]

I'm glad they published the officers name. I hope that asshole ends up sweeping floors for the rest of his life. That seems to be the upper limit of his emotional and thinking capacity.

 

[The Oracle]

Problem is they had already raced to the hospital. Great acting for BS. The cop should have gone into the hospital with the offender and if his story was BS then arrest him. If not leave.

No arguments from me. That would have been the right thing to do. It would have been a no lose situation for the cop. If they had beem BSing him then they get arrested. If not then he looks good for escorting them inside.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

I can only imagine how many bullshit stories/excuses police have to listen to... and 98.3% are truly bullshit.

It's unfortunate that this happened and condolences to the family.

I'm sure they get bullshit excuses, but the number of those running stop signs to get to a hospital would lower that number to about 10% I would think.

This is an episode where the cop looked at the letter of the law instead of just looking at circumstances. If someone is running reds to get to a hospital and doesn't cause any problems on the road (in the video there were no other vehicles out there), then I'd say chances are it's pretty important. And if it's not life-and-death, then they are easily detainable (they're in a hospital and the car is right there) and the cop can then throw the book at the offender (as someone suggested earlier.)

Just another meathead cop who forgot/ignored the "serve" part of "To serve and protect." Serving the public good includes showing compassion and using common sense. Because of this PIG's (and there's a big difference between a cop and pig) actions, this man was left outside arguing with a cop instead of being at his mother-in-law's side when she passed.

 

[tboy]

I can only imagine how many bullshit stories/excuses police have to listen to... and 98.3% are truly bullshit.

It's unfortunate that this happened and condolences to the family.

Exactly. So...the cop should be suspended for doing his job? He's an asshole for doing his job? He's a PIG for doing his job?

The key line in that video is: This is not an emergency vehicle, you do not have the right to ignore traffic signals......

So, since the cop is now suspended FOR DOING HIS JOB now anytime anyone runs a red light, stop sign, speeds, just has to say: MY MOTHER IN LAW IS DYING AND IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO YOU'LL BE SUSPENDED.

So, it is the cop's fault for the arguing? If the driver had just given him the information he needed (licence insurance etc) there would have been no argument and he would have been on his way in a matter of minutes.

So, folks, if you want to speed, run red lights, run stop signs, and a cop starts chasing you, just drive to the nearest hospital. Tell him that someone is dying and you're good to go! (that's what you're all saying).

 

[Liquid Snake]

Exactly. So...the cop should be suspended for doing his job? He's an asshole for doing his job? He's a PIG for doing his job?

His job is to use his discretion. He failed miserably, despite multiple instances that he was wrong. The minute the first nurse/doctor came out to explain the situation, he should have let him go. Instead he decided ti be pig-headed and stubborn.

Police are trained and tested/selected to make the correct decision efficiently in these sorts of situations. The officer failed in his job. This time it only cost someone their last moments with loved ones. Next time it could cost a whole lot more.

 

[rama putri]

As usual tboy misses the mark by a long shot. Discretionary thinking is all people are asking for. Emotional intelligence. Do you not understand that? What differentiates a good cop from a PIG is the one that looks around - reasonable explanation, in the hospital parking lot, other corroborative 3rd parties, no attitude from Ryan, etc... I just realized I am pointing this out to someone who related to Powell. There is no purpose in explaining this to someone devoid of emotional intelligence.

 

[lookingforitallthetime]

Exactly. So...the cop should be suspended for doing his job? He's an asshole for doing his job? He's a PIG for doing his job?

The key line in that video is: This is not an emergency vehicle, you do not have the right to ignore traffic signals......

So, since the cop is now suspended FOR DOING HIS JOB now anytime anyone runs a red light, stop sign, speeds, just has to say: MY MOTHER IN LAW IS DYING AND IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO YOU'LL BE SUSPENDED.

So, it is the cop's fault for the arguing? If the driver had just given him the information he needed (licence insurance etc) there would have been no argument and he would have been on his way in a matter of minutes.

So, folks, if you want to speed, run red lights, run stop signs, and a cop starts chasing you, just drive to the nearest hospital. Tell him that someone is dying and you're good to go! (that's what you're all saying).

I agree. What right does anyone have to endanger the lives of others in order to get to a deathbed?

I say NONE.

 

[tboy]

What video did you watch? I didn't see a nurse or doctor come out.....

That's the point: it is up to the cop to follow the rules and do his job or not. To penalize a cop FOR DOING HIS JOB which is enforcing the law FIRST AND FOREMOST is ludicrous.

 

[tboy]

As usual tboy misses the mark by a long shot. Discretionary thinking is all people are asking for. Emotional intelligence. Do you not understand that? What differentiates a good cop from a PIG is the one that looks around - reasonable explanation, in the hospital parking lot, other corroborative 3rd parties, no attitude from Ryan, etc... I just realized I am pointing this out to someone who related to Powell. There is no purpose in explaining this to someone devoid of emotional intelligence.

Like I said: according to you, and the police dept that suspended the cop, all one has to do when being chased by the cops is pull into a hospital and tell him someone is dying....

 

[calloway]

This will piss off some... but if she was on her death bed... why did they leave in the first place? I never left my Dad's bedside for his last week.

 

[Rylan]

I'm sure they get bullshit excuses, but the number of those running stop signs to get to a hospital would lower that number to about 10% I would think.

This is an episode where the cop looked at the letter of the law instead of just looking at circumstances. If someone is running reds to get to a hospital and doesn't cause any problems on the road (in the video there were no other vehicles out there), then I'd say chances are it's pretty important. And if it's not life-and-death, then they are easily detainable (they're in a hospital and the car is right there) and the cop can then throw the book at the offender (as someone suggested earlier.)

Just another meathead cop who forgot/ignored the "serve" part of "To serve and protect." Serving the public good includes showing compassion and using common sense. Because of this PIG's (and there's a big difference between a cop and pig) actions, this man was left outside arguing with a cop instead of being at his mother-in-law's side when she passed.

I have been in this situation myself before. I didn't run any lights, but I was speeding like a race car driver. From about 2 minutes away from the hospital, the cop started following me, and I didn't stop. I went right to the hospital and didn't even go into the parking, parking illegally ina tow zone, but not an ambulance zone. When the cop pulled up and told me to stay in the car, I said, "sorry Dude - you got to follow me."

He did and caught up to me at the elevator, which I was holding for him. He wouldn't get in and was telling to get out. I said, then take the stairs and meet me on the ICU floor, my grandfather is dying and I only have minutest o say good bye. I pushed the door closed button, the cop go quickly got in. Once in, I said I am sorry, but I only have minutes. You can give me any speed tickets, parking tickets, take me to jail after ward for not obeying you, but I had to do it. I know I was wrong, but I had to.

We got to the floor, I ran to the room, got dress in my scrubs {clean room} and the cop said, I will be here when you are done. 15 minutes later, I come out and my grandfather is gone.

Went straight to the cop - He said that he moved my car because the keys were still in it and it was running. Gave me back my keys, and said I am sorry for your loss, and left. No ticket, no nothing. That is the serve part of the job.

Was I wrong? Completely and I would not have judge the cop if he had taken me to jail right then, but he was not going to stop me unless he shot me.
I would have taken the chance since I was already at the hospital. No better place to get shot then there right?

 

[tboy]

This will piss off some... but if she was on her death bed... why did they leave in the first place? I never left my Dad's bedside for his last week.

I was thinking the same thing......

 

[Caveman]

This will piss off some... but if she was on her death bed... why did they leave in the first place? I never left my Dad's bedside for his last week.

Here it goes again, blames the victims. I bet you wouldn't say that if Moates wasn't black,

 

[tboy]

Here it goes again, blames the victims. I bet you wouldn't say that if Moates wasn't black,

Who is the victim in this case? The guy who broke the law? Endangered the lives of innocent bystanders?

 

[lookingforitallthetime]

Here it goes again, blames the victims. I bet you wouldn't say that if Moates wasn't black,

Victims? Please. What a crock of shit this post is on so many levels. I'll ignore the "if Moates wasn't black" nonsense.

He was breaking the law and endangering the lives of others on the road. The cop was doing his job. Could he have handled the situation better like the cop in Rylan's story? Sure, maybe he could have but he didn't. Does he deserve to lose his job over it?

As far as I'm concerned Moates was more in the wrong than the cop and to call him a victim is total horse shit.