Traffic cop denies Texans running back last visit with dying mother-in-law

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Controversy has erupted in the Dallas police department after a Houston Texans running back was denied a chance to see his mother-in-law before she died due to a traffic stop.

Ryan Moats was speeding to the hospital on March 17 when he was stopped in the parking lot by officer Robert Powell.

Despite the pleas of both Moats' wife, Tamishia, and hospital nurses, Powell held Moats up for 20 minutes while he searched for insurance. Tamishia's mother died while Moats argued with the officer.

"I went up after she passed and held her hand, but she was already gone," Moats told Dallas/Fort Worth radio station WFAA.


The police department has apologized to Moats, dropped his speeding ticket and launched an internal investigation into Powell's actions (click here to see the exchange between the officer and the running back).

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2009/03/26/traffic-cop-denies-texans-running-back-last-visit-with-dying-mother-in-law.aspx

The appropriate response was to give him a police escort with the lights on or let him leave his car and give him a ride.

[DS1]

1. I don't know about an escort with flashing lights

Yeah it sucks that a relative is dying, but it doesn't give you the right to go blasting through the streets at whatever speed you like.

However, the cop could have been more understanding, and not tried to get his authority-rocks off.

[tabatha]

3. It was not a speeding violation.

It was a red light violation.

[peacetalksforall]

9. It sounded like it was about not making a full stop at a red light before turning. Very confusing .

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. What

He wanted to see his mother in law before she died.

The policeman could have easily let him leave his car and given him a ride.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. The Story Gets Worse

The man was already in the hospital parking lot. The policeman could have went up with him and then given him a ticket. In that scenario he's just mean as opposed to being stupid and mean.

[DS1]

7. The video I saw showed a definite pursuit

it's in the PV forum

[Hugabear]

8. It gets even worse than that

From what I heard, some nurses from the hospital even came out and confirmed that yes, his mother-in-law was dying.

And people wonder why so many people have an attitude when it comes to cops.

[BarbaRosa]

2. Small people, with big badges.

[derby378]

6. The hospital in question was in Plano, not Dallas

I know the suburbs around here share jurisdiction with Dallas, but this is ridiculous. A Plano officer arrived on the scene and should have taken charge of the incident immediately, but didn't. Instead, the poor guy had to wait another 20 minutes while being lectured by the Dallas cop, who was also the slowest citation writer on the force.

Meanwhile, his mother died.

[Johonny]

10. Football >>> police in the hearts of Texans

I imagine no sympathy for that officer

[MercutioATC]

11. That sucks...especially when so many of us work to help in situations like this.

I'm an air traffic controller and we have a much different take on these things.

Just last week, we had a commercial flight into Cleveland with a passenger trying to make it back home in time to see a dying relative. We moved other planes to do it, but we let them fly fast, directly to the airport. I have no idea if the passenger made it in time, but I did my part.

ATC is a pretty structured thing, but we realize that there are situations that warrant bending the rules. I hope that this cop at least feels bad for how he handled things.

[old mark]

12. Ryan Moats used to be an Eagle, and he is a decent guy,

certainly no one who in any way deserves something like this to be done to him.
The cop saw a large, black man and decided to fuck with him - and if Moats had been an ordinary guy, the cop would have gotten away with it.

(FWIW, he is also a rocket when he has room to run.)

mark

[KamaAina]

13. Amen to that. There was a similar situation in Pittsburgh

cops shot a black man dead. Story on page B3 of the Post-Gazette, and that would've been all -- except that the guy had a cousin who played for the Steelers. You do not mess with a Steeler (or the cousin of one) in the 'Burgh. So it became front-page news, again, only because of football.

[old mark]

14. If he had not been famous, he would probably be in jail right now. nt