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

HKC · Mar 26, 2009

mrpaige said:

Because they were already in the hospital parking lot by the time he caught up to them seems to imply that they were already going to the hospital.

At the very least, it takes no time to ask what the emergency is (on the few times I've been pulled over for speeding, the officer nearly almost always asked if there was some sort of emergency).

And there's nothing that says the officer can't verify a situation. Escort the family inside and see if they really do have a dying relative. If not, feel free to write the ticket. Heck, write the ticket at the dying woman's bedside if it's so important.

It would've taken very little effort to verify any story. The officer, however, didn't even wait to hear the story before pulling his weapon and dismissed all claims out of hand (and he's even non-committal on the idea of letting him go if he had stopped twenty seconds sooner. He just says he "probably" would've let him go, which may or may not be true. Why, if he didn't even think to determine whether there was an actual emergency situation when they were at the emergency room would it be believable that 20 seconds sooner, in a different part of the same parking lot, he would've said "okay. Go ahead. I'm not going to run your plates, or your DL, or insurance or write you a ticket"?)
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You're probably right. The officer must hate black people like George W. Bush.

Rocketman95 · Mar 26, 2009

HKC said:

You're probably right. The officer must hate black people like George W. Bush.
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please point out where mrpaige said it was race-related. you can be a dick and in the wrong without being a racist. ask madmax. he argues about everything.

mrpaige · Mar 26, 2009

Yes. That's exactly what I said. Despite the fact that I said I doubted it was race-related and more that the guy is just a jerk on a power trip who's own bosses say he was wrong, I really meant that he handled it the way he did because of the race situation.

I'm just saying that 20 seconds is pulling over right away. The officer immediately pulls his gun and makes no effort to ascertain, despite the fact that they're at the EMERGENCY ROOM, if there is an emergency. And your fantasy of "They might have just seen the hospital and pulled in to try and avoid the ticket" could be avoided simply by taking half a second to try to verify or noting that they turned onto the street that has nothing BUT hospitals on it and deadends in hospital parking lots FAR before the officer ever caught up to them.

Also, it probably was especially bad since the red light in question was on off-ramp of the George Bush Turnpike.

updawg · Mar 26, 2009

HKC said:

But, whatever, this cop should not be fired. I would want his back when the ***** hits the fan and people shooting at you instead of the "sensitive" officer.
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he'd probably screw up that situation and shoot you

Rocket River · Mar 26, 2009

HKC said:

I was trying to say how does the cop know that these dudes saw the hospital and the first thing they thought was pulling in and making up a BS story to get out of whatever they were in. Highly possible.

But, whatever, this cop should not be fired. I would want his back when the ***** hits the fan and people shooting at you instead of the "sensitive" officer.
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Chances are. . . he will be the REASON the **** hits the fan

Rocket River

ferrari77 · Mar 26, 2009

Wow some folk ahem*HKC and the nuisance that shall not be named* really do like to stir the pot or they just have comprehension issues.

Amazing.

BMoney · Mar 26, 2009

HKC said:

You're probably right. The officer must hate black people like George W. Bush.
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So, after having your argument completely discredited, you go with this weak-ass crap? Stop posting.

moestavern19 · Mar 26, 2009

HKC has pretty much been on a reign of **** posts today.

Shroopy2 · Mar 26, 2009

HKC said:

I was trying to say how does the cop know that these dudes saw the hospital and the first thing they thought was pulling in and making up a BS story to get out of whatever they were in. Highly possible.

But, whatever, this cop should not be fired. I would want his back when the ***** hits the fan and people shooting at you instead of the "sensitive" officer.
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I do agree with certain aspects of this too. For sure what cops dont EVER like is people making spontaneous moves of their own after they've been pulled over. Innocents and assailants all mostly look the same to them. Police have guns but that doesnt mean whoever they're pulling over doesnt have guns.

And we want cops to clean out every ill of society, sweep the streets of all the crookedness. Then want them to help take down kitties stuck in the tree. Two differing approaches there, not much balance can be struck. Its usually either caring or hardcore.

But in this instance the cop could have given a liiiitle more leeway I think. Coulda simply said I already pulled you over so I'ma give you a quick ticket, prove the emergency to a judge not me.

KingCheetah · Mar 26, 2009

HKC = WWR

Kate81 · Mar 26, 2009

Just another reason to hate Dallas and cops.

Sad story...

ccada · Mar 26, 2009

Shroopy2 said:

I do agree with certain aspects of this too. For sure what cops dont EVER like is people making spontaneous moves of their own after they've been pulled over. Innocents and assailants all mostly look the same to them. Police have guns but that doesnt mean whoever they're pulling over doesnt have guns.

And we want cops to clean out every ill of society, sweep the streets of all the crookedness. Then want them to help take down kitties stuck in the tree. Two differing approaches there, not much balance can be struck. Its usually either caring or hardcore.

But in this instance the cop could have given a liiiitle more leeway I think. Coulda simply said I already pulled you over so I'ma give you a quick ticket, prove the emergency to a judge not me.
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I think you could hear it in the guy's voice that he wasn't fabricating a story. But whatever the case may be, just let the guy go in, and wait by the car if you have to, or better yet, don't give him a ticket at all. Girls get warnings all the time by flirting with the police (just an example). I think he could've given a pass to a guy going through an extraordinary circumstance like this. He shouldn't be fired, but he should have known better, and it is unfortunate that he has fueled the fire that cops are jerks/power hungry/racist, etc. because a lot of cops I know are good, decent people.

RudyTBag · Mar 26, 2009

moestavern19 said:

HKC has pretty much been on a reign of **** posts today.
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It is kind of impressive really.

HKC, step away from the keyboard...

Lil Pun · Mar 26, 2009

knote32 said:

It is kind of impressive really.

HKC, step away from the keyboard...

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Looks like he has...

madmonkey37 · Mar 26, 2009

Just watched the unedited video. Didn't see or sense any racism at all, seemed to me that the cop was just ignorant and inconsiderate, then anything else. Looked like he didn't like Moat's attitude(understandable) when he first got out and the cop had to flex his egotistical muscle to show show em whose the boss.

BrieflySpeaking · Mar 26, 2009

What a d******d, I hope his ass gets fired.

IROC it · Mar 27, 2009

Trader_Jorge said:

So I watched the video. The two women got to go inside the hospital, but not after verbally abusing the cop. Not exactly respectful attitudes on display by the passengers, either.

This is being blown WAAAAAY out of proportion.
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You, sir, are a frickin' idiot.

DaDakota · Mar 27, 2009

I wish I could say I was surprised, but so many cops get an inflated sense of self importance.

Never forget they work FOR YOU !!!

DD

Lady_Di · Mar 27, 2009

One of my sorority sisters who used to live up there said Moats was one of her high school classmates and he was very gracious and nice.

This is just wrong. Holding him up was so unnecessary!! Just give him the ticket and let him go. Ugh!

Yonkers · Mar 27, 2009

He got suspended.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa090325_mo_detained.6f8a23c1.html

DALLAS — Racing to see his dying mother-in-law at a Plano hospital, an NFL player found himself delayed by a Dallas officer as her life ebbed away. It's a story that has sparked outrage across North Texas and generated interest around the country.

Dallas police Chief David Kunkle faced reporters Thursday afternoon to express his embarrassment over the incident and to publicly apologize to the family. He said the officer involved failed to use common sense. Officer Robert Powell, a three-year veteran, has been placed on leave facing internal charges of misconduct.

It all started in the early morning hours of March 17. With his wife and another woman in the car, Ryan Moats — a running back for the Houston Texans — sped his car toward Baylor Regional Medical Center of Plano. But when the Moats arrived at the emergency room parking lot, they were stopped by Officer Robert Powell, who reportedly drew his service revolver on the concerned family members.

Dashcam video from the Dallas officer's patrol car captured the incident.

"Get in there," Officer Powell yelled out to Tamishia Moats, Ryan's wife, as she exited the car. "Let me see your hands. Get in there. Put your hands on the car."

"Excuse me; my mom is dying," Tamisha Moats replied.

She and the other woman ignored Officer Powell's commands and rushed inside the hospital to her dying mother as Ryan Moats and Officer Powell went back-and-forth over insurance paperwork the NFL player was unable to locate.

MOATS: "I've got seconds before she's gone, man."

POWELL: "Listen: If I can't verify you have insurance..."

MOATS: "My mother-in-law is dying!"

POWELL: "Listen to me."

MOATS: "Right now, you're wasting my time."

POWELL: "If you can't verify you have insurance, I'm going to tow your car. So, you either find it or I am going to tow the car."

As they argued, the officer got irritated.

POWELL: "Shut your mouth. Shut your mouth. You can either settle down and cooperate, or I can just take you to jail for running a red light."
Dallas PD
The tape shows a nurse coming out of the hospital, pleading with Officer Powell to let Moats join his wife and her dying mother inside..

"I certainly hope anybody who saw the videotape immediately understood how serious the misconduct is," Chief Kunkle said Thursday afternoon. "I don't know how you train for these circumstances other than to hire people with good common sense and people skills."

In a telephone interview, Moats said the clash with the officer was totally unexpected. "For him to not even be sympathetic at all, and basically we're dogs or something and we don't matter — it basically shocked me," he said.

No compassion was indicated in the police recording of the incident. "I can screw you over," Officer Powell said. "I would rather not do that. You obviously will dictate everything that happens; and right now, your attitude sucks."

"My understanding is that Officer Powell — even after he saw the videotape — believed he had not acted inappropriately," Chief Kunkle said, a view that was underscored by Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson, who reviewed the tape with Officer Powell on Wednesday.

"His belief was simply that he was doing his job," Chief Simpson said. "It did concern me that it just seemed that the compassion was not there."

The hospital twice sent nurses to try and get the officer to release Moats.

"We're blue-coding her for the third time," a nurse said on the police videotape.

A Plano police officer stopped to make a plea for the officer to let Moats go. "Hey, that's the nurse," the Plano officer said. "She says the mom is dying right now, and she wants to know if I can get him up there."

Finally, after a 20-minute delay, the officer ticketed Moats for running a red light.

By the time Moats made it up to the emergency room, his mother-in-law was dead.

"I went up after she passed and held her hand, but she was already gone," Moats said in a telephone interview.

Dallas police have launched a review of the incident.

“When it came to our attention, we immediately called for an internal investigation to be done,” said police spokesman Lt. Andy Havey.

"The essence of being a police officer is common sense and discretion," Chief Kunkle added. "I can't imagine a worse circumstance."

WFAA.com has received over 1,000 comments comments about the incident since the story first aired on Channel 8 Wednesday night.
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[Dallas] NFL player's police saga at Plano hospital captured on dash cam

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

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