Ex-Eagle Moats has troubling run-in with cop
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Ex-Eagle Moats has troubling run-in with cop
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Catching up on some online reading this morning and stumbled upon a troubling story involving ex-Eagles running back Ryan Moats.
Moats, 26, joined the Houston Texans last season. He spent a couple of seasons with the Birds after being selected in the third round of the 2005 draft.
Per The Dallas-Morning News and WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth, Moats was hassled by a police officer in Texas as he rushed to the hospital to see his mother in-law, 45-year-old Jonetta Collinsworth, who was dying of breast cancer.
According to The Dallas-Morning News, Moats ran a red light with his hazard lights on a little after midnight on March 17. Moats said the only nearby driver waved him to go ahead.
Police officer Robert Powell followed Moats, who was driving with his wife, Collinsworth's father and her great aunt, to Plano Hospital.
Once they arrived, Moats' wife got out of the car.
"Get in there!" Powell yelled, per the reports. "Let me see your hands!"
"My mom is dying," she explained, ignoring his command and running into the hospital.
Moats, who stayed behind with Collinsworth's father, went back-and-forth with the officer.
"Just give me a ticket or whatever," he said.
"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."
According to the reports, the hospital twice sent nurses outside to ask the officer to let Moats go, but he would not listen.
"If you want to keep this going, I'll just put you in handcuffs," Powell said, "and I'll take you to jail for running a red light."
The entire incident, which lasted either 13 or 20 minutes -- depending on the report -- was captured on video.
An excerpt from the Morning-News article:
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."
By the time Powell finally issued a ticket to Moats and he got into the hospital, it was too late. His mother in-law had already died.
"I went up after she passed and held her hand, but she was already gone," Moats told WFAA-TV.
"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 added later.
Dallas police have launched an investigation, dropped the ticket and apologized, according to the reports.
This is just a brief summary of the incident. There are plenty more details.
Click here for The Dallas-Morning News report and here for the WFAA-TV report.
UPDATE: As some of you pointed out, the video is now posted on WFAA's Web site. Click here to watch it. It provides a clearer perspective than simply reading the quotes. If the clip makes its way to YouTube, please e-mail me and I'll embed it here.
UPDATE II: The videos have been posted on YouTube. They are in two parts. Below is the first part. I'll post the second part in a separate post. And I have to say the situation is even more disturbing when watching the whole thing unfold. Thanks to reader Usman for passing along the link.
Click here for the second part of the video.
Phillymike77. Read the story. It tells you the exchange btw the cop and Moats. There is no other side. The cop was an ahole....and the whole thing is on tape(which you can easily find) if you still don't think the whole story is above. Moats could not have been more respectful of the officer and he was still treated like trash.— Captain- One side of the story? Watch the video on the WFAA link above. A nurse came and another officer came to plead with the cop, but his ego was too big to back down.— mikemaddog
- I am not surprised that happened. I am surprised it is reported on so thoroughly and graphically. Kudos to press coverage here there and everywhere. Police have dangerous jobs. But the tough guy act over a red light infraction en route to a hospital emergency room is over the top.— Chuckle Berry
- Phillymike77, what from the other side do you need to hear that would justify this cop's actions? I agree that cops have to be careful, but if someone from the hospital came out to verify, I think it is unreasonable to detain him any longer. Running a red light at midnight with your flashers on doesn't seem especially dangerous, and Moats says that the only other car saw him and waived him on. This sounds like a little more than a careful cop.— USCMBA
Comment removed.- Phillymike, that might make sense if the car didn't stop at the hospital and if the passenger DIDN'T run inside yelling, 'My mother is dying'.— Pants
- "And I'll take you to jail for running a red light." That is so over the top. When cops act like this, it's a disgrace to the good police out there.— G
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Another case of DWB (driving while Black) in the wrong part of the country.— chemlady
- typical racist texas cop. i wish we could give texas back to mexico.— Ryan
- Phillymike77, what could possibly be the other side of the story? It is unreasonable that the cop would not believe it in this case since Moats actually did drive to the hospital, his wife went rushing in, and nurses came out TWICE telling the cop to let him go. It was midnight and the other driver let him go. It was a car with four adults and the hazards blinking - doesn't the cop have any common sense to take into account the entire situation and ask himself whether Moats's story makes sense. Read the article and think before you type, idiot!— Mayanman
- thats horrible. he was at the hospital. his wife and family was with him. how can that horrible cretin of a cop be so cruel.— green faerie
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- No one was killed Phillymike77. That being said, once the story ws confirmed by the medical staff, the officer mode should have shifted to what's in the best interest of justice and compassion. Justice is not seved in paper work alone. That is what the mantle of which law enforcement as well as our Consttution was build upon— citylove
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