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.
What a scumbag, clearly racist cop. Hopefully a paroled ex-con that hates the police will come across his path one day.— Dr. Martin von Nostrand- Phillymike....go watch the video. It was shot by the officers cruiser cam. Signs that should have helped this cop make the right decision: 1) They are in the hospital parking lot 2) A family gets out of the car crying and runs inside 3)Nurses come outside to explain to the cop the woman is dying and to please let him go he is telling the truth 4)Another officer pulling up and telling the first officer to let them go she is going to die. ALLLLLLLL of those things were ignored by the cop and he detained Moats for 20 minutes. Everyone who says oh the cop was doing his job we don't know what really happened etc...just watch the video. It is obvious to any 4 year old that Moats wasn't trying to "scam" the cop out of a ticket— oldcitymatt
- they should've dragged the cop home behind their car as vindication for his stupidity; he offers nothing to the community or the world at large with his outlook on life and his lack of compassion for it. Condolences to the family, wishing for a horrible life and painful death for the cop and people like him...hopefully one day his family is just to late to catch his dying breath and his last is taken alone.— tkohl
Doesn't another cop at the end say, "I was hoping for something more"? Everything about Texas blows. What a Deliverence state.— Richard Saunders- Phillymike if the cops were at fault then they would not have waived the ticket. I wonder if Officer Powell was caucasian? Hats off to Ryan Moats for taking the high road and remaining polite and a gentleman...something Officer Powell should strive to achieve in future situations like this.— rockinrob
- Hey Phillymike77, sure cops hear made up stories like that all the time, but when it's being told at a hospital and nurses are comming out to plead with the cop, you'd think the cop would use some common sense. Cops provide a valuable service and are underpaid (and most certainly have my respect), but this is not the type of cop society needs. Running a red light is not a smart move, but he was waved on by other drivers.— drog
- Shocked? Get yourself an education: Google "Police Brutality". Watch the hundreds of videos. There you'll also learn the true story behind Janet Reno, FBI, Army S.O. @ WACO, TX.— ItalianSausage
- Hello Phillymike77, anybody home. Your comments are bogus. The Dallas cop was an A-Hole. He didn't run a red light, he had his flashers on and was waved thru by another driver. Once again the Cop was an A-hole and there is no other side to the story. When Nurses came out and told the Cop (idiot) that his Mother-in-Law was dying and to let him go inside, he should have dropped it right there. Anyway, Phillymike77 thanks for your empathy (none) and understanding (none) and I hope it happens to you someday (not really but it felt good saying it to you for your stupid comments...). If the Cop had a brain, he would have saw they were in front of a hospital, they were emotional, and nurses wouldn't come out just for the fun of it. Maybe, he should have gotten just a little bit of a clue that maybe this wasn't one of those 10 times.— Danny55
- PhillyMike - There is no ther side of the story, the entire thing was recorded and video taped...what happened is exactly what you read. I live in the Dallas area now and heard it on the radio this morning. The cop has been placed on dispatch duty while the investigation continues— jacksondog
- Having just lost my mother-in-law in the past week and having my father-in-law pulled over by a police officer for speeding his way to the hospital, this story really shakes me. Thank God the police in the Lehigh Valley are more considerate than this bozo in Texas (there's a shock). It also probably didn't hurt that my father-in-law and mother-in-law are white. This cop should not have a badge. If he had a cool head about him, he would've given Moats an escort to the hospital to be with his mother-in-law and then checked to see if his story was valid.— veritas1325
- PhillyMike, did you read the story? A hospital security officer and a NURSE came down and confirmed the story and the cop STILL wouldn't let him go. He stopped, looked both ways and, at least according to Moats was waved through by another driver. The cop was wrong, DEAD wrong as soon as a security officer from the hospital came out to confirm, and just plain ignorant once a nurse came out. If you read the ESPN.com story (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4017382) which is more detailed, the cop pulled them over IN THE HOSPITAL PARKING LOT, so even then the odds Moats was lying were probably pretty slim. Racist power tripping cop, end of story. WAY more familiar and prevalent then most people would like to admit, but here's a prime example.— MattKnife
- Also, to piggyback on oldcitymatt's point, in the ESPN.com story Moats TELLS THE COP TO JUST GIVE HIM THE TICKET, THAT HE WON'T DISPUTE IT.— MattKnife
I actually had the same thing happen to me twice. Once it was after I hurt my hand severely and another time after a heart attack. I was driven to the hospital by friends on both occasions and had to run a few lights. We stopped to make sure no one was coming, then went through the red light. Both times a cop saw us and followed us to the hospital. He realized we were being as careful as we could under the circumstances and went on his way. Seems like the cop in Texas was having a real bad day to say the least. Seemed like Moats was being reasonably careful and should have been let off [if that is what actually happened].— tpizza- Hey 'Phillymike77' If you can watch the whole tape from the cops dascam, and still sound like an insensitive knucklehead....there is very little hope for your soul. This cop is a colossal IDIOT! And believe me when I say I am 'law and order' kind of guy, and no bleeding heart liberal. Watching the video just outraged me. I don't know how Moats or the poor lady's FATHER(!) stayed as composed as they were, and my heart goes out to the poor man that knew his daughter was dying just scant feet from where he stood and had to put up with this self-important toad of a cop! Thank goodness that at least the police chief knows that this moron is a detriment to his police force, and one hopes that he will be without the badge soon. I wasn't even there, but I feel like apologizing to Moats and his entire family. I wonder if the idiot cop ever will.— TBear
- White cop, black man - happens much in the South!— Irish Frank
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