Dallas police delayed NFL player as relative died

The Associated Press ^ | March, 26, 2009 | The Associated Press

[goodolemr]

PLANO, Texas (AP) — A police officer was put on desk duty after pulling over an NFL player rushing to see his dying mother-in-law in the hospital and holding him in the hospital parking lot as she died.

Dallas police officer Robert Powell stopped Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats' SUV outside Baylor Regional Medical Center during the early hours of March 18 after Moats rolled through a red light. Moats and his family had gotten a call saying his mother-in-law was dying.

Video from a dashboard camera inside the officer's vehicle, obtained by Dallas-Fort Worth station WFAA-TV, revealed an intense exchange in which the officer threatened to jail Moats.

[JLS]

Here is the reaction of the Dallas Chief of Police:

http://www.wfaa.com/video/index.html?nvid=345864

Perhaps if they watch this the defenders of the jerk will realize how wrong the are.

[JLS]

If Moats had kicked that guys butt and gone into the hospital, I would have voted not guilty had I been on the jury and seen that tape.

[JLS]

That is quite an article. Sounds like the cop comitted negligent homicide to me. I wonder if he has been arrested yet?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

When I got the call that my mother was going to die soon (cancer), I HAULED ASS to get to her. I would gladly go to jail on reckless driving, fleeing the scene, or resisting arrest if it meant I could be with her when she passed to the other side.

Naturally.

At least Moats’s wife was able to be by her mother’s side when she died. What’s truly inexcusable to me is that Moat’s grandfather-in-law was also held up by that cop along with Moats and IT WAS HIS DAUGHTER WHO DIED. Un-freaking-believable.

Incomprehensible. I was thinking last night, I almost hope that cop was a racist - I shudder to think that he treats everyone in such a heartless manner. Besides, he is gonna go down for racism, anyway - and he darn well should go down - so I guess in that sense it might as well be true. If he is not a racist, you sure couldn't tell it from that video!

Death of a loved one is already an overwhelming experience. I can’t even imagine how I’d react if I was put in his situation. It’s a credit to Moats that he didn’t punch the smug smile off the cop’s face.

. . . The people defending the cop in this thread seem to be completely lacking any heart or empathy.

It's not like all the people defending the cop are newbie trolls, either; they're people I tend to agree with and want to think well of. I just don't understand it. I just don't. What can they think it will do for them to have a tenth of the population associating their skin color with that!

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

punch the smug smile off the cop’s face.

I'd like to think his boss, or society will wipe that smile off. Still the union will object.

I'm confident that his boss will get out in front on this as quickly and as completely as possible. And that the union will count the cost, if nothing else, and acquiesce in it. Anyone who allows themselves to be tarred with this one will go to their grave regretting it. It's radioactive.

The thing that gets me is the thought that the cop actually believed that it was no big deal, knowing that he was on videotape. And that videotape tends to get edited down to the part that shows cops in the worst light, and played on TV.

He must have thought that it wouldn't see the light of day. Is it only because the driver turns out to be an NFL player that this got coverage? That cop - and plenty of black folks - must think so.

[steve-b]

I dunno about it being a race thing — sounds like this cop was just an a-hole who let power go to his head.

[Conspiracy Guy]

But but but...... I thought it us that want to control the people