Officer Apologizes After Delaying Texans’ Moats As Mother-in-law Died?
Do you think this officer should be fired
DALLAS — A Dallas police officer who drew his gun after pulling over an NFL player rushing to a hospital to see his dying mother-in-law apologized Friday for his actions.
The statement from officer Robert Powell was released through his attorneys and referred to his March 18 traffic stop of Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats in a hospital parking lot.
“I wish to publicly and sincerely apologize to the Moats family, my colleagues in the Dallas Police Department and to all those who have been rightfully angered by my actions,” Powell said in the statement. “After stopping Mr. Moats’ vehicle, I showed poor judgment and insensitivity to Mr. Moats and his family by my words and actions.”
Moats issues statement
Texans RB Ryan Moats, and his wife, Tamisha, released a statement on Monday relating to their incident with the Dallas police department on March 18:
“The Moats Family would like to thank the public for all their support and for expressing their condolences during this difficult time. We will now be focusing on our family and healing during this time of grievance.”
In the statement, Powell also said he has attempted to reach Moats but without success.
“Again, I am very sorry for what I did and ask for the forgiveness of all those touched by these unfortunate events,” Powell said.
Powell, a three-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, was placed on paid administrative leave Thursday pending results of an internal investigation into the incident. Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said he was “embarrassed” and “disappointed” after viewing video taken by a dashboard camera inside the officer’s vehicle.
Powell stopped Moats outside Baylor Regional Medical Center in the Dallas suburb of Plano after Moats rolled his sport-utility vehicle through a red light. By the time Moats received a ticket and a lecture from Powell, the player’s mother-in-law had died.
“I can screw you over,” Powell, 25, said at one point in the videotaped incident. When another officer came with word that Moats’ mother-in-law was indeed dying, Powell’s response was: “All right. I’m almost done.”
Police officials said Powell told his commanders he believed he was doing his job and that he drew his gun but didn’t point it. Kunkle said Powell wasn’t necessarily acting improperly when he pulled out his weapon, but that once he realized what was happening he should have put the gun back, apologized and offered to help the family in any way.
“His behavior, in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, the discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit,” Kunkle said.
Moats’ wife, who was in the car along with other relatives, said Powell pointed his weapon at her.
“He was pointing a gun at me as soon as I got out of the car,” Tamishia Moats told The Dallas Morning News.
Ryan Moats told KRLD-FM in Dallas in a phone interview Thursday that after the officer pointed the gun at his wife, he pointed it at him.
“I just tried to stay as still as possible to not scare him or do anything to make him react,” he said.
Moats earlier told the newspaper he believed Powell should be fired but backed off that statement in his radio interview.
“All I know is what he did was wrong,” Moats said. “He stole a moment away from me that I can never get back. I’m really not the judge on what should happen to him.”
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.
Powell ordered Tamishia Moats, 27, to get back in the SUV, but after pausing for a few seconds, she and another woman rushed into the hospital. She was by the side of her mother, 45-year-old Jonetta Collinsworth, when she died a short time later from breast cancer.
“Get in there,” said Powell, yelling at Tamishia Moats as she exited the vehicle. “Let me see your hands!”
NFLPA reaction
DeMaurice Smith, who was elected as the NFLPA’s executive director earlier this month, issued a statement Friday about Ryan Moats’ recent run-in with a Dallas police officer. Here is a portion of that statement:
“I expressed my condolences to Ryan’s family and I am very sorry for their loss. I have also spoken with the Dallas Police Dept. about their continued investigation of this matter and appreciated their swift reaction with respect to this incident. We stand by to offer any assistance asked of us and Mr. Moats’ family.” More …
“Excuse me, my mom is dying,” Tamishia Moats said. “Do you understand?”
Ryan Moats explained that he waited until there was no traffic before proceeding through the red light. When Powell asked for proof of insurance, Moats grew more agitated and told the officer to go find it.
“My mother-in-law is dying! Right now! You’re wasting my time!” Moats yelled. “I don’t understand why you can’t understand that.”
As they
The Officer apologizes ,But to me its to late.He should be fired because what he did was horrible and he can’t take what happen back.
Even though he did apologize, he should have apologized then and not a week later after the news got out to everybody. I’m happy that Moats accepted the apology, though that won’t bring back that wasted moment he could have had with his MIL.
As a Law enforcement officer I would say fire him. I have been around too many officers who have lost their sense of duty to the people and compassion for the persons they are suppose to serve. This officer was from what I have heard young and dumb, but the total lack of common sense was a wake up call to any supervisor. You have a small infraction of a law that could have been waived at his discretion and with the mounting evidence that Moats was telling the truth with the Head Nurse and Security Guard coming out to talk to him he should have backed down and excused Moats. A quick call to a supervisor would have given him the guidance to let the ticket go. All in all it is best that this officer find a new line of work where a sense of compassion is not needed.
My own personal experience has been that some not a majority, but some officers become so in love with throwing around their power they lose their common sense and compassion.
It was a judgement call on the officer, but a sad and bad one. It does not constitute termination of employment because Moats did run a red light, which is a Vehicle Code violation. An apology is better than not giving one. People are human and do make bad decisions from time to time. Who hasn’t made a bad decision at work?
Thumbs up to those who agree.
I know nothing good happens at 3am or 4am or 5am or whatever time in the morning this was, but….this happened at a HOSPITAL parking lot. Who evades the police in a hospital? Then have nurses inside come out and ask the cop to allow the person whom a ticket is being written to hurry so he can see a dying relative? The people should NOT have gotten out of the car, but they were distraught. Her mother was dying. I don’t believe if given different circumstances, the Moats family would have reacted the same. But being awaken by a phone call telling you your mother is dying and you should get to the hospital before it happens will probably not put you in a good place. What I found so tragically bad was the insistence of a lecture by the cop. That was heartless and without any clear judgment of the situation.
**** his apology。 He deserves much more than that. Son of a ******* ***** even the nurses came down to tell the officer that his mother in law was really dying but he still delivered a lecture that lasted 5 minuets, asshole.
“He was pointing a gun at me as soon as I got out of the car,” Tamishia Moats told The Dallas Morning News.
I don’t have a lot of experience with getting pulled over, but you DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR. The officer was acting for his own safety by drawing his weapon. I would have been breaking traffic laws too, if it were my family member in the hospital, but that doesn’t make it right. The cop is only a three year veteran so he was probably on a bit of a power trip, but he still acted properly for the most part.
Pulling the gun is what is going to cost this guy his job. This is what it says in a policeman’s handbook:
I WILL ACT WITH HONESTY, COURTESY AND REGARD FOR THE WELFARE OF OTHERS, AND WILL ENDEAVOR TO DEVELOP THE ESPRIT DE CORPS.
He did absolutely none of these things and was the only person in this incident endangering the lives of others for not having just cause to draw his firearm.